Zhuma
01 · Historical Records
It began roughly in the Song dynasty and, through repeated practice by folk artists of generation after generation, took shape as a fixed form of performance, and is performed mainly at folk temple fairs on festive occasions such as the Spring Festival and the Lantern Festival. The Dongba big horse lantern is passed down in Dongba Village, Dongba Town, Gaochun County, Jiangsu Province. It originated in the Tang, flourished in the Song, and has a history of more than a thousand years to the present day. After 1949 the Dongba big horse lantern won awards many times at national and provincial folk art performance showcases.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The bamboo horse is also called the 'running horse lantern', the 'living horse' or the 'bamboo horse lantern', and is a traditional form of folk dance. To make a bamboo horse, one first ties a frame with bamboo skin or bamboo splints, then covers the outside with several layers of thick paper, paints it in colour and coats it with tung oil. A bell is tied at the horse's neck and a white cloth apron is fastened below; galloping horse legs are drawn on the apron, and the rider's legs and feet may also be painted on both sides of the horse's belly. The bamboo horse performance is simple in form. During performance the dancers wear ethnic costume and tie to the waist a bamboo horse made from bamboo poles or splints and divided into front and back halves, take the posture of riding a horse, constantly change formations and steps, acting as they walk, while the audience follows and watches along the way. The performance movements are also relatively simple, consisting mainly of the dancers running about and crossing the stage. The number of performers in a complete performance may be large or small: one person is called the 'lone horse' and performs such items as acting out a horse and leaping and lying down; two people usually perform 'The Little Couple Returns to the Parental Home'; four people usually perform 'Three Heroes Fighting Lü Bu'. In performance, percussion instruments such as gong, drum and cymbals are generally used for accompaniment, and in some places the suona pipe plays folk melodies to heighten the atmosphere and strengthen the rhythm. In this big horse lantern two people combine to perform one horse, and in terms of modelling its prop is taller and larger than that of an ordinary horse lantern. It uses bamboo for the frame of the horse and velvet cloth for the horse's skin, and is further decorated with a saddle, reins, bronze bells and the like. A Dongba big horse lantern procession generally consists of seven horses, imitating real horses raising their heads and neighing, galloping and leaping, and looks vividly lifelike. In performance, folk instruments accompany, and under the direction of the drum beats the procession of horses deploys its formations in alternation. Actors portraying such Three Kingdoms figures as Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei mount their horses and set out to war, exactly as if charging across a battlefield, making the audience present feel they are there. Finally, the procession of horses closes by tracing a formation according to the strokes of the four characters 'the world is at peace'. The performers of the Dongba big horse lantern are all villagers of Dongba Village, and three generations, old and young, often appear on the same stage.
Seven horses and the Three Kingdoms roles
Each horse takes two performers and the procession normally counts seven horses, ridden by actors playing Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.
Making the big horse lantern
The frame is bamboo, the hide velvet cloth, with saddle, reins and bronze bells added; it stands taller than ordinary horse lanterns.
Solo horse and the paired and quartet pieces
The number of performers varies: one does the solo horse, two usually play the young couple visiting the bride's family, four the three heroes against Lu Bu.
Closing in the characters for universal peace
The procession ends by tracing the four characters for universal peace, turning the wish for good harvest and order into choreography.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The Dongba big horse lantern takes Dongba Village, Dongba Town, Gaochun District as its centre of transmission; the performers are all villagers of the village, and cases of three generations, grandparent, parent and grandchild, appearing together are common. The procession of horses is fixed at seven horses, portraying such Three Kingdoms figures as Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, and deploying their formations in alternation under the direction of the drum beats; its establishment and formation system are the most complete among the various horse lantern teams of the locality.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Zhuma · Zhuma · Zhuma.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
The bamboo horse is a folk music-and-dance form of distinctive character, possessing research value in such fields as history, culture and art. At present, under the impact of the modern economic tide, the transmission and development of the bamboo horse has run into difficulties and faces a series of problems such as an ageing body of talent and outdated props; it urgently needs rescue-oriented support and protection from the relevant departments. The Dongba big horse lantern is a concrete expression of the charm of Wu and the resonance of Chu. In performance it reflects the Gaochun people's admiration for loyalty and righteousness and their spirit of remaking the world, and expresses the populace's longing for favourable weather, good harvests, a prosperous country and a peaceful people. It possesses important research value in history and culture. The people's government attaches great importance to the excavation and collation of the Dongba big horse lantern. Especially since the reform and opening-up, the local government and the municipal and county cultural departments have listed the rescue and protection of the Dongba big horse lantern as a priority in their work, giving strong support in financial and material resources and making a contribution to the transmission and development of the Dongba big horse lantern. Yet under the impact of modernisation this ancient folk dance still cannot avoid the crisis of gradually declining, and the relevant parties need to do further work on rescue and protection. Tang Yudao (recorded in the official archive of associated inheritors): male, Han, born in September 1949, native of Gaochun County, Jiangsu Province. He began learning to dance the big horse lantern from childhood under the influence of his father's generation, has comprehensively mastered the performance art of the Dongba big horse lantern, and is fully able to handle the running, galloping, leaping and mounting of the Dongba big horse lantern as well as the deployment of troops and battle array. His performance is highly appealing and can effectively bring out the imposing and magnificent character of the big horse lantern. He became the artistic director of the Dongba big horse lantern performance troupe in the late 1980s. Representative inheritor of the bamboo horse (Dongba big horse lantern), a national-level intangible cultural heritage project in the third national batch. He has led his team in performance, his footsteps covering almost the whole country, and has won the affection of the broad audience and a variety of awards. He has passed the art on to five apprentices to date and takes part in traditional culture teaching in primary and secondary schools.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Tang Yudao 03-0929
- Qu Shaojin 05-2250
- Ren Qiusheng 05-2251
- Fang Bingkun 05-2252
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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