The human-dragon dance is a unique feature there

The "Human Dragon Dance" on the red earth of Zhanjiang was born more than 400 years ago. It still occupies a mainstream folk custom status in many areas of Zhanjiang City and is known as "One of the Best in the East" . On every Spring Festival, Lantern Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and other major festive days, the "Human Dragon" dance will be performed for several nights. Every household on the east and west streets will be decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations. Every family, young and old, will come out, and the crowds will flow in huge numbers. The "Human Dragon Dance" performance ranges from dozens to hundreds of people. They wear yellow or cyan costumes and red bellybands or belts. After being dressed up, they turn into yellow or green dragons. It is divided into three parts: dragon head, dragon body, and dragon tail. The dragon head is the essence of the dragon. It consists of a tall and mighty man carrying three young men, which represent the dragon's horns, dragon's eyes, and dragon's tongue respectively; It is the main part of the dragon, which is composed of young men sitting on the shoulders of a strong young man, lying on his back in succession; the tail is the most lively part, played by a young man wearing a "dragon tail" and leaning back. During the "Human and Dragon Dance" performance, the conch trumpeter of the gong and drum team first blows the huge horn conch toward the sea. Slowly but urgently. At this time, a leader wearing a red scarf, wearing a flower costume, holding a colorful ball came out to the beat of drums, and then the dragon drove in with its long body swinging to the rhythm of gongs and drums. The ball moves up and down left and right, the dragon's eyes sparkle, the dragon's body undulates, and the dragon's tail dances. At the climax, the drums and horns sound loudly, and the gongs sound loudly. The drums stopped and the human dragon swayed its lazy body and swam slowly. After a while, the drums revived and the human dragon became excited again, chasing the "colored balls", sometimes flipping in the air, sometimes sinking into the sea to ask for treasures, and it was like a real life. This is a picture of a "Dragon King Playing with Pearls". In this scene, while people marvel at the performers' tacit cooperation and superb acting skills, they can't help but be impressed by the magnificent group power. They are shirtless and barefoot, without props or costumes. From the dragon's head, dragon's body to dragon's tail, from dragon's tongue, dragon's eyes to dragon's horns, all are played by real people, forming a "giant dragon". When the "giant dragon" dances, the gongs and drums shake the sky, the horns sound, and the dragon's head is raised. The dragon's body is tumbling, its tail is swaying vigorously, from "dragon rises", "dragon nods", to "dragon pierces the clouds", "tornado waves", it is like a dragon coming out of the sea, coming overwhelmingly... That kind of rough and mighty, both It fully demonstrates the heroic spirit of the Chinese "dragon" swallowing mountains and rivers, and also embodies the invincible group strength and intelligence of the dragon dancers. It has a strong local flavor and island characteristics, and is an important and enduring folk custom of the Leizhou Peninsula in ancient times. and large-scale square entertainment activities. In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the "Human Dragon Dance" was still very popular in many areas of our city, but it gradually disappeared during the "Destroying the Four Olds" and did not appear again until the 1980s and 1990s. Over the past two decades, although party committees and governments at all levels and all walks of life have done a lot of work on the rescue, protection and development of the human dragon dance, and achieved remarkable results; The foundation has undergone profound changes. Some accomplished human-dragon dance performers have gradually withdrawn from the stage due to their old age. Some have passed away one after another. Some stunts are difficult to inherit and have no successors. Traditional folk activities are increasingly gaining traction in the minds of the younger generation. As traditional festivals are gradually replaced by modern festivals, the main activities of the Dragon Dance are gradually reduced, and the display platform is naturally reduced. At the same time, with the advancement of science and technology and the development of the market economy, people's cultural life is becoming increasingly colorful and their aesthetic needs are increasing. Increasingly, the Human Dragon Dance has encountered unprecedented pressure from other forms of technological entertainment, and the attraction of the Human Dragon Dance has been continuously weakened invisibly and tangibly; in addition, with the continuous prosperity of rural economic activities, the flow of rural people continues With increasing numbers of young and middle-aged people in rural areas going out to study, do business, and work, it has become increasingly difficult to stabilize the team of human-dragon dancers. There is often a shortage of work, which has led to the protection and development of the human-dragon dance. , the human dragon dance still faces the threat of being endangered and lost.