Mainly inherited in the middle and lower reaches of the Youshui River, the hand-waving dance can be divided into two types: "big hand-waving" and "small wall-waving" according to the performance form, content, scale and sacrificial subject. The basic movements include "single pendulum", "double pendulum" and "swing pendulum". The basic movement rhythm is: the hands and feet are on the same side, the bottom is no more than the knees, the top is no more than the shoulders, the body sinks and trembles slightly. The main content involves all aspects of social life such as human origins, myths and legends, ethnic migration, ancient wars, hunting and fishing, slash-and-burn cultivation, productive labor, diet and daily life. A series of Tujia hand-waving dances is actually a living history of the development of the Tujia nation. Youyang Hand Waving Dance
Hand Waving Dance is an ancient folk dance of the Tujia people. It began in the Tang Dynasty and has been passed down to this day. The hand-waving dance can be performed by dozens or hundreds of people, which is called "small hand-waving dance"; or by thousands to tens of thousands of people, which is called "big hand-waving dance". Its dance forms include "single pendulum", "double pendulum", "whirlwind pendulum", etc.; the dance postures mostly imitate trekking through mountains and rivers, farm work, fighting postures, rock eagles spreading their wings, and daily life. These dance movements are stretched and generous, with a rich flavor of life, showing the rough and bold national character of the Tujia people. During every festival, Tujia people go to the "Waving Hand Hall" or the lawns and courtyards to dance the hand-waving dance.
The hand-waving dance is also known as "Sheba". The entire activity uses ritual dances, singing, etc. as performances, and tells the story of the origin of mankind, the migration of nations, and heroic deeds. After the sacrificial ceremony, the "Tima" or altar master will lead everyone into the waving hall or waving terrace to dance the waving dance and sing the waving song. The natives dance this dance before going into battle to boost their morale. There are several types of hand waving dance: single swing, double swing, big hand waving, and small hand waving. Dance with hands, beat big drums and sound big gongs, the momentum is majestic and touching. When dancing, the hands swing at the same side, kicking the feet and waving the hands, moving forward and backward, in pairs, and the artistic conception is vivid.
Hand dance is not only a folk sports activity for entertainment and fitness, but also a unique artistic wonder on the stage. It is precisely the "hand waving hall" where many people gather in front of the hall, joining hands in slow singing. The sound of drums and gongs is mixed. Murmurs, lingering sounds of "ho ho ho"
Chinese Tujia folk dance. It is spread in Yongshun, Longshan, Baojing of Hunan and the Tujia inhabited areas on the border of Hubei and Sichuan. The ritual collective dance held in front of the Tuwang Temple during the Spring Festival became popular in the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties. It was initially related to sacrifices, and later evolved into a custom, divided into big hand waving and small hand waving. The Big Waving event takes place every 3 to 5 years, with tens of thousands of people participating in several counties, and lasts for 7 to 8 days. The dance contains complex military hunting content and includes routines and formations. The small wave of hands is the village's own village. It is held every year and focuses on farming. During the dance, people form a multi-layered circle, with one person leading the dance and others dancing along.
The "Encyclopedia" of Tujia life
The origin of the hand-waving dance is still a mystery.
Tan Xiaobing, deputy director of the Municipal Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center, said that the hand-waving dance can be said to be the epitome of the historical life of the Tujia people, like a gorgeous picture showing the historical life of the Tujia people.
Its origin may come from religious sacrifices, or it may originate from Baguo dance. In short, the basic content of the Tujia hand-waving dance involves all aspects of human origin, myths and legends, ethnic migration, hunting and fishing, ancient wars, slash-and-burn cultivation, diet and daily life, etc.
Today, Youyang hand waving dance is divided into two types: big hand waving and small hand waving. The original hand-waving dance spread in Youyang Keda Township and other places belongs to the category of "small hand-waving". The basic movements include single swing, double swing, and round swing.
As for the "Big Hand Waving", it is a refined hand waving dance, suitable for leisure exercise by citizens in the square.
Tan Xiaobing said that the hand-waving dance has become a large collection of Tujia traditional culture. Through its content and form, we can observe the Tujia society, history, folk customs, national characteristics, and the development trajectory of culture and art. It is said to be the "encyclopedia" of a local family.
The hand-waving dance has the origin theory of "Bayu Dance". "Huayang Guozhi·Ba Zhi" records: "King Wu attacked Zhou, and he sang and danced in front of him." This shows that "Bayu Dance" was used in war when King Wu conquered Zhou. The name "Bayu Dance" first appeared in "Huayang Guozhi·Ba Zhi" "There is Chongqing River in Langzhong.
Most of the Shi people lived near the water, and they were naturally brave. When they first fought for the Han Dynasty, they charged into battle and were unstoppable. Emperor Shanzhi said: "This is the song of King Wu's attack on Zhou." It made music people learn it, which is now called Bayu Dance.
