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【Linqu Intangible Cultural Heritage】
Wazi Qilin Dance Huaxia
Hua Jinzhi Chen Hongdong
In the global Chinese world, whenever there is a grand festival, the amazing people's vision is often the spectacular dragon and lion dance. In Linqu County, Shandong Province, there is a Qilin performance team active, they have entered Beijing to perform, appeared in the Gongwangfu Museum, and sensationalized the city of Beijing. The project has been included in the fourth batch of provincial intangible cultural heritage list in Shandong Province in 2016, and is well-known inside and outside the province. This is the "Wazi Qilin" performance team in Linqu County, Shandong Province.
The past and present lives of the Kirin Dance
Wazi Village, Linqu County, was founded by the Zhang clan at the end of the Ming Dynasty. Zhang Rong, the ancestor of the Zhang clan, was a tribute from Qiantang County, Hangzhou Province, who settled in Linqu at the end of the Yuan Dynasty in Qingzhou Road, and his descendants successively separated from jiancun, and the ancestral "running Qilin" was inherited by the Zhang clan of Wazi Village. According to existing records, the history of the Wazi Running Qilin dates back to the Daoguang years of the Qing Dynasty. From the early years of Daoguang, Zhang Kuixuan and a group of 6 people purchased a set of Qilin props from Zhejiang, which has been passed down for more than 200 years. Around 1930, the Qilin performance technique has matured and fixed, and the whole performance process includes 8 sections, such as the incarnation of the divine beast, the worship of the eight directions, the love of Heavenly Formation, the birth of the mother and the lamb, the worship of parents, the missionary skills, the sending of the child of the Qilin and the auspicious greeting. Each plate performs for 10 minutes, interlocking. A series of actions: running, jumping, flipping, jumping, rolling, making noise, shaking, nibbling, kissing, lin giving birth to lambs, the form is changeable; the joy, anger, sorrow, happiness, surprise, doubt, drunkenness, sleep and other moods of the unicorn are vividly interpreted, and the beautiful picture is exquisite. In 1937, the Japanese army occupied Linqu, and the kirin running activity disappeared for 8 years, and after the japanese surrendered, they returned to the people. Before and after the founding of New China, the Qilin of Wazi was widely performed in the village and surrounding villages and counties to celebrate the liberation and the birth of New China, which was generally welcomed. During the Cultural Revolution, the Qilin props were burned as the "Four Olds" and banned for 10 years.
In the spring of 1979, under the initiative of Zhang Jisheng, secretary of the party branch of the Wazi Brigade, three old artists in the village remade 3 unicorns, and since then, the wazi running qilin has returned to its former grand situation. At present, the inheritor is the seventh generation of Zhang Keye, and the eighth generation of inheritors is being selected.
In the 21st century, the old artists have continuously improved the production process and enhanced the image of the unicorn. The production materials are upgraded from traditional bamboo, mulberry paper, wrapped cloth, linen and rope to stainless steel and fiberglass, and incorporate modern elements such as new costumes, props, lighting, music, etc., and are displayed in front of the world with a new look and dance posture. Everywhere the performance team went, there were red lights, bunting flags, and flowers to welcome them, adding luster to the festive and lively festive atmosphere.
Entering a new era, people's demand for spiritual culture is growing day by day. Wazi Qilin walked out of the county, toured the capital of the Iris, appeared in Beijing, ranked among the national stages, and became a treasure in the temple of intangible cultural heritage, which will surely glow with new brilliance and make greater contributions to the promotion of excellent traditional literature.
The charm of the Kirin Dance
Compared with the masculine dragon and lion, the unicorn image has its unique charm and affinity.
"The unicorn is a celestial immortal, and it protects the earth under the clouds." Send blessings, send money, send children, and bless all living beings with peace. "This is the image of the unicorn in the poet's pen.
The story of "Qilin sending a son" has been passed down to this day. The newlywed daughter-in-law and the long-married couple are loyal viewers of the Qilin show; before the run, they touch and embrace the Kirin; after the run, they follow the Kirin around, competing for the lambs born by the Kirin at any time, hoping to give birth to noble children and grandchildren.
The unicorn is the symbol of Guotai Min'an. According to historical records, when Confucius was born, a unicorn descended on his family's residence, indicating that the saint was about to be born; Confucius once dreamed of a unicorn around him and refused to leave, which made Confucius a generation of saints. Before Confucius's death, the King of Lu shot a qilin to send him, Confucius believed that the country would collapse and lose Taiping, and as a result, after Confucius's death, the Spring and Autumn War for Hegemony lasted for more than 250 years, until Qin Shi Huang unified the country. Therefore, the people of Li people in successive dynasties have expressed their good wishes of greeting good fortune and praying for the peace of the country and the people by worshipping the qilin and running the qilin, which is deeply liked by the general public.
