Drum Dance
01 · Historical Records
The Yichuan chest drum has a long history, having evolved out of the forms in which drums were beaten to aid in battle, to convey signals and to celebrate victory; from the Song dynasty onward it gradually became popular in the Yichuan area along the Yellow River in Shaanxi. In 1993 it took part in the commemorative performance for the forty-fifth anniversary of National Day; in 2003 China Central Television filmed it as a documentary special and broadcast it overseas; in 1996 Yichuan County was named by the state the 'Hometown of Chest Drum Art'. The Yichuan chest drum went through a process of evolving from its original form into drum dance; from the Republic of China to the early years after the founding of the People's Republic of China it was repeatedly refined and improved, gradually reaching maturity.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Chinese drum dance is distinguished by its rich drum notation, its ardent emotion and its deep cultural foundations; it is spread throughout the country and its influence reaches the whole world. The 'Historical Appendix' of the Book of Changes contains the phrase 'the drum, danced so as to bring the spirit to its fullest', which vividly reflects the long history of Chinese drum dance and at the same time sums up its principal function. From the primitive 'striking the stones and beating the stones, all the beasts take to dancing' to the later spreading of its influence across the great rivers to the south of the Yangtze, Chinese drum dance has always continued in a single line of transmission, unbroken and unceasing. The Yichuan chest drum is a folk dance form based on drum dance; its original name was 'flower drum', and it is one of the famous 'three drums of northern Shaanxi'. The Yichuan chest drum stands on its own with a style that is vigorous and agile, uninhibited and bold, bright and forceful, crisp and clear; it can be performed on the stage and equally suits open-air performance in streets and squares, with both male and female performers, and the number of performers may be large or small. The dancers' costume and appearance are quite distinctive: men and women each wear different short garments, tie a hero's headcloth on the head, wear a warrior's plume, tie a hero's knot on the chest, carry a hero's flower on the back, bind coloured silk at the waist, wear tight cuffs at the wrists, wrap and bind the lower legs, and wear 'cloud-climbing shoes'; they look valiant and neat, vigorous and full of vitality. In its early performances the Yichuan chest drum was danced by a man and a woman facing each other, one beating a small gong and the other beating a side drum. It later developed into one or two male drummers beating the drum, with four to eight female drummers holding coin sticks, coloured silks and flower fans, dancing around the male drummers and beating as they go. Some drummers carry several drums on their bodies at once and can play many patterns. After the founding of the People's Republic of China it was developed greatly through excavation and collation; in performance male and female drummers each make up half, a percussion ensemble is set beside them, and changes of formation are achieved through steps such as the yangge step and the running-jumping step. The Yichuan chest drum is magnificent in momentum, appeals to both refined and popular taste, and has a strong flavour of everyday life and powerful artistic expressiveness; it is one of the famous 'three drums of northern Shaanxi'. The Yichuan chest drum, together with the Ansai waist drum and the Luochuan biegǔ, is known as the three drums of northern Shaanxi; all three come from the military tradition of beating drums to aid in battle and to celebrate victory, while the name 'chest drum' marks the position of the drum in front of the body. In performance male and female drummers each make up half, a percussion ensemble is set beside them, and changes of formation are carried out with the yangge step and the running-jumping step; it follows the vigorous and agile line, forming a character of its own distinct from the heroic grandeur of the waist drum and the humour of the biegǔ.
The three drums of northern Shaanxi
Originally called the flower drum, it is one of the three famous drums of northern Shaanxi, suited both to the stage and to street performance.
Hero's scarf and cloud-climbing shoes
Men and women wear different short jackets with hero's scarf, warrior's tassel, knotted chest flower, coloured sash, leg wrappings and cloud-climbing shoes.
Homeland of the chest drum
It appeared at the forty-fifth national day celebrations in 1993 and on a CCTV feature shown overseas in 2003; in 1996 Yichuan was named homeland of the chest drum.
One or two men, four to eight women
From an early duet of gong and rim drum it grew into one or two male drummers surrounded by four to eight women with coin sticks, silks and fans.
Several drums on one body
Some drummers carry several drums at once and strike different faces in turn as they move, the most technical part of the form.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Chinese drum dance takes many forms, is widely distributed, shows the most varied dance postures, and abounds in the greatest variety of kinds; among the more typical forms are waist drum dance, biegǔ dance, flower drum (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, sheepskin drum dance and many others.
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04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
During the 'Cultural Revolution' the Yichuan chest drum fell silent for a time, and was later restored through rescue and excavation. At present the Yichuan chest drum has too few people to carry it on, and urgently needs rescue and protection.
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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