Dragon Dance

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

01 · Historical Records

The Drunken Dragon originated in Changzhou Village in the western district of Zhongshan, and spread from Changzhou to places such as Zhangxi in Shiqi, Shaxi, Dayong and Haotou in the Torch Development Zone.

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 Drunken Dragon is a dance peculiar to the folk of ancient Zhongshan, Guangdong; it originated in the Song dynasty, flourished in the Ming and Qing dynasties, and was originally a spontaneous improvised dance for inviting the deities, later developing into a dance with props, performed in the procession held after the Bathing Buddha Festival on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month every year. Besides this, it was also transmitted to Macao by Zhongshan natives who had migrated there from places such as Changzhou in the early years. A Drunken Dragon performance includes ritual worship, the insertion of golden flowers, inviting the dragon, three bows and nine kowtows, drinking wine, dancing the dragon at the feast, pouring wine and the procession. During the performance the dragon dancers must first be made to drink an adequate quantity of wine, and then dance while drunk. As soon as they are slightly sober, those holding the wine jars must forcibly pour wine in from the side, insisting on getting them into a state of deep drunkenness. In the performing team, apart from those who pour wine at the dragon head and tail, each dragon must 'drink' two bottles of wine; the dancers drink until they are seemingly drunk but not truly drunk, spouting beer, holding the dragon head in their arms and dancing with drunken steps, opening the performance in high spirits. The seemingly drunken steps look staggering but are in fact exquisite. Originally the Drunken Dragon dancers waved the dragon head and tail about as they pleased during the ritual worship, which was called 'turning the dragon'; it later developed into a kind of folk dance.

The ritual opening

The opening protocol of the drunken dragon, performed in the procession after the Buddha's birthday rites on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month.

Drinking, force-drinking and dancing

The most distinctive episode: dancers are plied with wine before dancing and force-fed again whenever they sober; each dragon consumes two bottles and the dancers mouth beer as they stumble into the dance.

Zhuan Long (turning the dragon)

The free handling of head and tail during worship that later became a formal folk dance, the key step from improvised spirit-possession dance to codified performance.

Southern boxing, drunken boxing and lion steps

The drunken dragon merges southern boxing, drunken boxing and acrobatics; the inheritor Huang Zhuogen combined drunken-boxing routines with lion-dance steps to reach the state of a drunken form with a sober mind.

The Macao procession

The drunken dragon was carried to Macao by Zhongshan migrants from Changzhou and other villages, becoming a shared folk memory of both places.

The Buddha's birthday procession

Originally a spontaneous trance dance and later a prop dance, it is performed each year in the procession after the Buddha's birthday rites.

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 Drunken Dragon combines southern-style martial arts, the drunken boxing and acrobatics; it has been deeply popular with the local people of Zhongshan since ancient times and has influenced surrounding areas, and may be called a treasure of Chinese folk dance.

04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

At present the main inheritors of the Drunken Dragon are already advanced in age, and this unique folk dance is on the verge of extinction and urgently needs protection. Huang Zhuogen (official archive record of the associated inheritor): He integrates southern-style martial arts, drunken boxing and acrobatics, applying the routines of drunken boxing together with the dance steps of the waking lion, highlighting the state of dancing the Drunken Dragon after intoxication, and achieving the remarkable state in which 'the form is drunk but the meaning is not drunk, the steps are drunk but the heart is not drunk'. He has more than sixty years of rich performing experience, is accomplished in all aspects, and has attained a high level of mastery. In the local community he has carefully taught the performing skills of Drunken Dragon dance to the younger generation, and actively promoted the transmission and development of the Drunken Dragon dance. Male, Han ethnicity, born in June 1930, died in November 2017, native of Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province. Representative inheritor of the third national-level batch of the intangible cultural heritage project Dragon Dance (Drunken Dragon). Cai Zhanquan (official archive record of the associated inheritor): Growing up in Liufang Village, he was steeped in the traditional customs of the cloud dragon dance from childhood, and especially under the influence of his uncle who danced the cloud dragon; he began to take an interest in the cloud dragon dance at the age of 14. He consistently took part in the traditional cloud dragon dance procession held in the village every Spring Festival. From 1959 he began following the Liufang cloud dragon dance troupe to various places to take part in all kinds of large performances. He actively followed the older generations to learn dragon dance techniques and the skills of making the cloud dragon's body, took part in organising events, daily rehearsal, prop management and the training of young people, and systematically compiled the materials on the transmission of the Liufang cloud dragon dance. Male, Han ethnicity, born in May 1934, died in October 2013, native of Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province. Representative inheritor of the fourth national-level batch of the intangible cultural heritage project Dragon Dance (Liufang cloud dragon dance).

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

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

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗

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