More than three thousand years ago, there was a powerful Bazi Kingdom in history. "Huayang Kingdom·Bazhi" says: "King Wu After conquering Yin, his concubine was granted the title of Ba, and he was given the title of son. "The land extends to Yubelly in the east, Bodao in the west, Hanzhong in the north, and Qianfu in the south." This area just covers the entire Wuling Mountain area. "Ten Dao Zhi" written by Tang and Liang states: "Chuzi destroyed Ba, and the five Bazi brothers flowed into central Guizhou. The Han Dynasty ruled the world, and they were named five streams, namely You, Chen, Wu, Wu, and Yuan, each of which was the length of a stream. Wuxi Man". These records all show that the ancient Ba people were part of the ancestors of the Tujia people. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the "Ba's Sword" and "Tiger" were unearthed in the Wuling Mountain area in the Three Gorges, Qingjiang and Youshui river basins. A large number of Ba'an bronzes such as "Niu Tao Yu" support this historical fact.
After the emperor of the Han Dynasty settled the Three Qin Dynasties, "Bayu Dance" became a court music and dance, and was also used in daily communication. Entertaining guests. Until the Tang and Song Dynasties, "Bayu Dance" gradually lost its former status and disappeared from the palace's singing and dancing performances. Although "Bayu Dance" disappeared from the palace's singing and dancing performances, it was relatively closed. The Wuling Mountain area has been partially preserved, which is exactly what the saying goes: "The emperor lost his official position and learned from the barbarians". It is said that it is partially preserved because the hand-waving dance today is neither the whole of "Bayu Dance", nor is it the "Bayu Dance".
Although the performance forms of "Mao Yu" and "Rong Yu" in "Bayu Dance" are very similar to the flower arrangement waving in "Big Waving Hands", they are both holding weapons or wearing short eyebrows. This seems to indicate that the "Bayu Dance" has a great influence on the hand-waving dance with the theme of ancient wars, and has a strong inheritance, but it has a wider spread and expresses the theme of daily production and life. In "Little Waving Hands", it is difficult to see traces of "Bayu Dance". This shows that the historical process of the emergence and development of the ancient cultural phenomenon of hand-waving dance is very complicated, and it is difficult to include it in one cultural phenomenon.
The Tujia people call themselves "Bizka", which means local people. The Tujia language belongs to the Sino-Tibetan language family and the Tibeto-Burman language family. It has always been the Tujia people before the "Chantu Guiliu". The main communication tools also show some minor differences depending on the region. However, since the Tujia people only have their own language but no national script, the inheritance of national culture mostly relies on oral transmission, and this kind of inheritance. The inheritance methods are extremely limited. Therefore, in order to better continue and inherit the culture of our nation, we must create or rely on a more effective method. As the carrier of the huge Tujia culture, the waving dance naturally became this The bearer of this method uses a special form of singing and dancing to tell the history and life of the nation to future generations, so that the Tujia people can understand the history of their nation and acquire certain knowledge of production and life skills during sacrifices and entertainment activities. Therefore, the hand-waving dance is unique. It has a tenacious vitality and has lasted for thousands of years.
The hand-waving dance originated and spread in the Youshui River and Qingjiang River basins in the Wuling Mountain area. Due to the humid climate, abundant rainfall, and distinct four seasons in the Wuling Mountain area, it has adapted to the traditional dance. Tujia mountain people with traditional agricultural production regard the winter, twelfth and first lunar months of the lunar calendar as the off-farming seasons, which provides necessary participants and time guarantees for the holding of sacrifices and hand-waving dance activities. Therefore, they are held every year, gradually forming A fixed pattern has been retained, which is one of the important reasons why the cultural phenomenon of hand-waving dance continues to this day.
The two sets of original hand-waving dances popular among the people in Youyang with completely different performance contents both belong to the category of "Xiaobishou", and their dance vocabulary is natural and simple. One set is mainly about ethnic migration, showing the suffering process of the Tujia ancestors during their migration; the other set is a primitive imitation of the entire process of production and labor. Due to many reasons, most of the dance movements have been lost. The surviving movements include: single pendulum, double pendulum, shaking the flea, beggar roasting himself, crab climbing the tree, grinding the eagle's wings, champion kicking the official to death, sowing seeds , planting rice seedlings, harvesting rice seedlings, cutting grains, threshing grains, picking grains, etc., dozens of them.
In the past, from the first to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month of the lunar calendar, Tujia mountain people would gather in front of the Waishou Hall or Tuwang Temple to offer cakes, tofu, dumplings, and knife heads as sacrifices, and hold grand ceremonies under the auspices of the old chieftain or elders. The atmosphere of the sacrifices and waving activities is very lively and often lasts all night. When dancing the hand-waving dance, it is also accompanied by a hand-waving song. The content of the lyrics mostly involves national history, ancestor worship, production and farming, etc.
