Naming time: June 2015

Application area: Ninghai County Category: Traditional dance

Listing level: Municipal level

Boat Lantern dance is a traditional folk dance spread in the countryside of Ninghai. It reflects the strong interest in life of farmers, is full of passion, has a lively rhythm, and has strong national traditions and local flavor. Ninghai's boat lantern dance is performed by a group of four people in a double boat. One person plays the role of a clown as a fisherman, another person plays the role of a fisherman, and there are also boatmen, matchmakers, etc. The costumes are the same as those in Yue opera. The boat lantern dance is usually performed on a large patio or sunbathing area. The performance uses two boats (called "dragon and phoenix boats"). Each boat has two performers, playing the roles of Xiaosheng and boatman, Xiaodan and boat girl respectively. When dancing, there is generally no singing, and the performers change their steps according to the changes in the band's gongs and drums; when singing, they usually only swing the boat lanterns and stand still. Common driving methods include "crossing the eight characters", "driving in the four corners", "dragon draft", "big turn" and "reverse kicking boots". In the early days, most of the songs sung were excerpts from Ping Tiao's "Catching the Boat" and "God-Child", which focused on plot and educational significance. Later, this aspect was downplayed, and some repertoire from Peking Opera, Luantan and other operas, and even folk songs and minor tunes were also included. range of singing. The original accompaniment of boat lanterns was all in flat tune, which was called "Sankeng tune" at that time. It also attaches great importance to the overall performance and plot, so some old boat lantern performers believe that it may be a creation of early Ninghai Pingdiao artists who "went on stage and off stage".

There are also essays about it

Guanzhuang Ship Lantern

Pu

Zi

Guanzhuang Rang There are many things that people are fascinated by, such as ship lanterns. This summer, some of my elders asked me to go back to the village. On the phone, the elder said happily, "Come quickly, Guanzhuang is going to sail with lights." This sentence made me travel through time and space. I seemed to have returned to the Lantern Festival in my childhood. Before dinner, I heard the adult say, "Eat quickly. The sailor is coming." That was a heart-pounding moment. Is this the charm of art? At a time when my stomach was often growling with hunger, my childhood heart felt that it was far more tempting to me than a bowl of white rice. Guanzhuang is not a village near the sea, but the villagers love to dance with boat lanterns. I admired the beautiful scenery of my hometown while driving. When I approached the village and saw the vast fields, I remembered that the people of Guanzhuang called the surrounding fields "Guanzhuang". "Zhuangyang", just like Jiuzhaigou in Sichuan calls the small water pool Haizi, the "sailing" of the boat by the people of Guanzhuang is justifiable. Is it the land's yearning for the sea? Is it the hope of mankind, surrounded by mountains and ridges, to be released from bondage? Of course, all of this is just speculation by current people, including me. Can't be taken seriously. Who knows what the ancients thought? Just like the ancients didn’t know what people today think.

Soon we arrived at Guanzhuang. I learned that the cultural center in the county was filming a feature film to protect and apply for "intangible cultural heritage". Guanzhuang boat lanterns suffered a lot of bad luck after liberation, and there were few performances. Recently, the county's opening festival needed folk art, so the villagers dug out this traditional art. Wow, rave reviews! Oh, I'm touched too. On a hot day, every villager is wrapped in thick performance costumes and ready. This is a treasure left by our ancestors. This is an era that has just been baptized by the "Cultural Revolution", an era that does not hesitate to pour out dirty water and even the children in the basin. I found that the enthusiasm of the people for the protection of traditional art is generally higher than that of the government. This is a kind of power from the people, which is very precious and cannot be underestimated.

The shooting location was chosen to be on the drying ground. Oh, I seem to have seen the founding period of the boat lantern in Guanzhuang. One said it was two hundred years, and another said it was five hundred years.

Hot, hot. This was the first feeling I felt when my feet stepped on the cement drying field. The history of the boat lanterns was the same, as it happened yesterday - the Southern Song Dynasty. Let me use the term five hundred years here. At that time, society was relatively stable. The lantern dances on the Lantern Festival include dragon lanterns, lion lanterns, boat lanterns, rabbit lanterns, fish lanterns, etc., filling cities and villages. So the world decorated with lights has more than just the word "prosperity" written on it? There is also a kind of spiritual masturbation from the government to the private sector to find a peaceful corner of the lost home, right?

Xin Qiji can testify! The poet of the Southern Song Dynasty, who is famous for his boldness and unrestrainedness, wrote a poem about the Lantern Festival that has been passed down through the ages: "The Sapphire Case? Yuanxi" - The east wind blows thousands of flowers and trees, and even blows them down, and the stars are like rain. The fragrance of BMWs and cars fills the road, the sound of wind flutes is heard, the light of jade pots is spinning, and fish and dragons dance all night long. The moon is covered with golden wisps of snow and willows, and the fragrance is filled with laughter. The crowd looked for him thousands of times, and when they looked back, the man was in the dim light.

Oh, with only half of the small court of the Southern Song Dynasty left, how could a poet who had suffered many political setbacks afford to be so bold? That chic woman in the dim light was his "self-pity and loneliness" Feelings, right?

