Accustomed to dragon and lion dances, then the unique local folk performance "shrimp arching" in Yiyang, Hunan Province, have you ever seen it? Today I will take you to take a look and taste the characteristics of Yiyang.
The folk performance of Deng Shiqiao Town, Yiyang High-tech Zone, "Shrimp Arch". Photo by Liu Taiping
Yiyang is the land of fish and rice, legend has it that the ancient people of Yiyang saw a water demon when fishing and catching shrimp in the river, so people prayed to the shrimp, and later really drove away the water demon, and the shrimp arched as a way of praying, and the local characteristics and folklore were retained.
Whenever there is a major festival, the local people have to bring out the "bamboo shrimp" performance. The shrimp is made of bamboo wood as a frame, colored cloth as clothing, the shrimp head is about 4 meters, and the main whisker is the whole bamboo, which can reach seven or eight meters long. More than 30 people master the shrimp head, more than 10 people lead the shrimp body, and more than 10 people support the shrimp whiskers and advance with the shrimp head. During the performance, according to the rhythm of the three-way dense drum and a hammer, under the command of the lead dancer, the dancer shouted the shrimp arch, the shrimp head rose in response, and the shrimp whiskers were facing the sky, which means high.
The shrimp whiskers "rise high" and arch out joy and happiness. Photo by Liu Taiping
Shrimp arching is a unique form of traditional folk art performance in Hunan and even the whole country, and was included in the second batch of intangible cultural heritage protection list of Hunan Province in 2008.