Brief introduction of Guangdong lion

Lion Dance belongs to the Southern Lion Dance in China, which is an authentic Han folk dance in Guangdong Province and a treasure in Guangdong Dance Garden. Historically, it was born out of the court lion dance in the Tang Dynasty. After the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, with the migration from the Central Plains to the south, lion dance culture was introduced into Lingnan area. In the Ming Dynasty, lion dance appeared in Guangdong, which originated in Nanhai County. Now it is spread among overseas Chinese in Guangdong, Guangxi and Southeast Asian countries. Mainly distributed in Foshan, Suixi, Guangzhou and other counties and cities in Guangdong. Guangdong lions are considered as auspicious things to ward off evil spirits and avoid harm. Whenever there are festivals or major events, there will be lion dances to help, which will last forever and be passed down from generation to generation. The following is what I have arranged for you: a brief introduction of Guangdong lions.

Brief introduction of Guangdong lion

Lion dance is a cultural activity integrating martial arts, dance and music. During the performance, the gongs and drums are loud, and the lion dancers play Nanquan first, which is called "opening piles". Then, two people play the role of a lion, and the other "Big Head Buddha" with a smile and a sunflower fan attracts the lion to the stage. Most of the lion dancers' movements are "southern boxing" and "horse stance", and the lion dances include "opening eyes", "washing beard", "licking body" and "shaking hair". The main routines are "picking green", "drinking water from high platform", "lion spitting ball" and "stepping on plum blossom piles". Among them, "picking green" is the essence of "Wake Up the Lion", which has the process of starting, inheriting, turning and combining, and is dramatic and story-telling. "Cai Qing" has undergone changes, and various routines have been derived and widely circulated. The lion dance performance in Suixi gradually developed from the traditional ground lion to the lion sitting, from the lion sitting to the high platform lion and the high pole lion, and from the high pole lion to the pile lion. The difficulty of piling lions is also increasing, such as tightrope walking and jumping in the air. The highest pile is close to 3 meters, and the maximum span is 3.7 meters, which fully embodies the characteristics of "new, high, difficult and dangerous" and is known as "a unique skill in China". The modeling features of Guangzhou Shakeng lion dance props are: the lion's head is high and narrow, the eyes are big and can rotate, the mouth is wide, the back is wide, the nose is flat, the cheeks are full, and the teeth can be hidden and exposed. There are three kinds of performances: penny lion, lion dance and little lion. The lion's eight states of joy, anger, sadness, joy, movement, quietness, surprise and disbelief are deduced through such difficult movements as jumping, moving, flashing, flapping, spinning and jumping on the ground or on the pile array, showing the ferocity and strength of the lion.

Since 1980s, almost every township has its own lion dance team. Throughout the year, the opening ceremony is always full of gongs and drums. On holidays, the Lions will take to the streets to pick green and perform on tour. The popularity of mass lion art in towns and villages is unprecedented. Guangdong lion has become a well-known brand of folk dance unique to Guangdong. Lion dance activities have also been widely spread in overseas Chinese communities, becoming a cultural bridge for overseas compatriots to recognize their ancestors and return to their ancestors, which has far-reaching cultural value and significance.

The historical origin of lions in Guangdong.

Lion dancing in China is divided into "Northern Lion" (Northern Lion) and "Southern Lion" (Southern Lion). The "Northern Lion" is bulky in appearance, while the "Southern Lion" is similar in spirit. This is recognized by most experts, scholars, dancers, martial artists and the general public. According to the book "Lion Dance in the South China Sea" written by Nanhai County, Guangdong Province, "there is no doubt that the lion dance in China was born out of the yellow lion in the north." "Southern Lion" actually started from time to time, and the historical materials have been searched, so far there is no record, and its exact age is no longer available. However, it is generally certain that it spread from the Central Plains to Lingnan after the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. "I think this formulation is reasonable: before Qin Shihuang unified China, Lingnan was still a backward primitive tribal society. Qin Shihuang's unification of China brought farming, textile and other technologies to Lingnan area, and brought Central Plains culture. Later, in the tenth year of the Sui Dynasty, Nanhai County was established, and its jurisdiction included parts of Guangzhou, downtown Foshan, Sanshui and Shunde.

