Minjian Shehuo Performance
01 · Historical Records
Folk Shehuo is a self-performed, self-amused activity popular among the people during the Spring Festival; it derives from the ancient worship of the earth (she) and fire (huo).
02 · Core Techniques & Process
She refers to the god of the earth, and huo refers to the Fire Ancestor, the legendary god of fire. In China, a land renowned for its agricultural culture, the earth was the foundation on which people stood; it provided the material basis for human survival and development. Fire was the source of cooked food and warmth and an essential condition for human survival and development. People of remote antiquity, guided by primitive thinking, believed that fire too possessed a spirit, and they regarded it as a sacred object with special significance and worshipped it, thus giving rise to the veneration of fire. Out of the ancient worship of the earth and fire arose the custom of sacrificing to She and Huo. As society developed and people's understanding grew, the rituals of sacrificing to Shehuo gradually took on an element of entertainment, becoming a large-scale and richly varied folk recreational activity. According to their form of performance, Shehuo can be divided into two categories: modeling Shehuo and performance Shehuo. Modeling Shehuo, including cloth Shehuo, back-carried Shehuo, horse Shehuo, cart Shehuo, framework (xinzi) Shehuo, mountain Shehuo, and mask Shehuo, parades in procession, mainly displaying character figures and craftsmanship; performance Shehuo, such as ground-stage Shehuo and stilt Shehuo, mainly stages mock combat in the village courtyard. Shehuo takes folk legends and theatrical stories as its subject matter, presenting a story through one or a group of figures; one story constitutes one turn of Shehuo. The performers must paint on Shehuo facial makeup, wear Shehuo costumes, and carry Shehuo batons. A Shehuo procession generally has a scout rider at the front, followed by the Shehuo society banner, the firelock (gun) squad, the flag squad, and the Shehuo troupe, with the gong-and-drum band bringing up the rear. The reform and opening-up brought new vitality to the art of folk Shehuo, which was carried forward and developed into a folk cultural activity much loved by the masses.
Processional shapes of the tableau style
Framed, back-carried, horse, cart, column, mountain and masked styles each compete on ingenuity as they march.
Stage and stilt contests in the yard
Ground stages and stilts stage real combat in yards, with painted faces and staffs, one story per group.
From scouting horse to closing drums
A scouting horse opens, banners and gun teams follow, performers come next, and drums close as the parade moves village to village.
From appeasing gods to pleasing people
Beginning as a rite for soil and fire, the practice absorbed entertainment as people changed, growing into large-scale festive display.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
In the Baoji area, Shehuo troupes travel from village to village; each society raises its own funds and runs its own affairs, and at New Year and temple fairs the whole troupe turns out. The local character of this area is concentrated at the two ends of modeling and combat: the modeling side includes cloth Shehuo, back-carried Shehuo, horse Shehuo, cart Shehuo, framework (xinzi) Shehuo, mountain Shehuo, and mask Shehuo, each depending on a particular craft, so that those who build scenery, those who paste paper, those who paint the facial makeup, and those who sculpt the mountain scenes each have their own trade; the combat side comprises ground-stage Shehuo and stilt Shehuo, usually set up in the village courtyard and contested bout after bout. The formation when the procession moves is also fixed: the scout rider goes ahead to scout and lead, followed in turn by the society banner, the firelock squad, the flag squad, and the Shehuo troupe, with the gong-and-drum band last. One turn of Shehuo is one story, and the performers must take the stage wearing Shehuo facial makeup and Shehuo costumes and carrying Shehuo batons. The Baoji Mass Art Center and the municipal intangible cultural heritage protection center give overall direction, while day-to-day transmission continues in the hands of the village Shehuo troupes.
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04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Shehuo grew out of the old custom of sacrificing to She and Huo; originally it prayed for wind, rain, and the year's crops. Later the element of entertainment grew ever stronger, and with its large scale and rich content it finally became the major New Year event that every village on the Guanzhong Plain competes in. This shift from sacred to human affairs looks as though the entertaining of the gods gave way to the entertaining of people, but in fact it is the same community expressing its prayer for a good year in a different way: the livelier the performance becomes, the more firmly the prayed-for hope is gathered. Since the reform and opening-up, the art of Shehuo has revived once more and been carried forward under new conditions, becoming a cultural activity much loved by the masses; the skilled performers of each village compete through the scenery of cloth Shehuo, the steadiness of back-carried Shehuo, and the height of framework (xinzi) Shehuo, and in doing so have also brought local crafts such as papermaking, framework assembly, and painted decoration back into the villages.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Du Tonghai 03-1470
- Zhao Xiwen 03-1471
- Yang Fengshan 05-2992
- Zhao Zhigao 05-2993
- Lvchunjing 05-2994
- Sun Shulin 05-2995
- Li Jianzhong 05-2996
- Pei Baolin
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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