Stilt Walking
01 · Historical Records
It flourished in the early Yongzheng reign of the Qing dynasty, appearing in the grand temple-fair activities; it has remained vigorous ever since and today has a history of more than three hundred years.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Gaoxiao, also called "gaoxiao yangge", is a folk dance widely transmitted throughout China; it takes its name from the way the dancers tread on wooden stilts with both feet. Gaoxiao has a very long history, originating in a form of technical display among the ancient hundred entertainments; stone carvings of stilt-walking dating from the Northern Wei dynasty already exist. Gaoxiao is generally performed by dance troupes of from a dozen-odd to several dozen people; most dancers portray the role of a character from an ancient myth or historical story, and their costumes largely imitate opera stage dress; common props include fans, handkerchiefs, wooden sticks, spears and sabres. Performance takes two forms, "treading the street" and "parking the field"; the latter comprises the "great field", in which the troupe dances while moving through various formations and patterns, and the "small field", performed by two or three people; male and female roles often dance facing each other, sometimes dancing and singing at the same time. The wooden stilts used for gaoxiao in different places range from 30 to 300 centimetres in height, varying widely. In terms of performance style it is further divided into "civil stilts" and "martial stilts": the civil stilts emphasise twisting, stepping and plot-based performance, while the martial stilts emphasise the display of technical feats. The stilted-beast art of gaoxiao is a form of performance in the temple-fair cultural activities of Yangcheng Village, Qinghe Town, Jishan County, Shanxi Province. Stilted beasts are made up of the animal head, the animal body and the performers. In performance two performers stride on stilts while acting out riding the beast; carrying a heavy load, they move in time with the beat of the tune patterns. The accompanying music consists of percussion instruments such as gongs, drums and flower drums. The figures of both the people and the beasts are strange and unusual; when they move in formation to the sound of drums and gongs, the scene is magnificent and highly spectacular. The existing stilted-beast images have basically all been handed down from ancient times; although they have been repaired many times, their original appearance is still preserved. The animal heads and bodies are modelled by highly skilled artisans, sewn and lashed together from hemp fibre, hemp paper, fine cord, thin bamboo, iron wire, cloth and other materials, and painted in many colours, so that the outward form is both imposing and exquisite.
The northern Yangcheng beasts
The beast figures of northern Yangcheng village: unicorn, xiu wolf, qilin, bamboo horse and cat, kept separate from those of the southern village.
The southern Yangcheng beasts
The southern village's beasts — black leopard-cat, sika deer and tapir — distinct from the northern set; the figures descend largely from older times, restored but still recognisable.
Building the beast head and body
Skilled craftsmen model the head and body, stitching and binding hemp, paper, cord, bamboo, wire and cloth and painting them in many colours for a fierce yet fine appearance.
Two dancers on stilts riding one beast
Two performers on stilts together simulate riding a single beast, bearing its weight as they walk to the tune, the strange shapes of riders and beasts processing grandly to the drums.
The Yangcheng temple fair and its accompaniment
A temple-fair performance of Yangcheng village, accompanied by drums and flower drums; it flourished from the early Yongzheng reign over three hundred years ago, voicing prayers for good harvests.
Duan Tiecheng and the eighth-generation Duan Xingwang
Born in Jishan in 1944, Duan Tiecheng joined his uncle Duan Xingwang, eighth-generation bearer, as a drum leader at twelve and later took charge of making, painting and restoring the beasts.
Beginnings in the early Yongzheng reign
The stilted beasts became current in the early Yongzheng reign amid large temple fairs and have continued for over three centuries as a speciality of the Jishan festival tradition.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Yangcheng Village in Qinghe Town, Jishan County, is divided into South Yangcheng and North Yangcheng. The stilted beasts of North Yangcheng include the single-horned beast, the xiu wolf, the qilin, the bamboo horse and the cat; those of South Yangcheng include the black-striped tiger, the sika deer and the tapir. This folk dance activity of stilted beasts enriches the spiritual and cultural life of the people, strengthens the unity and harmony between people, and at the same time expresses the local people's earnest wish for favourable weather, timely rain and a bountiful harvest.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Stilt Walking · Stilt Walking · Stilt Walking · Stilt Walking · Stilt Walking · Stilt Walking · Stilt Walking.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
At present, the folk dance activity of stilted beasts faces a situation in which succession runs dry, and effective measures must be taken urgently to rescue and transmit it. Duan Tiecheng (as recorded in the official file of the associated inheritor): Male, Han nationality, born in April 1944, native of Jishan County, Shanxi Province. He loved folk art from childhood, and at twelve began to take part in the temple-fair gong-and-drum and flower-drum performances together with his uncle Duan Xingwang (the eighth-generation inheritor of Jishan stilted beasts), serving as the leading drum-beater. After years of artistic practice he has not only mastered the ritual processions, activity procedures, programme arrangements and performance techniques of temple-fair sacrifices, but also taken on the repair and renewal of all kinds of props, the making, colouring, varnishing and refurbishing of animal heads and bodies, and the organisation and arrangement of folk shehuo activities. Over the years he has worked to uncover and protect folk tradition, keeping on innovating in the making, performance and musical accompaniment of the stilted beasts; he has also drawn in many young people and carried out teaching by passing on skills, giving help and leading newcomers, so that stilted beasts have successors and the tradition is handed on. Representative inheritor of the fourth-batch national-level intangible cultural heritage project Gaoxiao (stilted beasts).
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Xing Chuanpei 02-0357
- Yang Min 03-0915
- Wang Xinhui 03-0916
- Duan Tiecheng 04-1561
- Zhang Zhongxian 05-2214
- Wang Zonglu 05-2215
- Wei Pingjun 05-2216
- Juhaiquan 05-2217
- Wang Jixian
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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