Happy times, the people are rich and the country is strong. Kyushu Huaxia looks forward to national reunification, national prosperity, dragons and phoenixes, and song and music. Running unicorns, dancing to the level, just in time.
The party and government lead the song to flourish
Linqu is an old revolutionary area and a culturally strong county. Yeyuan Yangshan is the hometown of Jiang Jinli, Liu Xiuying and other revolutionary martyrs, and is the headquarters of the East China Field Army in the Linqu Campaign, with a deep accumulation of red culture. In recent years, Yeyuan has attached great importance to the development of intangible cultural heritage, such as Lu jialou hand-painted New Year paintings, Beiyangshan paper-cutting, red new black pottery, Yebei mulberry paper production, as well as red silk stone carving, wood board painting and other intangible cultural projects, all of which radiate brilliant folk art brilliance, and Wazi Qilin is a dazzling star! All these things, the promotion of excellent traditional culture is inseparable from the leadership of the party and government, and the support and guidance of the cultural and tourism departments and the local folk customs and sages research association.
The resumption of the Wazi Running Qilin activity in 1979 is inseparable from the extensive participation of the villagers and the active support of the two committees. At that time, some people still had concerns about whether "running qilin" was an excellent traditional culture, and Secretary Zhang made up his mind: what the people like is good things! Under the direct leadership of the two committees, the Qilin Campaign is new and creative every year; from planning to performance, from material to production, from content to form, constantly innovating and improving; the tour area from the village to the neighboring village, from the county town to the Iris Capital, all the way to Beijing City, the active sponsorship of villagers and business people has become an indispensable force.
In 2017, Comrade Dong Yude, who was elected as the secretary of the Party Committee of Wazi Village, actively promoted the application for the heritage of "Wazi Running Qilin ". He made many contacts, personally participated in the work of applying for the Qilin Heritage and provided support in all aspects. In 2016, it successfully applied for heritage and became a landmark event in the history of cultural development in Wazi Village. In 2018, he personally led the team to Beijing to perform successfully, expanding the popularity of Linqu's "small opera town" and adding a heavy color to Linqu's intangible cultural heritage.
Yeyuan Street Office and business departments at all levels have always been concerned about and supported the development of the Qilin activities, and often send experts and scholars to guide them, so that the Qilin activities will become more professional and artistic.
The Unicorn is a non-profit activity, and it is mostly held around the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, which is an irregular performance project. With the passage of time, the older generation of artists has gradually decreased, and young people have gone to work more, and intangible cultural heritage activities are facing a lack of successors. The two village committees convened veteran artists and professionals to discuss the development plan of Qilin activities, break through the bottleneck of development, and decide on the feasibility of establishing a training center and establishing a professional team. We will do our best to ensure that everything goes smoothly, so that the Linqu Wazi Running Qilin activity will be innovative and carried forward, and greater contributions will be made to the promotion of excellent traditional culture.
I wish the people of Linqu to ride the golden unicorn out of China and go to the world, dance out of yao tian shun day, the prosperity of the nation, the river Qinghai Yan, the years are quiet; dance out of peace and peace, happy life and prosperity; neighbors are harmonious, the family business is prosperous; and more dance out of the heavens and the earth, the sun and the moon shine together, the four seas and the family of the community of human destiny.
December 29, 2021
About the Author
Chen Hongdong, Director of Linqu County Xiangxian Folk Culture Research Association, Secretary General of Yeyuan Branch, Member of Chinese Poetry Society, Member of Weifang Poetry Society, Member of Linqu County Writers Association, Member of Linqu Poetry Association, President of Yequan Poetry Society. He is a member of the Weifang Book Association.
Hua Jinzhi is a director of the Linqu County Xiangxian Folk Culture Research Association, the deputy secretary-general of the Yeyuan Branch, and a cadre of a unit directly under Linqu County.
Further reading, encounter Linqu nostalgia and its development and changes:
【Heaven and South, North and North, Shuren, Homeland, Nostalgia】
【Deadline, News, Breaking News】
【Blockbuster】: Linqu County's First Respect for the Elderly Art Festival and The Signing Ceremony of the Garden River Village Partner
【Linqu Local Culture, Folklore, Folk Customs】
【Brilliant Linqu Ren· Piaoyi Bunko ・ Linqu Hall of Fame】