Origin
Loess waist drum
The form and development of Ansai waist drum are inseparable from the local historical and geographical environment and folk customs. Ansai is located in the northern part of the Yan'an region of Shaanxi Province. It has a vast territory with crisscrossing ravines and the Yan River meandering through the territory. It is a typical Loess Plateau landform. Historically, it has been an important military town, known as the "throat of Shangjun" and the "key of the north gate". It is one of the border fortresses that resisted foreign invasions. Local people say that as early as the Qin and Han Dynasties, waist drums were regarded by garrison soldiers as indispensable equipment as swords, guns, bows and arrows. When encountering an enemy surprise attack, they would beat drums to call the police and convey messages; when two armies faced each other, they would beat drums to encourage them; when a battle was won, soldiers would beat drums to celebrate. With the passage of time, the waist drum has gradually developed from military use into a folk dance for local people to pray to gods, wish for a good harvest, and celebrate the Spring Festival. This makes the waist drum more popular, but in terms of drumming style and performance , continue to retain the heroic appearance of some Qin and Han soldiers.
Development
Ansai waist drum (4 photos)
In 1981, in Wangzhuang Village, Liangcun Township, Yan'an City, it was called " On the hillside where the tomb collapsed, people discovered an ancient tomb while plowing the land. Among them, two waist drum portrait bricks with the same shape and figure were unearthed, both of which were molded and fired. According to the appraisal by cultural relics and archaeological experts in Yan'an area, it was created in the Song Dynasty. The drum player depicted on the brick portrait is holding a thin drum on his waist, turning sideways, raising his head to the left, with his left foot on the ground, his right leg thrust forward, and his hands raised and lowered as if swinging a hammer to beat the drum; the person on the left is The person playing the cymbal jumps up with both feet, sucks the left leg, looks to the left, and makes a hi-hat shape with both hands in front of the chest. The drummer is shirtless, wearing bloomers and a colorful ribbon around his waist that floats down to the front. In particular, the movements and image of the drummer are quite similar to the fourth beat of "horse step and kick" and the second beat of "forward step" in today's Ansai waist drum. The waist drum portrait brick has a clear picture and beautiful shape, which vividly represents the waist drum performance in northern Shaanxi during the Song Dynasty in my country. It provides precious and informative cultural relics for the study of the historical origin and development of waist drum in northern Shaanxi.
In 1942, the new Yangko movement emerged in Yan'an and the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region, which developed the ancient folk art of Ansai waist drum and became a symbol for hundreds of millions of soldiers and civilians to celebrate victory and liberation. , and was hailed as the "Victory Waist Drum", which spread throughout the land of China and was recorded in the glorious history of the revolutionary literary and artistic movement. In 1951, Ansai waist drum participated in a national folk music and dance performance. Ai Xiushan and other folk artists from Ansai Fengjiaying Village taught waist drum skills to the China Youth Art Troupe. After performing at the World Youth and Student Festival in Budapest, they won the The special prize made Ansai waist drum famous at home and abroad.
Waist drum is a traditional drum form of the Han nationality that is widely spread throughout northern Shaanxi. It is especially popular in Ansai County in Yan'an and Hengshan and Mizhi in Yulin. It is a unique form of Han folk dance in Shaanxi. One of the most influential dance types, Ansai waist drum originated in Hengshan, Yulin. In the late Ming Dynasty, due to famine and peasant uprisings, Ansai was already sparsely populated. The Ansai people moved from Hengshan, Yulin, and brought the waist drum from Hengshan to Ansai. . Ansai waist drum is a unique large-scale folk dance art form of the Han nationality with a history of more than 2,000 years and is a national intangible cultural heritage. The uniquely charming Ansai waist drum statue set off a craze on the loess land, and Hong Kong showed its style in various parts of China and attracted the attention of the world. The bold and rough movement changes and the vigorous and unrestrained dance fully reflect the honest, simple, brave and powerful personality and character of the people in the northern Shaanxi Plateau. Ansai waist drum can be performed by thousands of people. As early as 1986, Ansai Waist Drum won the highest honor award in the first Chinese Folk Dance Competition. It has performed at the opening ceremony of the 11th Asian Games, the Hong Kong Return Celebration, the 2009 National Day Ceremony and other large-scale events, and also went to Japan, Germany, etc. Other countries perform. [1]
The waist drum in northern Shaanxi has a broad mass base and a long history of development. In some major spreading areas, almost every village has a drum troupe and every household has a drummer. And it is passed down from generation to generation and lasts for a long time. Precisely because it has been spread for a long time, has a wide scope, and has a large number of participants, although the basic form and rhythm of the dance are roughly the same, different performance styles and customs have been formed in different regions. Ansai waist drum is one of the representative ones. [2]
The Ansai waist drum has a long history. It was originally used by the ancient military to increase the morale of the army and convey information. Here it is used to express the cheers of victory and the joy of harvest. The dense drumming, powerful steps, changing formations and majestic shouts fully demonstrate the masculine beauty of men and are extremely famous in the world.
Social Evaluation and Display
The opening program of the 2012 "Sing for the People" large-scale cultural evening show is the famous Ansai waist drum from the revolutionary holy place Yan'an at home and abroad. [3]
Ansai waist drum, known as "the best drum in the world", has a long history. During the revolutionary period, it was called the "Victory Waist Drum." The people in the revolutionary base areas used to dance the majestic waist drum when they welcomed Chairman Mao and the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army and celebrated their victory. At the 1990 Beijing Asian Games at the beginning of reform and opening up, Ansai's waist drum performance became a highlight of the opening ceremony and is still praised today.
The Ansai waist drum has witnessed the changes of the times in China. It is of extraordinary significance as the opening program of the large-scale literary evening "Songs for the People" held to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Comrade Mao Zedong's "Speech at the Yan'an Forum on Literature and Art". [4]
Ansai Waist Drum
Ansai is located in northern Shaanxi. It is said that in ancient times, soldiers guarding the Xu border used waist drums to cheer up during battles and to celebrate after victory. As time goes by, waist drum gradually becomes an entertainment activity. Especially during festivals, people use waist drum to celebrate the harvest and add to the festive atmosphere. Ansai waist drum participants are generally male. There are two forms. One is the road drum, which is played while walking, and the other is the floor drum, which is performed in squares, stages and designated locations. The drummers have many heads tied with sheep towels and red silk ribbons tied around their waists. The drums are tied around their waists. They hold mallets in both hands. Accompanied by drums, gongs, brass cymbals and suonas, they jump left and right in a lively manner, showing the passionate emotions of the Loess Plateau. , is the condensation and explosion of power. [5]
Ansai waist drum originated from war or sacrifice, and later evolved into a folk entertainment activity of the Han people, with a history of more than 2,000 years. Ansai waist drum can be played by a few to thousands of people, which is very spectacular. Ansai waist drum is one of the three unique features of Ansai. In 1996, Ansai County was named the "Hometown of Chinese Waist Drum" by the Ministry of Culture.