Chao News client reporter He Sheng correspondent Zheng Jingwen Cai Meilan.
Knock knock, knock, knock! "Good! "Mom, look, the lion still has colored balls on it!" ”…There are still a few days before the Spring Festival, but in front of the cultural auditorium of Shen'ao Village, Jiangnan Town, Tonglu, it is already very lively, and a unique intangible cultural heritage lion dance performance - "Shen'ao high-altitude lion grabbing hydrangea" is being staged here, attracting bursts of applause from the audience, and they have taken out their mobile phones to record every wonderful moment.
Focusing on mid-air, I saw a delicate hydrangea hanging high in the middle of the crossbar pulley, and the male and female lions hung on both sides of the hydrangea, looking at each other, their eyes were blazing, waiting for the opportunity to move. Under the crossbar roller skating, the lion lifter and the hydrangea lifter also pulled the rope in their hands tightly, ready to go. In a short time, two lions wearing five-colored brocade clothes, with divine fire painted on their legs and gold threads around their bodies, accompanied by fluttering colorful flags and noisy gongs and drums, their limbs jumped and rushed, their mouths opened and closed, and they chased and fought wits and courage with the hydrangea up and down. Suona, cymbals, drums ......Around the crossbar roller skating, the sound of support is endless.
At the scene, there were more than 50 performers, all of whom were villagers of Shenao Village. More than 30 women formed a majestic gong and drum team was also among them, they were dressed in special costumes, their faces were full of enthusiasm, and they cooperated with the performance with gongs and encouragement.
According to reports, the "Shenao high-altitude lion grabbing hydrangea" arose in the late Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, and was born from the sacrificial activities of the old temple fair in Shenao Village. The form of the performance is similar to that of a marionette, as the name suggests, it is a puppet that can be moved by pulling a string, so it is also called a "hanging puppet". The performance props are handmade, composed of a puppet head, cage belly, limbs, thread and hook, with internal mechanisms, so the lion can make a wealth of expressions and movements under the controller's hands, and it is a little more naïve in the might, shaking the head and tail, which is full of fun.
As a native of Shen'ao, I grew up watching the 'high-altitude lion', which is an intangible cultural heritage and a cultural feature of this thousand-year-old village in Shenao. Xu Ying, a villager of Shen'ao Village, said that during the New Year's Festival, the village will carry out a "high-altitude lion" performance, which is not only to add to the lively atmosphere of the festival, but also to place the people's expectations for the country's peace and security. "May the days be better every year. Xu Ying said with a smile.
The performance is in full swing and gradually reaching a climax, attracting not only men, women and children who go home for the New Year, but also tourists from the north and south. Xu Jianzhong, a tourist from Chongqing, stopped in the crowd for a long time and admired it with great interest, he told reporters that the beautiful countryside of Zhejiang was so beautiful that he couldn't forget to return, and the performance of the high-altitude lion dance made him feel the charming charm of the intangible cultural heritage projects in Jiangsu and Zhejiang.
It is understood that in the last century, the "Shenao high-altitude lion grabbing hydrangea" performance was once stopped, until the 80s, after the establishment of the Shenao Association for the Elderly, under the proposal of the then person in charge of Shentu Guomei, and the villagers' requirements for the revitalization of village-level culture, this performance was able to rise again, the performance received rave reviews, and in 2009, it was successfully selected into the third batch of Zhejiang Province intangible cultural heritage list, and participated in the exhibition and performance on behalf of the county and city for many times.
Folklore has always said that lion dance can ward off evil spirits, so during festive festivals, such as the Spring Festival, villagers in Shenao will beat gongs and drums and perform lion dances to cheer up. Shentu Xiaoshan, head of the Shen'ao Village Elderly Association, said that "Shen'ao high-altitude lion grabbing hydrangea" is an intangible cultural heritage activity that is widely loved by the people, and it is a precious folk art in the south of the Yangtze River.
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