Similar to Xin Qiji’s sadness coming from the lantern, the origin of the Guanzhuang boat lantern is also related to the experiences of a group of artists.

That was during the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty (1851-1861), which was characterized by internal and external troubles. There were the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the Nian Army peasant uprising. Foreign coalition forces invaded several times, and the Qing government was forced to sign several unequal treaties that were humiliating and humiliating the country. Whenever the war intensified, the emperor would go to the Jehol Palace, where he would be greedy for wine, sex, opium, and even silk and bamboo—watching plays and even appearing on stage. Some people say that the emperor is too happy to miss Shu. They are wrong! The emperor was helpless.

Can a fatuous and cowardly emperor preserve the country handed down by his ancestors? Singing and dancing is just a more respectable form of crying.

While the emperor was enjoying the Shengping Department (palace troupe) drama, the folk artists suffered a disaster. War continues and disasters occur frequently. In Zhejiang Province, in Ninghai County, in my hometown Guanzhuang, like other local theater troupes, one of the earliest theater troupes called "Pan Ziyun" that specialized in Ninghai Ping Tiao has also disbanded. One day, the class leader divided all the silver and copper coins in the bag. He opened the theater box and divided the costumes and costumes one by one according to the roles. Seeing the questioning looks in everyone's eyes, the class leader said, "This is the money. Let's spend it first. This is the wardrobe. We will take care of it. We will need it one day."

There is a regular actor in the troupe. Chang Xin's ordinary play is called "Stealing Poems and Catch a Boat", but the niche actor who plays Pan Bizheng is from Guanzhuang, and Hua Dan, who plays Chen Miaochang, gets married because of this play. The young couple were given two outfits.

The money allocated has long been used up, and the war continues. The couple had been playing since childhood and could not do farm work. I often hang my voice in the early morning, not afraid of disturbing the peaceful dreams of the villagers, because I have to wait for the call of the troupe and the troupe leader. However, even the class leader died. It turned out that after seeing off the troupe leader, the brothers from the theater troupe cried loudly, feeling that the future was bleak and they had no hope of living anymore. The couple still lives in poverty, but they still wake up in the morning and practice martial arts. That kind of dedication to art moved the villagers. An old man with a gray beard said, "Everyone likes your "Catching the Boat", so let's make a living."

As expected, the couple wore the costumes assigned to them by the class leader during the New Year Festival. They performed "Catching a Boat" in various courtyards (yards). The lively and charming boat-catching performances and the high-pitched and beautiful singing of Ninghai Ping Tune deeply attracted the villagers. The villagers gave them some of their little food. Later, a lantern-tying expert used moso bamboo from Dushan Mountain to tie a boat lantern for them.

This tie does not matter, but it created a new form of folk art. Sometimes, a road appears when there is no road. When there is no heaven and earth, there is a new world.

"Ship light -" The high-pitched and powerful shout seemed to come from hundreds of years ago, with the mellowness of history. The sound of gongs and drums suddenly started, and the afternoon sun shone on the boat lanterns on the drying ground, splashing golden light all over the place.

On the empty field, four people holding tall lanterns appeared first. They walked to the four corners and stood still. This is the stage, symbolically of course.

Then the flag team in yellow silk costumes appeared. The flag of Guanzhuang Boat Lighting Team was the highest and largest, with the big word "boat" in it, which was particularly eye-catching. They are all young men, showing off their masculinity. Then the female village aunt in bright red clothing appeared holding a lantern. The sound of locking sounded soaring into the sky. Immediately afterwards, the ship's lantern appeared.

This kind of foreshadowing and pomp is comparable to the scene in ancient times when the emperor went out to inspect the Yamen. Looking at this posture, it seems to be telling the world: The emperor can do it, the government offices can do it, and we grassroots can do the same!

As soon as the ship lights entered the field, the world lit up, even though the sun was hanging brightly in the mid-afternoon sky.

Beautiful! Brilliant! This is my first feeling. The Guanzhuang boat lantern looks unique in shape and is just long and wide enough for two people to perform. Different from the land boat racing in the north, the land boat racing is usually performed by one person. The lower part of the Guanzhuang boat lantern is the hull, which is hung on the performer's body with colorful silk. The cloth is painted with blue waves, which just covers the performer's feet. The upper part is a pavilion with raised eaves and corners, and a lantern is hung on each corner. The colors are bright, although they are vulgar, they are actually elegant. This is the village where Pan Tianshou, the master of traditional Chinese painting, was born. It is easy to master colors and create creative ideas.

The boat lanterns in Guanzhuang are performed in pairs. It is also different from the lotus-picking boat in eastern Zhejiang. The lotus-picking boat is performed by two women picking lotus. One of the Guanzhuang ship lanterns is a lion ship lantern, and the other is a phoenix ship lantern. The boat is sailing in the water, but it has a bond with two animals. This is definitely not the whim of Guanzhuang people. The lion dominates. Villagers often secretly pull off a few lion hairs during the boat lantern show and hang them on their children's collars to strengthen their courage and ward off evil spirits. This is a way for the Guanzhuang people, who are weak by nature and are called "Guanzhuang Tofu" by neighboring villages, to live a peaceful life. kind of expectation. The phoenix is ??a divine bird. Phoenix Nirvana and rebirth from the ashes are the spiritual pursuits of many Guanzhuang people. This is a village where image thinking is far better than logical thinking. In addition to Chinese painters, there are also writers and poets in the village.

