Nostalgia that can be retained - Copper Bay "Overlord Whip"

"Overlord Whip", also known as flower stick dance, is a common folk dance in Tongwan Town, Zhongfang County, originated in the late Tang Dynasty, has a history of more than 1100 years, because the performers have to chant in the "rushing" flower stick dance during the performance. In 1999, it was approved by the Department of Culture of Hunan Province and included in the fourth batch of Huaihua Municipal Intangible Cultural Heritage Catalogue. As the Spring Festival approached, under the leadership of Chen Changhua, a non-hereditary inheritor, the reporter experienced the magical style of the "Overlord Whip".

The ancient town of Tongwan is located in a bay on the west bank of the Yuan River, and it is rumored that there was a bronze-colored, loud knocking and weighing dozens of tons here, so it was named Copper Bay. For thousands of years, people living here have danced a lively, cheerful and festive flower stick dance every major festival to help entertain, which is the "overlord whip".

Accompanied by instrumental music, the performers chant while tapping the body with a flower stick, which looks simple but has endless taste. In Tongwan Town, Zhongfang County, the "Overlord Whip" is not only a favorite form of art performance for the people of the town, but also an indispensable entertainment program for the New Year's Festival.

According to Chen Changhua, the inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of Hunan Province and the municipal level of the "Overlord Whip", there was a pair of brothers and sisters in the former Tang Dynasty, their father was killed, and their mother was also lost, and the brothers and sisters met a kind person when begging in Tongwan, and the kind person gave them a flower stick. Later, the well-wishers gave them some silver and let them read. Later, the two brothers and sisters came to thank this kind person, only to learn that this kind person was the king of the local cottage, and the brothers and sisters called this flower stick "Overlord Whip", and since then, the "Overlord Whip" has been passed down to this day.

Chen Changhua, 70, who has been studying the "Overlord Whip" in Tongwan for 30 years, told reporters that as the birthplace of the "Overlord Whip", this art has been loved by locals for thousands of years. Especially in the past ten years, under the great attention of the county cultural tourism bureau and the town party committee and government, the adapted "overlord whip" is full of new vitality. In The local area of Copper Bay, on festive days such as marriage and housewarming, a dance team that can dance the overlord whip will be invited to help, which is a tradition for many years and the cultural nostalgia of the people of Tongwan.

Wang Qianru is the granddaughter of Chen Changhua, 20 years old this year, is a native of Tongwan Town, and learned to perform the "Overlord Whip" with her grandmother at the age of 6. Before each performance, she would rehearse with her grandmother again to achieve the best performance. As the inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of this folk art, Chen Changhua has played an extremely important role in promoting the inheritance and development of the "Overlord Whip", and in the past few decades, she has performed tirelessly, inheriting more than 20 plays, and under her teaching, the third generation, including her own disciples, has more than 100 people.

In order to better protect and inherit this traditional art, Tongwan Town has not only set up the "Bawang Whip" Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum at the town cultural station, but also urged the intangible cultural heritage project to enter the campus, and opened relevant courses in the Tongwan Town Center Primary School and the Second Kindergarten of Zhongfang County, with more than 1,400 people participating in the training.

In 1998, Tongwan Town was awarded the title of "Bawang Whip" art town by the Hunan Provincial Department of Culture. In 2008, it was awarded the title of "Bawang Whip Culture and Art Town" by the Ministry of Culture.

Rooted in the landscape of Tongwan, the "Overlord Whip" carries the yearning of the people of Tongwan for a better life and is the nostalgia that remains in the long river of memory of Tongwan people. (Reporter Li Pubing)