Liaoshisuo
01 · Historical Records
This discipline originated in the military, became popular among the people, and flourished during the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Hailing stone-lock throwing is a traditional folk sport practiced mainly in Hailing District, Taizhou City, Jiangsu Province. Taizhou is a renowned 'land of fish and rice' and a distribution center for salt, rice, and oil, with thriving commerce and a developed transport industry. The strength stone lock includes movements such as the upright lift (tingju), swinging lift (baiju), and static hold (xuanting). The fancy stone lock has a great variety of practice patterns: throwing methods such as the forward throw, reverse throw, stride throw (kuazhi), and back throw (beizhi), combined with catching methods on the hand, fingers, elbow, shoulder, and head, compose a wide range of patterned movements; the lock flies up, down, left, and right, combining hardness with softness. Practitioners often use the stone lock to train grip strength, wrist strength, and arm strength, as well as the strength of the waist and legs. In form, it can be practiced solo by one person, or as throwing practice between two people. For competition, the number of participants varies — two, three, or more. In performance, the emphasis is on height, airiness, correctness, steadiness, and liveliness: first, one watches the flipping of the stone lock; second, the performer's posture, footwork, and technique in shifting, dodging, throwing, and catching; third, the tacit coordination in two-person and multi-person performances. It has a long history and has been continuously innovated and developed. It combines hardness and softness — a perfect union of skill and strength — giving an enjoyment of art and beauty; literati and poets of successive ages left many fine poems about stone-lock throwing.
Strength locks: press, swing and hold
One of the two branches of Hailing stone-lock work, using presses, swings and holds to build grip, wrist, arm and leg strength.
Figure locks: four throws and four catches
Figures built from forehand, backhand, cross and over-shoulder throws caught by hand, finger, elbow, shoulder or head.
High, floating, straight, steady, lively
The three things spectators judge: the spin of the lock, the performer's stance, steps and dodges, and the teamwork of pairs and groups.
The stone-lock park and training bases
Facilities set up in Hailing district that, with the stone-lock association, carry out popularisation, lectures, competitions and coaching.
Five generations under the Hailing association
Transmitted master to disciple for five generations, the practice has spread to neighbouring districts and now involves some 3,000 practitioners.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The locality had many workers engaged in transport and dock loading and unloading; stone-lock throwing became one of the ways they built physical strength, and the tradition was accordingly passed down in great vigor. Hailing stone-lock throwing is divided into the strength stone lock and the fancy stone lock.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Liaoshisuo.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
The tradition is also transmitted in Jiangyan District, Gaogang District, Xinghua City, Taixing City, Jingjiang City, and Jiangdu District of Yangzhou City, around Hailing District. Hailing stone-lock throwing is transmitted through the master-apprentice method and has been passed down for five generations to date. At present, the protection and transmission of this discipline is mainly undertaken by the Hailing District Stone Lock Association; the association and its core members constitute the main inheriting group of the project. They actively publicize and popularize knowledge and technique of stone-lock throwing, hold lectures on stone-lock skills, and carry out skill-exchange activities, making great contributions to its protection, transmission, and dissemination. The government attaches great importance to its protection and transmission: it has led the formulation of protection plans for the project, providing institutional guarantees for conservation; established training bases and encouraged inheritors to enter communities, schools, and military units to teach their skills; organized competitions and skill-exchange activities, built a stone-lock park, and strengthened publicity and promotion. Today Hailing stone-lock throwing is increasingly widespread, its active groups keep growing, and about 3,000 people have joined the ranks of practitioners; its state of continuity is sound. Hailing stone-lock throwing makes few demands on venue and is suitable for participation by all; it can both build physical fitness and foster a spirit of courage, solidarity, and friendship. It is an important component of China's traditional sports and has considerable historical, cultural, and artistic value.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Shen Shaosan 04-1745
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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