Historically, there have been many wars in the Central Plains, and people in the Central Plains have migrated three times. Lingnan is one of its main destinations. It is logical that the people of the Central Plains moved south, which inevitably brought the Central Plains culture and the lion dance that the people loved. In the chapter "Integration of Chinese Folk Dance" (Guangdong Volume), it is said: "Foshan is said to be the birthplace of lion dance." (Note: Foshan was originally under the jurisdiction of Nanhai County) We can get the answer from the material basis of Nanhai County and the process of making lions at that time. Nanhai county has been a land of plenty since ancient times, with fertile land and rich sericulture, fish and sugar cane; Silk weaving, ceramic utensils, hardware and bamboo production, paper binding technology and so on are very prosperous. In the Song Dynasty, Shiwan, Nanhai County was famous for its ceramic technology, and was known as "Shiwan tile is the best in the world". During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Foshan Town, Nanhai County, Hanyang Town, Hubei Province, Jingdezhen Town, Jiangxi Province and Zhuxian Town, Henan Province were called "Four Famous Towns in China". "Foshan Zhong Yi Township Records" contains: "In the thirty-third year of Guangxu, Wudou Company reported to the Ministry of Industry that the products of' Lion Head Shop' were excellent, and all provinces and foreign countries came to order, mostly in Shilupu." This clearly shows that the lion production technology in Nanhai County was the highest in all places at that time.

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Basic characteristics of lions in Guangdong.

Making "Wake Up the Lion": Bamboo and paper are the main materials. First, tie the bamboo into the shape of a lion's head, and stick paper on the eyes, ears, mouth and other places, which are all active. They are all made of pig beans, horse bristles or plant fibers. After drying, they are painted with various colors and then cured with varnish. The biggest feature of lion dance is that it has an extra horn on its head. It is said that it was created to avoid the taboos of the yellow lion dance that the emperor especially appreciated, which made the government unable to grasp the handle. The heaviest lion's head is 6.5 kg, and the lightest is 3.5 kg. * * * is divided into four categories. The traditional length of lion wake-up quilt (also called lion tail) is 4 meters. In order to dance flexibly, it is now changed to 2.6-3 meters.

Types of lion awakening: "There are many kinds of lion awakening. One is the Golden Lion, also called Tai Lion, which is used for welcoming guests or grand communication etiquette, and generally does not go out easily. Once out, the other lions will kneel down and knock him three times. When the golden lions meet, they should make eye contact with each other, then the golden lions bow to each other, exchange invitations with the lions' mouths, and then start dancing. Besides the golden lion, there are also black lions, red lions and colorful lions. It is said that they represent Zhang Fei, Guan Gong and Liu Bei respectively, reflecting different personalities, such as the black lion is mighty and fierce, the red lion is majestic, and the colorful lion is gentle. " In addition, due to different shapes, people all over the country have different names for lion awakening: for example, the big-headed lion in Nanhai, the duckbill lion in Heshan County, the rooster lion in Qingyuan and Yingde, and the parrot lion in Leizhou Peninsula.

Lion Dance Music: "Drum" is the main musical instrument for lion dance. Plus gongs and drums and money, gongs and drums are overwhelming. The strength, speed, rapidity and softness of drums are set according to different routines and movements of lion dance. The skills, posture and gestures of drumming are very particular. There are three kinds of drum music: three-star drum, five-star drum and seven-star drum. "Just look at China according to the different routines and movements of lion dance. The skills, posture and gestures of drumming are very particular. There are three kinds of drums: three-star drum, five-star drum and seven-star drum. " It is a high artistic enjoyment to watch the performance of China Lion Dance and Drum Band. "This is the media evaluation of Nanhai Lion Dance when it participated in the international lion dance competition in Malaysia in July. 1990.

The movements and routines of the lion dance: According to the introduction of the old artists, the footwork of the lion dance completely adopts Siping Horse, Meridian Horse, Kirin Step, Jumping Step, Sitting on the plate (that is, the old tree packing), turning over, tumbling and so on. These movements are difficult to connect and control. They are strong, firm and rooted. Anyone who learns to dance and wake a lion must first learn Nanquan to lay the foundation. The performance procedure of lion dance is: going out of the hole, going down the mountain, crossing the bridge, drinking water, picking green, getting drunk, waking up, going up the mountain, playing ball games, and playing with the big head Buddha to pick green is the climax. Green picking can be divided into "high green picking" and "ground green picking". "Picking the ground green" also divides water green, crab green, bridge bottom green, broken word green and so on. The routines are colorful, skillful and difficult. In addition, there are "Lion Lantern", "Lion Spits the Ball", "Big-headed Buddha Attracts Lions" and the highly skilled "High-piled Lion", "Plum Blossom Pile Lion" and "Lion Walking a tightrope" developed in modern times.

