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 Pizhou running bamboo horse began in the first year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing dynasty (1796) and has a history of more than two hundred years to the present day.

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. The running bamboo horse is a traditional form of folk dance passed down in Pizhou City, Jiangsu Province, commonly called the 'bamboo horse dance' or the 'bamboo horse gathering'; its subject matter is drawn from the story of the Tartars (Jin Wuzhu) riding across and touring in the spring. In performance, actors portraying historical figures have bamboo blanks and horses or qilin made of paper hung at the waist and perform various formations. Through the creative work of several generations, the running bamboo horse successively incorporated percussion, suona and singing as accompaniment and chorus, and in the course of its transmission and development it differentiated into different styles and schools. In the running bamboo horse the horse-shaped prop is made of a shell tied from bamboo splints and covered with coloured paper; in performance it is carried at the waist and the performer keeps running about. The Pizhou running bamboo horse is characterised by 'running'; the single word 'running' runs through the whole performance, and 'running out posture, running out formations, running out momentum' are the three essentials of this folk dance. In performance the running bamboo horse has a variety of routines such as calling the horse and starting off, urging the horse into a light trot, releasing the horse into an easy run, letting the horse gallop, whipping the horse into a wild gallop, reining the horse and running backwards, and calling the horse to a stop. The formations appear within the running and the feeling within the formations. Its formations are also varied and colourful, mainly including 'a single-file long snake', 'two dragons fetching water', 'four gates closed at the base', 'five tigers seeking a sheep', 'the bagua formation', 'a cross of plum blossoms', 'the black dragon swaying its tail', 'splitting the horse's haunches', 'double loops', 'single loop', 'double threading flowers' and 'a dog's curled tail'. Under the impact of the modern economic tide, the development of the Pizhou running bamboo horse has stagnated.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

The Pizhou running bamboo horse is passed down in the various townships and towns of Pizhou City, Jiangsu Province, commonly called the 'bamboo horse dance' or the 'bamboo horse gathering', with content drawn from the story of the Tartars (Jin Wuzhu) riding across and touring in the spring. The local bamboo horse teams are organised on the basis of villages, with one person in a team appointed as the 'horse head' to coordinate changes of formation; the horse-shaped props have a shell tied from bamboo splints with coloured paper pasted over the surface, are carried at the waist in performance, and the team performs while moving along the village roads and market grounds.

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. Through interpretation and creative work by several generations, the running bamboo horse successively incorporated percussion, suona and singing as accompaniment, gradually becoming a local folk dance combining song and dance with an ardent atmosphere, and in the course of its transmission and development it produced a number of different styles and schools, all of which are of important value for the study of the local history, culture and art. At present the eight or nine bamboo horse teams in Pizhou all face problems such as an ageing body of talent and outdated props; the ancient folk dance form of the running bamboo horse is steadily declining and urgently needs protection and transmission. Qu Shaojin (recorded in the official archive of associated inheritors): male, Han, born in January 1940, native of Pizhou City, Jiangsu Province. He has fully mastered the various formations of the running bamboo horse and pays attention to front-and-back arrangement and crossing interlacing, in an orderly manner. From 2006 to the present he has worked professionally on the transmission, performance, publicity and training of the running bamboo horse. In 2015 the book Pizhou Running Bamboo Horse, of which he was the editor, was published, effectively promoting the transmission and dissemination of the Pizhou running bamboo horse. Representative inheritor of the bamboo horse (Pizhou running bamboo horse), a national-level intangible cultural heritage project in the fifth national batch. Over the years he has taken an active part in national, provincial, municipal and district-level performances and has been commended many times.

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

1. Zhuma (Pizhou, Jiangsu) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Qu Shaojin · National Representative Bearer Archive

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