Dragon Dance

Ⅲ-4Traditional DanceZhongshan, GuangdongBatch 3 (2011)Extension Item

01 · Historical Records

This passage describes the scene in which, from the Ming dynasty on, the locality had a Beidi Temple built and residents raised mulberry branches to welcome the cloud dragon to come for its procession. In the 1930s and the 1940s the Liufang cloud dragon dance twice went to Hong Kong, to perform at the celebration of the Silver Jubilee of the British monarch and in a performance celebrating the victory of the War of Resistance against Japan, and was warmly welcomed by overseas Chinese and compatriots in Hong Kong and Macao.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

In front of the Beidi Temple of the ancient town stands an old stone stele, whose inscription records: 'This ancient temple was built at Lanxi Mouth, while the vermilion stele and stone inscription date from the bingzi year of the Wanli era through the wuxu year of the Daoguang era, the air of the dragon hall, at sight of which people look up at the mulberry and grow reverent.' Around the twentieth day of the first lunar month, after the Spring Festival, Liufang Village holds a 'touring the deities' activity: nearly two hundred young and middle-aged men of the village take the cloud dragon out of the ancestral hall, light candles inside the dragon body after nightfall so that the whole dragon glows, and then, with those carrying banners and lanterns leading the way and the dancer with the dragon pearl at the head, escorted by dancers holding cloud, carp and other props, they set out from the village and tour the neighbouring villages in succession; the procession lasts three nights. The Liufang cloud dragon dance has a rich repertoire of movements and is lifelike in form; and since the dance is generally performed at night, with the dancers' trousers the same colour as the dragon's body, from a distance one sees only the cloud dragon tumbling and no dancer at all, an effect that is quite uncanny.

Three nights of god-parading

Around the twentieth of the first month some two hundred young men parade the dragon for three successive nights through the neighbouring villages.

Lighting candles inside the body

At nightfall the dancers light candles and slip inside the body, making the cloud dragon glow through against the dark.

Trousers matching the dragon skin

Because the performance is at night and the dancers' trousers match the skin, from a distance the dragon writhes alone with no visible dancers.

The old stele at the Beidi temple

A stele before the Beidi temple records events from the Wanli to the Daoguang reigns, describing residents greeting the cloud dragon with mulberry branches.

Performances in Hong Kong

In the 1930s and 1940s the dragon performed in Hong Kong for the royal jubilee and for victory in the war of resistance, welcomed by overseas Chinese and compatriots.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

The Liufang cloud dragon dance is transmitted in Liufang Village and other villages of Guzhen Town, Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province; it is a dragon dance that developed out of the traditional Spring Festival custom of 'touring the deities' and has been transmitted for more than 300 years. Around the twentieth day of the first lunar month, after the Spring Festival every year, nearly two hundred young and middle-aged men of the village take the cloud dragon out of the ancestral hall, light candles inside the dragon body after nightfall so that the whole dragon glows, and then, with those carrying banners and lanterns leading the way and the dancer with the dragon pearl at the head, escorted by dancers holding cloud, carp and other props, they set out from the village and tour the neighbouring villages in succession for three nights.

04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

The Liufang cloud dragon dance is a dragon dance transmitted in Liufang Village and other villages of Guzhen Town, Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province; it developed out of the traditional Spring Festival custom of 'touring the deities' and has been transmitted for more than 300 years. As the social and economic structure has changed, the younger local generation lacks enthusiasm for learning the traditional Liufang cloud dragon dance, and its transmission is already in an endangered state. 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 ↗

This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript; it mirrors the bilingual dossier. 阅读中文版，或返回英文名录。