The Artistic Style of Guangdong Lions

There are many kinds of lion dances. To sum up, there are southern schools? And then what? Northern school? They have different styles and characteristics. Popular folk saying:? Northern lion? Originated in the Northern Wei Dynasty. Lion dance is popular in? Ren Hu? In the northern Wei dynasty, the king of Wu of Wei called it? Northern Wei Ruishi? It is not only an entertainment place in the palace, but also a homesick place for conference semifinals. Called it in the Southern Song Dynasty? Northern lion? .

? Southern lion? , popular in southern China and Guangdong. It is said that there is a monster that eats the crops of rural farmers everywhere, but it doesn't harm people and animals, and it often sends out? Year after year? People call it sound. Nian beast? Nian beast has wide eyes, tentacles and good character. Rural farmers regard it as a sacred animal and dare not kill it. Later, the villagers were scared away by the sound of firecrackers? Nian beast? People are calm. The villagers congratulated each other on their relatives and friends and set this day as? New year? , symbolizing a new beginning. From then on, people imitate bamboo every New Year? Nian beast? Burn firecrackers and send red stamps. Secondly, there are strict differences in modeling between the southern lion head and the northern lion head, and the northern lion head is mainly realistic. The Southern School is based on the spirit likeness, and its artistic image is to create an exaggerated and romantic lion.

Guangdong lion is the most representative southern lion dance. After lions spread to different places, according to local customs (especially in Malaysia and Singapore), their grip strength, dance and appearance are different. However, the appearance of the lion's head shows its character through color. For example, the image of Zhang Fei shows its bold and rough momentum with the red lion's Guan Gong face, black and white face, green nose and iron angle of toothbrush beard.

Guangdong traditional lion dance pays attention to skills and martial arts skills, and is generally composed of two or three people. One of them jumped on the lion's head, the other on the lion's tail, and the other on the big head Buddha, with a sunflower fan as the guide, followed by a gongs and drums team. The lion moves in various postures with the fast, slow and light rhythm of the drums. There are more than 20 basic movements commonly used in lion dance, such as licking hair, scratching, exploring the road, playing in water and drawing green. Emotionally, happiness, anger, sadness, joy, greed, doubt, taboo, worry, hunger, sleeping and waking up are the main gait steps, such as four horses, meridian horses, opening and closing horses, riding dragon steps and so on. Skillful masters can not only dance the lion's mentality, but also show a set of story lines from the difficult lion dance skills. Only in this way can we truly achieve the superb kung fu of Nanshi. Lions can beat drums, gongs and cymbals during performances. Drummer is the core and soul of lion dance.

With the continuous development of the times, great changes have taken place in the lion art, whether it is acting or lion head and equipment. There are certain restrictions on the length, short length, high height and low height of equipment in the world. The competition time is set at 10 to 15 minutes, and the number of participants is limited to 6 to 8, which makes the traditional lion art from popularization to competition, standardization and science.

Cultural Connotation of Guangdong Lions

Foshan, one of the famous ancient towns in China, has a unique cultural tradition. It has been continuously passed down and gradually evolved into a cultural feature rich in both cultural traditions and the spirit of the times. Wake up the lion is one of them.

Nanhai County, Guangdong Province, China is the authentic birthplace of Wake Up the Lion. As early as the early Ming Dynasty, Foshan Town, Nanhai County, known as the four famous towns in China, had skilled craftsmen specializing in making lion heads, lion quilts, gongs, drums and cymbals. In addition, lion dance has always been a traditional folk sport in markets and villages near Foshan Town. Whenever there are festivals in the New Year, or major festivals (such as villagers' celebrations and the completion of a new ancestral temple), lion dances will be held to add fun. Since then, this traditional folk activity has gradually spread throughout South Guangdong and Guangxi.

Nanshi looks like a lion, but it has a long horn on its head. It looks like a lion but it is different from it. The horn tip of the Southern Lion bends slightly forward, not backward, which will not damage the lion's powerful image and has its unique artistic style. It is not difficult to see that the characteristics between lion and unicorn have merged into a new type of lion with unique style. As we all know, the feudal dynasty in China didn't ignore the folk who abused the emperor's special costumes and rituals? Make a mistake? . The charges range from losing everything to killing nine families. Since the Tang Dynasty, the Five Dynasties, the Song Dynasty, the Yuan Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty all took the yellow lion dance for granted, because it was once a special dance exclusively enjoyed by Emperor Li Tang? Taboo? No one dares to take the world by storm. However, lion dance is created by working people after all, and it is a traditional entertainment project combining artistry with sports. People like it, so they came up with a good strategy to avoid related taboos. The image of lion awakening is a lion, but how long is it? In the case of official tracing, it is called. Unicorn dance? , so that the rulers can't catch the handle. The yellow lion dance in the court was instigated by people holding red strokes; And lion dancing is disguised as an adult? Big head Buddha? Fan with a sunflower, and don't stick to anything? Five colors? 、? Five parties? This method has its own percussion music and skills, which originated from the yellow lion dance and is different from the yellow lion dance. It has become an important activity of traditional folk sports and entertainment in Lingnan area, showing strong vitality, being a new creation of the people and deeply loved by the people.

