Taige
01 · Historical Records
The name "Centipede Pavilion" (Wugong Ge) appears among the yige (art pavilions) recorded in the section on customs in the Qianlong-era Quanzhou Prefectural Gazetteer of the Qing dynasty. In former times it was one of the costumed processions in god-welcoming festival gatherings; today it counts as one element of the folk street parade (caijie). It is one form of the yige, also called zhuangge ("dressed pavilion"), longge ("dragon pavilion") and fengge ("phoenix pavilion"), and this name and form are used interchangeably within the yige trade of southern Fujian and of Taiwan and Kinmen. In terms of the range of activity, Centipede Pavilion performances are concentrated in Dongyu and other villages of Haicang District, while the broader raised-platform (taige) tradition circulates in southern Fujian areas such as Xiamen, Quanzhou and Zhangzhou, as well as in Taiwan and Kinmen; the taige of southern Fujian is also called yige, with stories costumed and performed on the pavilion stage and Nanyin music sung. This shift from festival procession to street parade has also turned a single troupe into a stretch of the caijie that everyone comes to watch.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The Haicang Centipede Pavilion is a form of raised-platform (taige) performance within the festive folk activities popular in Haicang District, Xiamen City, Fujian Province. In former times it was a costumed procession in god-welcoming festival gatherings; today it is one of the forms of the folk street parade (caijie). The Centipede Pavilion is one form of the yige, also called zhuangge, longge and fengge, and it is already recorded in the section on customs in the Qianlong-era Quanzhou Prefectural Gazetteer of the Qing dynasty. Centipede Pavilion performances are concentrated in Dongyu and other villages of Haicang District. A "Centipede Pavilion" is assembled by joining from a dozen or so to more than a hundred wooden planks. The planks are 1.5 to 2 metres long and 40 to 50 centimetres wide and are called "pavilion sheds" (gepeng); the pavilion sheds are joined one to the next with loose tenon joints, forming a single chain that advances in a serpentine line and resembles a centipede — hence the name "Centipede Pavilion". The pavilion sheds are decorated in a multitude of colours, and a high stool is mounted on each; on every stool sits a boy or girl dressed as a character from some opera story. In performance the centipede formation is borne on human shoulders or pushed along on wheels, advancing slowly, with firecrackers and drums and music sounding together. The project is of great significance for carrying on the fine traditions of the Chinese nation, strengthening the cohesion of the Chinese nation and promoting the reunification of the motherland.
Boards joined with living tenons
Scores of boards linked by loose tenons writhe along like a centipede, hence the name.
Children on the high stools
Each decorated board carries a high stool where a child sits costumed as an opera figure.
The centipede pushed on shoulders or wheels
The centipede advances slowly on shoulders or wheels to the sound of firecrackers and gongs.
The art pavilion in the Quanzhou gazetteer
The Qianlong Quanzhou prefectural gazetteer already records this form under several names.
Street parades in Dongyu and neighbouring villages
Centred on Dongyu and other villages, it has moved from god-procession parade into the street parade.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
It is widely transmitted in southern Fujian areas such as Xiamen, Quanzhou and Zhangzhou, as well as in Taiwan and Kinmen. In southern Fujian, taige is also called yige, with stories costumed and performed on the pavilion stage and Nanyin music sung.
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04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
With from a dozen or so to more than a hundred pavilion sheds joined head to tail, the long procession advances in a serpentine line; structurally it is lighter than the taige and better suited to being pushed slowly along village lanes and streets. High stools are mounted on the pavilion sheds, with boys and girls dressed as characters from opera stories; when firecrackers, drums and music sound together, the excitement of the parade falls into a single beat. This form is recorded in the section on customs in the Qianlong-era Quanzhou Prefectural Gazetteer of the Qing dynasty and has long been in use in southern Fujian and in Taiwan and Kinmen, preserving the old manner in which the raised platform was combined with local music and costume; it is first-hand material for studying how the festive entertainments of southern Fujian shifted between festival gatherings and the street market.
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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