Quanzhou Zhongshi
01 · Historical Records
Quanzhou Zhai-shi Lion, also known as the "Lion Array" (shizhen), is a traditional sports performance form that originated in Quanzhou City, Fujian Province, integrating military battle formations with martial arts training.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Quanzhou Zhai-shi Lion consists of three parts: drills in battle formations, martial arts exercises, and sparring with the lion. The formation drills, characterized by collective courage and coordinated fighting, mainly include more than ten deployment and maneuvering formations such as the Green Dragon Formation, the Butterfly Formation, and the Interlocking Formation, divided into four patterns of stationary and battle formations; in addition, there are alternating long- and short-weapon methods used by rattan-shield soldiers in actual combat. The martial arts exercises include various styles of boxing, various weapons, and various paired drills. Among them, the boxing styles include the plain, traditional southern styles such as Wuzu Boxing, Arhat Boxing, and Crane Boxing; the weapons include long weapons, short weapons, double weapons, flexible weapons, and farm tools such as carrying poles, hoes, and umbrellas, with more than forty kinds of implements in use; the paired drills include unarmed paired practice and sparring with various weapons, such as two-person bouts and group melees. Sparring with the lion refers to warriors wielding various weapons and taking turns to fight and grapple with the green lion — this is the "lion-slaying" (zhai-shi). A Quanzhou Zhai-shi Lion performance can involve several dozen to several hundred participants, with drums and cymbals at the center directing the action. The green lion weaves among them, displaying various lion-dance techniques. Afterward, the warriors perform various boxing styles, various implements, and various paired drills, fully displaying their martial arts skill. The performance concludes with sparring with the lion, i.e. the "lion-slaying" itself. The whole performance lasts one to two hours, with a majestic momentum that shakes heaven and earth, fully reflecting the practical character of battle-array tactics and martial arts skill, and displaying the brave and resolute bearing of the martial world and the martial spirit of collective courage. In festival celebrations that give thanks to the deities, it carries the beautiful aspiration of driving away evil and praying for blessings; its performance philosophy of "practice the fist to protect yourself, practice the lion array to look after your community" manifests a familial and patriotic sentiment of solidarity, cooperation, mutual love, and aid, and serves as a spiritual bond of cultural identity and kinship for Hokkien (Minnan) people at home and abroad.
Green dragon, butterfly and chain formations
Among a dozen manoeuvre patterns, these three show the collective, coordinated character of the drill performed by weaponed ranks behind dragon and tiger flags.
Garrison and battle arrays, rattan-shield tactics
The drill is divided into garrison and battle arrays with rattan-shield tactics alternating long and short weapons, a survival of old military training.
Five-ancestor, arhat and crane boxing
Traditional southern boxing styles in the martial section, alongside weapons and paired sets.
Over forty weapons, including farm tools
Long, short, double and flexible weapons number over forty, including shoulder pole, hoe and umbrella.
The order of the performance
Ranks first perform the manoeuvres, then boxing, weapons and paired sets, and finally the lion fight itself, all directed by drums and cymbals.
Boxing for oneself, the lion array for the village
The motto of the tradition, expressing mutual aid and village solidarity as a bond of Minnan identity at home and abroad.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The project is now widely distributed in villages throughout Quanzhou City, and has spread with overseas Chinese to the Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan regions and to countries in Southeast Asia. First comes the formation drill: the warriors, holding various weapons, form into two columns led by dragon-and-tiger flags, and maneuver through the various formations. Quanzhou Zhai-shi Lion, also known as the "Lion Array," has its earliest origins in the Jin and Tang dynasties, began to take shape in the Song dynasty, flourished in the Ming dynasty, and became complete in the Qing dynasty. It is a traditional sports performance form that originated in Quanzhou City, Fujian Province, integrating military battle formations with martial arts training, and is now widely distributed in villages throughout Quanzhou City, having spread with overseas Chinese to the Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan regions and to countries in Southeast Asia. The Shishi City Cultural Center is the designated protection unit. Historically, transmission was mainly through master-apprentice instruction, and it has now been passed down for six generations. A performance involves several dozen to several hundred participants, directed by drums and cymbals at the center, with the green lion weaving among them; the whole performance lasts one to two hours.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
It has its earliest origins in the Jin and Tang dynasties, began to take shape in the Song dynasty, flourished in the Ming dynasty, and became complete in the Qing dynasty; it has been passed down for more than 300 years. Historically, Quanzhou Zhai-shi Lion was transmitted mainly through master-apprentice instruction, and has now been passed down for six generations with a clear lineage; it is currently transmitted mainly through training classes held by individual or village martial arts halls. Quanzhou Zhai-shi Lion is a perfect combination of martial combat and lion-dance technique, and is an important basis and authentic living cultural sample for the study of Quanzhou battle-array martial arts, martial theory, and folk culture, with considerable academic value.
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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