There was once a man of the hour in the history of Wake Up the Lion in Xiqiao Mountain, South China Sea. Xiqiao Mountain in the South China Sea is outstanding, and a generation of military commander Huang Feihong was born at the foot of Xiqiao Mountain. The southern lion dance in Huang Feihong shows the integrity of the Chinese nation and embodies the national pride of pioneering, unity and fearlessness. The scene of Huang Feihong Lion King's hegemony is now reappeared in the memorial hall every day. A few vigorous young people pranced on the iron pile more than three meters high, and their dexterous movements showed the magical charm of the Southern Lion, as if they had seen the charm of Huang Feihong in those days. It has high ornamental value. Often gongs and drums are loud, and lions appear. It walked briskly, looked around, shook its head and looked extremely alert. Four legs knocked on the ground, and it approached the iron pile with dazzling steps. Just as the spectators blinked, the lion suddenly jumped on the iron pile, and then a lion stood up and smiled proudly in the sky. The scales on the lion were shining in the sun. People exclaimed for a while, and then watched the lion turn sharply, all his feet landed on the pile, and he took dexterous steps in the rhythmic drums. On the iron pile more than three meters high, he took off and walked on the ground. While speaking, the drums suddenly stopped, and the lion suddenly jumped forward with his feet in the air. When the pile fell, the whole lion fell sharply. Some people in the audience were blindfolded and couldn't bear to watch it again, and then watched the lion fall. The audience burst into applause.

Lion dance was not only elegant at that time, but also popular now. With the reform and opening up, guangdong lion teams have spread all over Guangdong, and the influence of lion dance is increasing day by day. It is ornamental, artistic and competitive. At the same time, it has strong auspicious and festive colors and the ability to render the atmosphere. Even overseas Chinese have set up lion dance teams to perform legends. As time goes by, the spirit of lion awakening has become more and more popular, and lion awakening has gradually become a trend!

Gem of Guangdong Lion Dance Garden

Lion Dance belongs to the Southern Lion among the lion dances in China. It is an authentic Guangdong folk dance and a treasure in Guangdong Dance Garden. Historically, it was born out of the court lion dance in the Tang Dynasty. After the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, with the migration from the Central Plains to the south, lion dance culture was introduced into Lingnan area. In the Ming Dynasty, lion dance appeared in Guangdong, which originated in Nanhai County. Now it is spread among overseas Chinese in Guangdong, Guangxi and Southeast Asian countries. Mainly distributed in Foshan, Suixi, Guangzhou and other counties and cities in Guangdong. Guangdong lions are considered as auspicious things to ward off evil spirits and avoid harm. Whenever there are festivals or major events, there will be lion dances to help, which will last forever and be passed down from generation to generation.

Inheritance of the Present Situation of Lions in Guangdong

Lion dance has a broad mass base among the people of Guangdong. Since the reform and opening up, the lion dance team has mushroomed as a traditional project. There are more than 800 lion dance teams in 17 towns and counties in Nanhai. Dali town 1990 Lantern Festival held a "lettuce party", and more than 500 lion dance teams came to he qing; Every primary school in Feishui has a youth lion dance team; There are even some lion dance teams in the town of Nanhai County, and participating in lion dance is a common occurrence in the family. In addition, there are female lions.

Guangdong lion dance is famous not only in China, but also overseas. Overseas Chinese have the custom of dancing to wake up lions. In recent years, many overseas Chinese and foreigners have come to the Lion Dance Hall in Nanhai to learn lion dance and martial arts. This fully demonstrates the charm of Chinese national art and the spirit of self-improvement. We should fully carry forward the excellent cultural and artistic tradition of lion dance.

The state attaches great importance to the protection of intangible cultural heritage. On May 20th, 2006, Guangdong Lions were approved by the State Council to be included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list.