Suqiaofeichahui
01 · Historical Records
The Suqiao Flying Fork Society was founded during the Tongzhi reign of the Qing dynasty and has been widely transmitted across the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region, where it has been performed continuously without decline. At the end of the Qing dynasty and the beginning of the Republic era, Jin Wenbin of Suqiao Town, Wen'an County, Hebei Province, carrying on the past and opening the way for the future, integrated the three skills of Tongbei (through-the-back) boxing, Taiji, and the Flower Fork into one and founded the Suqiao Flying Fork Society. Later inheritors included Jin Yueting, Di Xipeng, Zhao Jingtian, and Wang Shufang.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Besides performing on the ground, the Suqiao Flying Fork Society can also stand on a square stool and perform single-fork and double-fork routines with the legs. Flying-fork performance is divided into solo fork-dancing, two-person fork-dancing, and dancing by several people in pairs. Routine names include “Cloud-Net Sword on the Back”, “Flying Dragon Rolling on the Ground”, “Holding the Moon in the Arms”, “Warrior Bridging”, “Meteor Fire Fork”, and “Bewitching Silent Fork”. Throughout the whole performance the fork turns with the person and the person turns with the fork, flying up and down in a dazzling display that is truly a feast for the eyes. All members of the Suqiao Flying Fork Society are peasants; flying-fork performance has greatly enriched the cultural life of urban and rural people and has had a good promoting effect on the building of a harmonious society.
Cloud-net Sword, Flying Dragon and Embracing the Moon
Routines of the single-fork repertoire in which fork and performer turn as one, flashing up and down.
Warrior's Bridge, Meteor Fork and Silent Fork
Further routines, the Silent Fork a quiet play of hidden force contrasting with the whirling Meteor Fork.
Single and double fork on the bench
Beyond ground work, members stand on a bench and perform single and double forks with their legs.
Solo, duet and group fork dances
The fork is danced solo, in pairs or in groups, the formations growing richer as the number of performers rises.
Jin Wenbin and the three arts
In the late Qing Jin Wenbin fused Tongbei, Taiji and flowered fork into one art and founded the Suqiao society.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The Suqiao Flying Fork Society is transmitted in the Suqiao Town area of Wen'an County, Hebei Province. Suqiao was a key land-and-water strongpoint in the south of Wen'an; as early as the Qing dynasty it was already a commercial market town among Jingdong (eastern Hebei), Tianjin, and Hebei, and folk flower societies (huahui) flourished. During the Tongzhi reign of the Qing dynasty, Jin Wenbin of Suqiao Town integrated the three skills of Tongbei boxing, Taiji, and the Flower Fork into one, founded the Suqiao Flying Fork Society, and was followed by inheritors including Jin Yueting, Di Xipeng, Zhao Jingtian, and Wang Shufang; all the society's members were local peasants. Besides performing at its own village, the Flying Fork Society also traveled along the Daqing River to Tianjin, Beijing, and Baoding to give New Year greeting performances, and it was performed continuously without decline in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region. The flying fork uses an iron three-pronged fork as its implement, with a moving ring fitted on the fork head that clangs and rings as it is whirled; when the society performs, its members wear colorful robes and headbands, march in formation to the drumbeat, and stop to open the performance at a crossroads or in front of a temple. The society also has dedicated drum-and-cymbal players who set the tempo for changes of routine. The Suqiao Flying Fork Society is transmitted in the Suqiao Town area of Wen'an County, Hebei Province. Suqiao was a key land-and-water strongpoint in the south of Wen'an; as early as the Qing dynasty it was already a commercial market town among Jingdong (eastern Hebei), Tianjin, and Hebei, and folk flower societies (huahui) flourished. During the Tongzhi reign of the Qing dynasty, Jin Wenbin of Suqiao Town integrated the three skills of Tongbei boxing, Taiji, and the Flower Fork into one, founded the Suqiao Flying Fork Society, and was followed by inheritors including Jin Yueting, Di Xipeng, Zhao Jingtian, and Wang Shufang; all the society's members were local peasants. Besides performing at its own village, the Flying Fork Society also traveled along the Daqing River to Tianjin, Beijing, and Baoding to give New Year greeting performances, and it was performed continuously without decline in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region. The flying fork uses an iron three-pronged fork as its implement, with a moving ring fitted on the fork head that clangs and rings as it is whirled; when the society performs, its members wear colorful robes and headbands, march in formation to the drumbeat, and stop to open the performance at a crossroads or in front of a temple. The society also has dedicated drum-and-cymbal players who set the tempo for changes of routine. The Suqiao Flying Fork Society's performance season is concentrated around the Spring Festival, the Lantern Festival, and temple fairs; when it performs, a society banner leads the way, drums and cymbals follow, and the members take the stage in sequence according to their routines. The flying-fork routines emphasize that “the fork never leaves the body and the body never leaves the fork”: at the moment of release, the fork head is first sent out with wrist strength, and then the fork is drawn back into the palm by making use of the circling motion of the moving ring; single-fork and double-fork routines can alternate on the left and the right. In former times members also practiced the boxing forms of the Tongbei and Taiji schools to ensure a stable lower body; because the fork head is made of iron with three prongs, any slight slip can easily injure someone, so in teaching the art, trainees must first practice catching the fork, protecting the face, and withdrawing steps.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
However, with economic development and change in the countryside, peasants engaging in commercial trade and exporting their labor during the slack farming season has become a common phenomenon; coupled with a certain degree of danger in flying-fork performance, the transmission of the Suqiao Flying Fork Society has been seriously impeded, and it is in urgent need of protection.
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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