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Dragon dance on a stump-bridge(National Intangible Cultural Heritages)
Source:Wenzhou Release | Author:Wenzhoudaily | Publish time:2018-06-30 | 3798 Views: | Share:
In Taishun County Shiyang Town Chaoyang Village, there lies a 144m long bridge made up of 233 steps of stumps. During the rule of the Qing Dynasty Emperor Jiaqing, the Lin family in the village creatively...

In Taishun County Shiyang Town Chaoyang Village, there lies a 144m long bridge made up of 233 steps of stumps. During the rule of the Qing Dynasty Emperor Jiaqing, the Lin family in the village creatively choreographed a variety of dragon dance using the stumps as their stage, from which the dance derived its name “Din Bu Long(stumps dragon dance)”. The dragon in the dance has one link for head, one for tail, and other seven for body, amounting to nine links in total, with each held by one person during the performance who is called “dragon stand”, while another dancer control a round lantern(the ball) and is charged with directing the whole dance. The diverse choreographies, which can be categorized into Dalongping(dragon’s stage), Longxizhu(dragon plays with ball), Longtianzhu(dragon licks ball), Longyaozhu(dragon bites ball), Paishouzi(character “longevity”), Dunmalong(horse stance dragon), etc., as well as tens of various formations, such as Yuantai(round platform), Longjuhua(dragon chrysanthemum), Sijiaojiaojing(rectangular well), Longyaowei(dragon bites its tail), Longxiduanwujiaoxing(dragon pentagram), Tiaolongmen(surmount the dragon gate), etc., all achieved with the dancers frisking up and down on the uneven stumps against the music generated from folkloric instruments like Suona horns and drums. With life imbued from the performers’ movements, the dragon soars and dives and revolves in chase of the ball, creating a enthralling majestic scene. It was included into the third list of National ICH in 2011.