The Phoenix boat lantern takes the lead, followed by the lion boat lantern. According to the tradition of the ancestors, Pan Bizheng from "Catching the Boat" sat in the phoenix boat lantern. He was a scholar who secretly fell in love with Taoist nun Chen Miaochang and was forced to go to Beijing to take the exam by Aunt Facheng, the master of Privet Monastery. The person who supported him was a boat Po. Sitting in the lion boat was Chen Miaochang, who was chasing his sweetheart, and the boatman who was holding the boat for her was the husband of the boatwoman.

When the big gong sounded, the big cymbal struck, and the lock blew, Pan Bizheng in the front cabin of the Phoenix ship sang in a high-pitched Ning Haiping tune:

Reluctant to leave the shore, My heart still remains in Privet.

Love is like a river that flows continuously, and when the current breaks, it stirs up waves.

I can’t help but feel that the boat is going too fast, and I can’t help but look back.

I saw only the sadness of separation in my eyes, the coldness of the river, and the mountains on both sides of the mountain piled up with lovesickness.

The boatwoman in the back cabin of the boat read loudly in a plain tone:

Hey, sir, I think you are in a bad mood, so my old woman will sing a folk song for you.

Pan Bizheng: Forget it, forget it.

At this time, the Lion Boat Lantern caught up. Chen Miaochang in the front cabin sang:

In an instant, the sky changed and the sky was disconnected. My eyes were wide open and painful to say goodbye, and I couldn't express my words.

He sneaked out of the Taoist temple regardless of the foul, and he didn't care about the shame and shame in people's eyes.

I hurriedly chased Pan Lang Shuang and flew away, but I was too late when you left.

Only the autumn wind carried the cold smoke.

The boatman: (singing) Ai! A small boat is bumping in the river. If you are used to wind and rain, why should you be afraid of dangerous waves?

Pan Bizheng: (Singing) My heart is happy that Aunt Chen is following closely,

Chen Miaochang: (Singing) My heart has flown away and we meet again,

Pan Bizheng: ( Singing) I am anxious and only complain about the slowness of the boat behind me.

Sternman

Mr.: (Singing) Look at my little boat flying in the waves.

Pan Bizheng: Aunt Chen!

Chen Miaochang: Pan Lang!

There are more than one pair of Guanzhuang ship lanterns. Two pairs, three pairs, four pairs, five pairs, a large number of them sailed out in a row, like a huge fleet. Here, a pair of Pan Bizheng and Chen Miaochang are metaphysical, and a group of Pan Bizheng and Chen Miaochang are metaphysical. It transcends the rigidities and constraints of history, but what remains unchanged is its spirit.

The sound of gongs, drums and locks is sometimes like a violent storm, sometimes like rolling waves, and the ship's lantern moves forward, forward. The performer holds the side of the boat with both hands and walks in steady and fast steps, like a boat in the water. It can be seen that the fleet is sailing through wind and waves despite wind, rain, thunder and lightning. A huge wave hit us head-on. The fleet avoided the head-on attack, cleverly divided into two teams, and moved forward along both sides of the wave. This is the crystallization of human survival wisdom for thousands of years. Because the shape of its fleet is like a figure of eight, it is called "crossing the figure of eight".

Suddenly, a huge whirlpool appeared on the sea, and the fleet was helplessly arranged in a circle. Turning and turning, the fleet always maintained this circular shape. It can be seen from the resolute faces of the crew that their efforts were not in vain. The fleet was not swept into the center of the whirlpool and was not engulfed. This driving method is called "big circle".

At this time, the terrible whirlpool disappeared, and another huge wave rose. The fleet that had just escaped from the maelstrom immediately rushed forward without taking a breath. If you don't welcome, you will retreat; if you don't advance, you will retreat. This is the choice many times in life, it is a choice not to choose. The fleet started "Dragon Draft" and "Inverted Boot Kick", which are the most superb skills in Guanzhuang Ship Lights. You can literally feel the intensity of the scene. The bow of the hard-driving ship "ate" into the waves, and the ship had to bump violently. The salty and bitter sea water almost swallowed the ship.

After these difficult journeys, the sound of gongs, drums and locks gradually became gentle, just like the dark clouds receding, and the sun first emerged from the gaps in the clouds, and then illuminated the entire sea surface. Accompanied by music, the fleet slowly gathered in the middle and slowly flowed to the four corners. This is the last move of Guanzhuang Ship Lantern, called "Sail Four Corners". The villagers who performed the boat lanterns were all smiling, as if they were recovering from a desperate situation.

This is the Guanzhuang ship lantern. Are you fascinated?

Hey, there are not many good things left by our ancestors. Guanzhuang boat lantern is the only one left.