Dragon Dance

Ⅲ-4Traditional DanceFoshan, GuangdongBatch 2 (2008)Extension Item

01 · Historical Records

By the middle of the Qing dynasty, the human-dragon dance had already risen in Guanghua Village.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

Classified by the form the dragon takes, dragon dance includes cloth dragon, gauze dragon, paper dragon, straw dragon, coin dragon, bamboo dragon, palm-fibre dragon, bench dragon, hundred-leaf dragon, lotus-flower dragon, fire dragon, chicken-feather dragon, flesh dragon and many other types; because the forms differ, their dance postures and dancing techniques also differ in their own ways. The traditional performance procedure of Chinese dragon dance generally consists of such segments as 'inviting the dragon', 'sending the dragon out', 'performing the dragon dance' and 'seeing the dragon off'. Dragon dance embodies cultural meanings of pioneering effort and of the unity of humanity and nature, and is an important part of the spirit and cultural heritage of the Chinese nation. The human-dragon dance is a traditional folk square dance transmitted in Guanghua Village, Xingtan Town, Shunde District, Foshan City, Guangdong Province. Guanghua Village in the Lingnan water town is a famous home of southern-style martial arts, with a profound traditional cultural foundation. In the tenth year of the Daoguang reign (1830), Liang Yaoshu of Guanghua Village passed the metropolitan examination as zhuangyuan; martial masters in the village spontaneously launched a 180-person performance of the human-dragon dance to welcome the zhuangyuan home in triumph, and for a time the whole village was stirred. Since then, at every festive occasion Guanghua Village has performed the human-dragon dance as an entertainment, handed down through generations and transmitted to the present day. In the human-dragon dance performance, from several dozen to more than a hundred people form a dragon shape tens of metres long. Those who serve as the dragon body sit astride the shoulders of the dragon base, leaning their bodies back and lying on the shoulders of the base behind, and wave red silk ribbons with both hands as dragon claws. The dragon head is made up of three people: one holds the dragon horns in both hands while sitting astride the shoulders of the dragon base, and another clamps the waist of the base with both feet and leans forward with the upper body suspended in the air as the dragon's tongue. The dragon tail is also made up of three people: one raises joined palms high as the dragon tail, or rides astride the shoulders of the base in front holding a dragon tail prop and leaning back, with the last base supporting his back with his head. The human-dragon dance team's costume is uniform; rising to the beat of gongs and drums, it displays a vigorous and expansive bearing. The human-dragon dance preserves the legacy of the ancient Baiyue people's dragon totem belief and reveals the essence of dragon culture in the water towns of southern China. It integrates folk dance elements into southern-style martial arts and has been hailed by the media as 'the sole wonder of China, no other dragon to compare'.

Dragon bearers and dragon surface

The human dragon divides into bearers and surface; bearers must be strong enough to support the body on shoulder and waist, while the surface riders recline on the bearers behind, waving red silk as claws.

The three-man dragon head

The head consists of three men: one riding a bearer's shoulders holding the horns, another gripping the bearer's waist with his legs and extending forward as the tongue.

The three-man dragon tail

The tail also uses three men: one raising clasped hands as the tail tip, or holding a tail prop and leaning back on a bearer's shoulders with the last bearer's head against his back.

Welcoming the top scholar Liang Yaoshu

In 1830 the Guanghua villager Liang Yaoshu took first place in the imperial examination and local martial artists raised a 180-man human dragon to welcome him home, a custom kept ever since.

Red silk for claws

The troupe dresses uniformly and dances to drums, the surface riders waving red silk as claws, preserving the dragon-totem legacy of the ancient Baiyue.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

Dragon dance, also called 'dragon performance', is known among the people as 'playing the dragon', 'playing the dragon lantern' or 'dragon lantern dance'; it is the most widely distributed and most far-reaching folk dance in China. This dance takes varied forms in its performance, and dragon dances among different ethnic groups and different regions differ markedly in style. The whole human dragon consists of two parts, the dragon base, that is the underside of the dragon, and the dragon surface, that is the dragon body; those who serve as the dragon base must be of robust build and able to support the dragon body with their shoulders and waists.

04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

In recent years the living space of the human-dragon dance has been shrinking day by day, and its development and transmission face numerous crises; it urgently needs protection and support.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

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

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

Dragon Dance (Foshan, Guangdong) · China ICH Official Project Archive

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗

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