Qianghuapao
01 · Historical Records
The Zhuang people's Huapao-snatching (qianghuapao, "grabbing the fireworks") is a traditional sport that combines praying for blessings and honoring ancestors with competition and entertainment. It originated in a ritual of the Zhuang ancestors in which firecrackers were set off to fulfill vows and repay the gods, and is widely popular in Yongning District, Nanning City, Guangxi, and surrounding areas.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
In the Zhuang Huapao-snatching, teams compete by family unit, with no limit on the number of teams, participants, or gender, and the timing varies from place to place. The participant who delivers the firecracker to the designated spot is regarded as the winner and becomes the "paotou" (firecracker head); the following year's Huapao-snatching is held in the paotou's village and is organized by the pao-group led by the paotou. Before the Huapao-snatching, the villagers must first hold an ancestral worship ceremony; once the ancestor worship concludes, the villagers prepare to take part in the Huapao-snatching held in their village. The Huapao-snatching mainly comprises four stages: returning the firecracker (huanpao), parading the firecracker (youpao), snatching the firecracker (qiangpao), and receiving the firecracker (jiepao). Next comes the parading of the firecracker, in which the pao-group delivers the items needed for the Huapao-snatching to the event site. The snatching stage is the climax of the whole event, usually held on open, flat fields with good visibility. After the main firecracker is lit, the huapao is blasted into the sky; whether it lands in a paddy field, on a hillside, on a rooftop, or in a tree, the participants all scramble to seize it, with cheers and laughter throughout, making for a highly entertaining spectacle. Whoever grabs the huapao becomes the new paotou. This person is responsible for bringing the huapao back to the temple. The final stage is the receiving of the firecracker, in which the new paotou, after bowing and burning incense before the blessing tablet (fupai) in the ancestral temple, takes the blessing tablet home and places it in the main hall for worship. Only when the new Huapao-snatching is held the following year and the blessing tablet is taken away does the event come to an end. During this period, on the first and fifteenth day of each month, the paotou must hold a ritual ceremony. The Zhuang Huapao-snatching is a spontaneously organized community activity, transmitted collectively among the villagers of the Zhuang settlements where the practice is prevalent. Inheritors take on apprentices, mainly teaching the skills of the activity and the craft of making the huapao.
Returning the cannon
The opening stage in which the cannon head's group returns the previous year's blessing tablet and offerings to the village shrine.
Parading the cannon
The firecracker group carries the equipment to the ground, a ceremonial prelude to the scramble.
Scrambling for the cannon
The climax, held on open flat fields: once the main charge fires the cannon skyward, players fight for it wherever it lands and the winner becomes the new head.
Receiving the cannon and the tablet
The winner returns the cannon to the temple, bows before the blessing tablet and carries it home to be worshipped in the main hall.
Making the firecracker
One of the crafts taught to disciples: building a charge strong enough to lift the cannon skyward yet safe to use.
The cannon head and next year's host
Whoever delivers the cannon to the appointed spot becomes head and hosts next year's event in his village, with dates varying by locality.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Local people believe that the huapao symbolizes good fortune; whoever grabs it will receive the blessing of the heavenly gods and prosper with a large family, which is why the Zhuang Huapao-snatching is so enthusiastically pursued locally. Huanpao (returning the firecracker), also known as "receiving blessings," involves the paotou leading the pao-group to bring the prepared offerings and the blessing tablet won the previous year back to the local ancestral temple. The Zhuang Huapao-snatching has a long history and distinctive characteristics; it is an important means for local people to express their beliefs and strengthen community bonds, and has significant cultural value. The Zhuang Huapao-snatching is widely popular in Yongning District, Nanning City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and the surrounding Zhuang-inhabited areas. Teams compete by family unit, and the village pao-group is responsible for organizing and hosting the event. The Nanning Yongning District Cultural Center is the designated protection unit, and inheritors take on apprentices mainly to teach the skills of the activity and the craft of making the huapao. The huapao used in the event is made by the pao-group according to traditional techniques, and must ensure that the main firecracker, once lit, can send the huapao into the air. The blessing tablet won is normally enshrined in the ancestral temple; after the receiving stage, it is moved to the new paotou's main hall for worship, after which the paotou must hold ritual ceremonies on the first and fifteenth day of every month of the following year, until the new paotou takes the blessing tablet away the year after, whereupon this round of the event is considered concluded.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
It advocates a spirit of challenge and competition and emphasizes teamwork, which has positive significance for establishing the values of peaceful competition, strengthening body and mind, and enriching the cultural life of the masses.
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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