Drum Dance

Ⅲ-42Traditional DanceWushan, GansuBatch 2 (2008)Newly Added Item

01 · Historical Records

The Wushan xuangu drum dance is of great antiquity; its origin has various explanations in history, including the story that a shepherd scattered the wolves, the sacrificial explanation and the military explanation. In the course of its long development the Wushan xuangu drum dance gradually evolved into a folk sacrificial community entertainment activity, and it split into two main types: the xuangu drum dance of the northern mountain area and that of the southern mountain area.

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 Wushan xuangu drum dance, also called 'fan drum dance' or 'sheepskin drum dance', is a traditional folk dance formed by the Qiang people in their long agricultural and pastoral life; it is transmitted mainly among the villages and townships of Tange Town, Baiquan Village of Luomen Town, Longtai Township, Shandan Township and others in Wushan County, Tianshui City, Gansu Province. It takes music and dance as its vehicle, attaining in sacrificial rites the purpose of amusing the gods and the people. Performance of the Wushan xuangu drum dance is held in late spring and early summer, when children first beat drums in each village to rouse the enthusiasm of the populace, and the xuangu drum dance reaches its climax at the Dragon Boat Festival. The xuangu drum dance troupe numbers from several dozen to several hundred people; among them the xuangu drummers require highly technical movement and demanding stepping and shifting, and are generally young and middle-aged men. The xuangu drum dance has typical movements such as 'shouting the mountain peaks', 'a thousand catties pressing the crown' and 'the whirlwind rising suddenly', as well as traditional routines such as 'two dragons playing with a pearl', 'white horse parting its mane', 'the crown prince touring the four gates' and 'the phoenix facing the morning sun'; the performers spinning as they dance is its principal characteristic. The Wushan xuangu drum dance mainly uses sheepskin drums, which are single-headed percussion instruments shaped like a fan without being one, close to the surface of a banana leaf. Other objects are also used in the performance, including drumsticks, cymbals, gongs, jingling bells, banners, coloured flags and a number of distinctive garments. Its scale is magnificent and it moves the heart; it expresses the romantic temperament and cultural spirit of Wushan and more deeply embodies the artistic import of the Wushan xuangu drum. As the times change, the Wushan xuangu drum dance, this ancient folk dance, has continuously been struck by outside culture and has gradually declined.

The sheepskin fan drum

Its chief instrument is a single-faced sheepskin drum shaped like a fan or a banana leaf, with sticks, cymbals, gongs, bells, banners and flags.

Shouting at the mountains and sudden whirlwinds

Its signature movements are technically demanding and mostly danced by young men, spinning being the form's defining trait.

Traditional routines

Its traditional routines include two dragons playing with a pearl, the white horse parting its mane and the prince touring four gates.

Three origin theories

Its origins are variously explained by shepherds frightening wolves, by sacrifice, or by warfare, and it later split into northern and southern mountain types.

Late spring and the Dragon Boat climax

Held in late spring, it begins with children drumming through the villages and climaxes at the Dragon Boat festival with troupes of dozens to hundreds.

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. The movements of the whole dance are vigorous and robust, the rhythm is ringing and sonorous, and it has broad popular character and a strong local flavour. The Wushan xuangu drum dance has a unique Longyuan flavour and a marked local character; its greatest features lie in the 'spin' and the 'drum'. It is a cultural and entertainment activity peculiar to Wushan County; later, through continual creation and improvement by literary and art workers, repertoire works suited to stage performance gradually emerged, and it won many awards at national, provincial and municipal level.

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04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

At present the number of xuangu drum dance performers is steadily decreasing and drum makers are increasingly scarce; the drum-making craft is in danger of being lost and the performance techniques of the xuangu drum dance are also in an endangered state, so rescue and protection are urgently needed. Dai Sanhai (official archive record of the associated inheritor): male, Han ethnicity, born in December 1960, native of Wushan County, Gansu Province. Through diligent study and hard practice, in 1980 he mastered the various routines, techniques and essentials of the Wushan xuangu drum dance. He has organised and taken part in many festival performances at provincial, municipal and county level, and has received favourable reviews. In his spare time between farm work he actively promotes the Law of the People's Republic of China on Intangible Cultural Heritage, raising public awareness of intangible cultural heritage protection, and devotes himself to the transmission of the xuangu drum dance art. Representative inheritor of the third national-level batch of the intangible cultural heritage project Drum Dance (Wushan xuangu drum dance). In recent years, by running training classes and by other means, he has passed on the art of the xuangu drum dance to local young people; among his disciples are Dai Yongji and Dai Chaodong.

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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