Yangge Dance

Ⅲ-2Traditional DanceLin, ShanxiBatch 2 (2008)Extension Item

01 · Historical Records

It originated in the labour life of transplanting rice seedlings and tilling the fields, and at the same time is related to the eulogistic songs and exorcistic songs sung in ancient times when the god of agriculture was sacrificed to in prayer for a good harvest, for blessings, and for the warding off of calamity. Yangge has abundant movements and diverse forms; it is vivid and lively, uninhibited and ardent, and is what ordinary people love to see and hear. Since the Qing dynasty it has circulated widely throughout the country, becoming a form of folk dance that has taken deep root in people's hearts. Linxian umbrella-head yangge is a large-scale folk song-and-dance. It originated in the deity-welcoming ritual contests and the folk nuo dances of ancient China's sacrificial activities, and is transmitted chiefly in Linxian County and its surrounding areas in the Luliang mountain region of western Shanxi, including Xishan in Lishi, Beishan in Liulin, the northwest of Fangshan, and Jiaxian and Wubao in northern Shaanxi across the river from Linxian. Over its long course of development and transformation, umbrella-head yangge absorbed nourishment from many kinds of folk art, gradually formed its own distinctive artistic style, stood out on its own among shehuo yangge, and became a typical representative of Yellow River culture and loess culture.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

Yangge, also called "twisting yangge", is a representative form of folk dance among China's Han nationality. In its long course of development, yangge continually absorbed the forms and techniques of folk arts such as folk songs, folk martial arts, acrobatics and opera, and gradually developed from simple singing into a collective song-and-dance performance. Linxian umbrella-head yangge is generally performed in the streets and on squares; the number of people in a yangge troupe varies, from seventy or eighty to two or three hundred. In performance, gate banners, coloured banners and a drum band lead the way at the front; in the middle come the frame-drum ensemble and the various small huizi troupe items; the rear line is closed by dragon dance and lion dance. All the performers dance freely to the rhythm of gongs, drums and suona under the lead of the umbrella head; seen from a distance they look like a frolicking coloured dragon. Umbrella-head yangge has more than thirty dance field patterns, more than ten dance tune patterns and more than forty sung melodies; its dance is most distinctive in the frame-drum ensemble, and a single yangge troupe may carry several frames of drums. The frame-drum ensemble consists of a male role who beats the drum, a female role who performs the flower dance, and a comic role who works the fan for effect. The male role beats the drum with coarse, powerful movements; the female role flourishes the fan in a delicate, moving performance; the man and woman tease each other and flirt, and the comic role inserts jokes and banter in among them, driving the performance to a cheerful climax again and again.

Jia Guzi (the drum rack)

The most distinctive dance of the umbrella-head Yangge, a trio of a drumming man, a flower-pulling woman and a fan-waving clown, several of which may appear in one troupe.

The procession order

The troupe order: banner and drum band leading, drum racks and small acts in the middle, dragon and lion dances closing, all dancing to gong, drum and suona rhythm.

Over thirty patterns and forty tunes

The umbrella-head Yangge counts over thirty dance patterns, more than ten dance tunes and over forty sung melodies, forming the skeleton of this large folk song-and-dance form.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

Linxian umbrella-head yangge is centred on Linxian County in the Luliang mountain region of western Shanxi, and is also distributed in Xishan in Lishi, Beishan in Liulin, the northwest of Fangshan, and Jiaxian and Wubao in northern Shaanxi across the river from Linxian; a yangge troupe numbers from seventy or eighty people to two or three hundred. It is a typical representative of Yellow River culture and loess culture.

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04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

At present, Linxian umbrella-head yangge has lost roles, its tune patterns are being lost, its structure and content are mutating, it lacks inheritors, and it faces a survival crisis that makes urgent rescue and protection necessary.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

Yangge Dance (Lin, Shanxi) · China ICH Official Project Archive

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗

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