The "Juezhu Palace" (Xiao Bishou Hall) on the west bank of the Youshui River in Changtan Village, Houxi Town, Youyang County, has a unique form and is well preserved. It is accompanied by thousands of years of ancient willows and gurgling works in front of the hall. The noisy Youshui River has witnessed the grand occasion of the past when "a brocade nest was built in Fushi City, water rippled by Tuwang Palace, thousands of red lanterns and people were waving and singing." Changtan "Juezhu Palace" was built in the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty. It has a history of more than 150 years. It is a Qing Dynasty architectural style with a brick and wood structure and a complex courtyard layout. The main building consists of the front hall, main hall, altar, side rooms, front and rear patios and side doors. It is divided into two main entrances on the left and right. The left side is the "Peng's Ancestral Hall", which worships the ancestors of the Peng family; "Peng Duke Lord", in front of the main entrance is a rectangular dam paved with bluestone slabs that can accommodate dozens of people dancing hand-waving. The dam is surrounded by beautifully carved stone guardrails on three sides. The "Juezhu Palace" in Changtan is the only existing Tujia "waving hand hall" integrated with the ancestral hall in the southeast of Chongqing. It is a complex combining the Tuwang Temple and the ancestral hall. It is also a place for studying the survival and variation trajectory of the Tujia native culture. Important physical information. "Juezhu Palace" is named after the main worship of Duke Peng. Duke Peng is Peng Shichou, the governor of Xizhou in western Hunan. Peng Shichou is famous in history for setting up a bronze memorial pillar with Chu King Ma Xifan in Huixiping in the fifth year of Tianfu in the Later Jin Dynasty (AD 940). He was a famous Tujia chieftain in western Hunan at that time. Legend has it that Ma Xifan gave Peng Shichou Shichou was granted a title, so later generations respectfully called him Duke Peng. Today, the Tujia people with the surname Peng in the Youshui River Basin regard him as their founding father. In the past, annual sacrifices and hand-waving activities were held here. Therefore, it is customary to call the "Grand Lord's Palace" "Waving-Hand Hall".
Why do the Tujia people in Youyang, Chongqing worship the Tuwang in western Hunan? One of the reasons is that when Youyang was established as a county in the fifth year of Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty (202 BC), it was located on the lower reaches of the Youshui River in Wang Village (now Furong Town), Yongshun County, Hunan Province. It was one of the counties under the jurisdiction of Wuling County in the Han Dynasty. It was called Xiaxizhou and later moved to its current location. The 1962 "Hunan Provincial Chronicle·Geographical Chronicle" stated that Youyang County is located in Wangcun, the confluence of Mengdong River and Youshui River in the south of Yongshun County. It was named because it is located on the north bank of Youshui River; it also said that Youyang County is under the jurisdiction of Hunan Province Yongshun, Guzhang and Longshan counties. This historical fact shows that Youyang and western Hunan have an inseparable internal connection, and have been clearly marked by history as "cultural isomorphism"; the second reason is that Xizhou is located in the lower reaches of the Youshui River, and Houxi and Daxi in Youyang The creek is located in the middle reaches of the Youshui River. With the help of the golden waterway of Youshui, the two places have had exchanges since ancient times, so cultural penetration and inheritance are inevitable. The third reason is stated in Tongzhi of the Qing Dynasty's "General Records of Youyang Zhili Prefecture·District" "Yu Zhi Shanchuan" records: "Sanyi Mountain is located on the Houxi River (i.e. Youshui River) 160 miles east of the state. It has three peaks standing side by side and is verdant. It is the ancestral mountain of the three surnames of Li Peng, Bai and Tian in Dajiang. The natives say that when the ancestors of the three surnames first entered Sichuan, they each lived at the foot of the peak..." It can be seen that the ancestors of the three surnames Peng, Bai, and Tian (the most common surnames of the Tujia people) were forced to migrate due to irresistible reasons. They traveled upstream from the lower reaches of the Youshui River and reached Houxi and Daxi in Youyang. The area of ??the river thrives, and with the migration of the three surnames, this cultural form of "earth king worship" is bound to be brought to the Youyang area.
The various "Sanfu Temples", "Tuwang Temple" and "Juezhu Palace" that were once scattered throughout Youyang were built by the Tujia people to commemorate the Tusi King who was virtuous to the people. It is the main place where the Tujia people carry out "Tuwang worship" and "waving hands to worship ancestors". This annual sacrificial activity has been preserved in the Tujia area for a long time, until the introduction of the clan system and the implementation of mandatory "Confucian education" , only then did she fundamentally shake her foundation and gradually take it forward.
During this period, newly built ancestral halls with powerful surnames of the Tujia people sprung up. However, ancient buildings such as the "Sanfu Temple", "Tuwang Temple", and "Juezhu Palace", which were the carriers of the Tujia native culture, quickly disappeared and were almost completely lost. , under this premise, the emergence of Changtan's "Juezhu Palace" (complex) has even more special significance. It is not only a "remnant" of national culture, but also a mutation of survival and adaptation. Adapting to the integration of the ruling culture and tenaciously preserving itself reflects the twists and turns of the continuation and development of Tujia culture.