Drum Dance
01 · Historical Records
The 'drum society' (guhui) came into being around the Yongle reign of the Ming dynasty (1403–1424).
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Chinese drum dance is distinguished by rich drum patterns, ardent emotion and deep cultural reserves; it spreads across the whole country and its influence reaches the entire world. The Book of Changes (Yijing), in its chapter 'Appended Statements', has the phrase 'the drums are danced to, so as to bring the spirits to their fullest' (gu zhi wu zhi yi jin shen); it vividly reflects the long history of Chinese drum dance while also summing up, in a nutshell, its principal function. From the primitive 'striking stones and clapping stones, the hundred beasts all dance' (ji shi fu shi, bai shou shui wu) to later times when its influence spread everywhere south and north of the Yangtze, Chinese drum dance has remained one continuous, unbroken tradition. The Zhaozi drum is a folk dance form unique to Hebei, transmitted mainly within Longyao County. Longyao lies at the eastern foot of the Taihang Mountains, in southern Hebei, and its territory holds the Wu River, the He River, the Fuyang River, the Li River and the Xiao Zhang River. In ancient times the rivers flooded frequently and the common people were helpless; hoping for divine protection and peace of mind, villagers would strike the great drum, and this gradually took shape as the Zhaozi drum, originally called the 'drum society'. There is also the legend that Li Shimin and his brothers fought for the throne and turned on one another, and that to escape pursuit and killing they hid inside a drum; hence their fondness for drums, and at every festive occasion the drum must be beaten. In the Zhaozi drum performance, the dancer wears at the waist a flat leather drum of elegant shape, and on the back is inserted a wooden staff about five chi high, with a coloured feather duster — commonly called the 'drum zhaozi' — tied to the top of the staff. In performance the dancer now swings with wide, powerful motions, now shakes with small, quick tremors, and the duster at the top vibrates accordingly. The whole dance is uninhibited and bold, vigorous and expansive, lively and amusing. The Zhaozi drum performance has graceful dance postures, and its forms are flexible and varied, unrestricted by time or place; it falls into two modes, performance in procession and performance at a fixed site, and the number of performers may be large or small. In the procession mode, the troupe is divided into two main parts. The first part generally consists of four columns: two lines of small drums in the middle, with a line of large nao gongs or large cymbals on each side. The commander-in-chief holds a command flag and controls the speed and rhythm of the troupe's advance; two clown roles (choujue) carry small fans and, keeping time with the drumbeats, weave in and out among the drummers in jest and merrymaking, which gives the scene its own flavour. The second part is a motor vehicle (a horse-drawn cart in the past) carrying a large drum 1.5 to 2 metres in diameter, beaten in turn or simultaneously by four people, with four to six small horse-gongs (maluo) on either side, and above the front of the vehicle a society banner of the drum association is planted. The troupe advances amid the mighty sound of the drums, combining performance and music in one. In the fixed-site mode, the large drum and the horse-gongs are parked at one side of the performance ground, while the small drums and large cymbals show off their might and the formations display endless variations to the powerful sound of the drums. Its formation diagrams include the two dragons emerging from the water, five strands threading the heart, flower insertion, running to opposite corners, stringing the eight-character figure, the great encircling field and the dragon coiled around the pillar, among many other patterns. The performance relies mainly on small quick steps and crouching steps, has a floating, elegant style, and its movements are endlessly varied, giving the audience a powerful aesthetic enjoyment. In the Zhaozi drum, which has a long history, are fused the self-striving national spirit and the warm and uninhibited national character, revealing an artistic charm that never fades.
The drum standard
Dancers carry a flat leather drum at the waist and a five-foot pole on the back topped with a coloured feather duster that quivers with every shake.
The two columns of the march
The procession has two parts: drummers and cymbal teams in four columns with a flag-bearing conductor and two clowns, then a vehicle carrying the great drum and small gongs.
The great drum of one and a half to two metres
The great drum measures 1.5 to 2 metres across and is beaten by four men in turn or together, flanked by small gongs beneath the guild flag.
Field patterns
The stationary repertoire includes two dragons emerging, five strands piercing the centre, flower arranging, corner runs and the coiling pillar.
The legend of hiding in the drum
A local legend tells of a man hiding in a drum from pursuers, and of villagers beating drums against the floods of the old river courses.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Chinese drum dance takes many forms, is widely distributed, varies greatly in dance posture, and differs enormously in kind. Among the more typical forms are waist-drum dance, the crouching drum dance (biaogu), flower-drum (flower-lantern) dance, wooden-drum dance, long-drum dance, flat-drum dance, bronze-drum dance, dragon-drum dance, fan-drum dance, yellow-clay drum dance, elephant-foot drum dance, monkey drum dance, flower-whip drum dance, bamboo-drum dance, bell-drum dance, sheep-skin drum dance and many others.
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04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
At present, because the inheritors are of advanced age and few successors are following, the performance skills of the Zhaozi drum are steadily falling into neglect; the rescue and protection of this outstanding folk art has become an urgent task.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Mairemuhan Adili 02-0402
- Li Chengyuan 03-0925
- Yang Menyuan 03-0926
- Daisanhai 03-0927
- Gao Ruchang 04-1570
- Wang Qiren 04-1571
- Qi Xuede 05-2243
- Zhang Hongnian 05-2244
- Chen Defu 05-2245
- Zhang Lanqing 05-2246
- Zhang Jifu 05-2247
- Su Anfu
- Wang Chengde
- Liu Xueguang
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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