Taige
01 · Historical Records
Taige originated in god-welcoming temple-fair processions in the Central Plains region and later spread gradually to the southeastern coast and the northwest. It enjoyed a period of popularity in the Qing dynasty; as it spread, it combined with local conditions in each place, giving rise to different characteristics. Zhangqiu Xinzi is a special form of folk performance; it originated in the Ming dynasty and was devised under the inspiration of the rocking sedan chair (chanjiao).
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Taige (lifted pavilions) is also known by such names as taijiao, taige, gaotai, naoge, naoge, and gaozhuang, and is a form of folk procession performance in traditional festival activities. In taige performances, several children dress as figures in traditional opera costume and, following the plot, form splendid tableaux, which are fixed to iron pillars and supports on a square pavilion platform and carried along by bearers. Traditional taige tableaux are mostly drawn from such repertoire works as The Butterfly Lovers (Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai), The Marriage of the Fairy (Tianxian Pei), Legend of the White Snake (Baishe Zhuan), Journey to the West (Xiyouji), Zhaojun Goes Beyond the Frontier (Zhaojun Chusai), Meeting at the Blue Bridge (Lanqiao Hui), Yellow Crane Tower (Huanghelou), and The Fisherman's Revenge (Dayu Shajia). The tableaux stand roughly three to five meters high; the pavilions have three to five tiers, generally one performer per tier, though some have four performers on the bottom tier, five or six in the middle, and one on top. In a taige procession, four pavilions are generally used, and at most six or even eight; each pavilion is carried forward by four or eight bearers. Taige fuses painting, opera, colored paper-work, and paper sculpture into a single art; its tableaux are graceful and its scenes spectacular. It has long been loved by the broad masses and has flourished in folk tradition without decline. At first, in order to drive away evil spirits and pray for good fortune, people dressed boys and girls as images of heavenly deities from mythology and moved them about on an erected platform or square table; this gradually evolved into a form of performance. Through the creation and innovation of several generations of folk artists, Zhangqiu Xinzi has grown ever richer and more complete in figure composition, craft, performance content, and performing technique, and is deeply loved by audiences. The performance content of Zhangqiu Xinzi is mostly drawn from traditional opera or mythological tales; according to the number of figures, the composition, and the mode of performance, it is further divided into zhuo xinzi (table xinzi), zhuan xinzi (revolving xinzi), dangan xinzi (single-pole xinzi), kang xinzi (shoulder-carried xinzi), and che xinzi (cart xinzi). At first, in order to drive away evil spirits and pray for good fortune, people dressed boys and girls as images of heavenly deities from mythology and moved them about on an erected platform or square table, and this gradually evolved into a form of performance; through the creation and innovation of several generations of folk artists, Zhangqiu Xinzi has grown ever richer and more complete in figure composition, craft, performance content, and performing technique.
Table, turning and single-pole cores
Its scenes come from opera and myth, divided by number of figures, style and mode of play into several kinds.
The original form against evil spirits
It began with boys and girls dressed as celestial figures moving on platform tables to ward off evil and pray for luck.
Inspired by the swaying sedan
A special folk form originating in the Ming, it was devised in the shadow of the swaying sedan chair.
The performance in Sanyu County village
Rooted in Sanyu County village and Xinzhai, it holds a prime place in the local New Year and mass gatherings.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Zhangqiu Xinzi is transmitted in Sandefan Village, Wenzu Town, Zhangqiu City, Shandong Province, and in Xinzhai Township and other places, where it occupies an extremely important position in local Spring Festival folk activities and large mass gatherings. Zhangqiu Xinzi enriches the spiritual life of the local people and provides the broad public with an effective form for expressing their feelings and regulating themselves.
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04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
With the acceleration of modernization, taige activities are gradually declining, and in the countryside the craft of making taige now lacks successors; the related rescue and preservation work is imperative.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Zhao Yunshan 03-1478
- Zhang Genzhi 03-1479
- Liu Wenchang 03-1480
- Zhong Yuwen 03-1481
- Fu Hengyu 03-1482
- Deng Junchao 03-1483
- Liu Duanfu 03-1484
- Li Ming 03-1485
- Peng Niangyao 03-1486
- Chen Fanxing 04-1976
- Tan Haobin 04-1977
- Gongsun Xin 04-1978
- Li Fuxian 04-1979
- Gao Yumin 05-3029
- Hao Laixi 05-3030
- Yao Ruming 05-3031
- Li Yangbo 05-3032
- Liu Qiyue 05-3033
- Liang Erdun 05-3034
- Hu Liangang
- Chen Wenshan
- Sun Kangfu
- Zhou Xingguang
- Huang Xuejun
- Zhang Guoqin
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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