China News Service, Nanchang, February 3, Title: Dragon lanterns in Jiangxi Chengnan welcome the "Year of the Year": Centennial intangible cultural heritage dances with the flavor of the Chinese New Year
Reporter Li Yunhan
As the Spring Festival of the Year of the Dragon approaches, Shi Kebin, the inheritor of Jiangxi's provincial intangible cultural heritage "Chengnan Dragon Lanterns", is very busy. In front of his production workshop, cars carrying dragon lanterns drive to all corners of the country with the flavor of the New Year.
Dragon lantern dance is a traditional folk cultural activity among Chinese people. In Chengnan Village, Qingyunpu District, Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, the production of dragon lanterns can be traced back to the Yuan Dynasty, which has a history of more than 700 years. During the Spring Festival, every household in the village lights up lanterns, beats gongs and drums, and performs dragon dances in the streets. Firecrackers go off at the dragon parade area, which can be heard for ten miles, which is a spectacular sight.
The picture shows Shi Kebin using tissue paper rope to tie a faucet. The dragon lantern to which the faucet belongs is about 18 meters long. It is expected that it will be completely tied before the Spring Festival of the Year of the Dragon in 2024. Photo by Liu Lixin
When the reporter visited the Chengnan dragon lantern production base in Qingyunpu District, Nanchang, he saw that the factory building of several hundred square meters was divided into areas for making dragon heads, dragon bodies, dragon clothes, and dragon tails. Workers in each area were completing their tasks in an orderly manner. process.
"The production of traditional dragon lanterns requires selecting bamboo of suitable tenderness, burning the bamboo to make it soft, and then bending and shaping it to make a faucet." Shi Kebin, who has been making dragon lanterns for more than 30 years, told reporters that the production of traditional dragon lanterns requires more than a hundred processes. , grasping the temperature of the fire and the techniques for tying bamboo all require years of accumulated practice.
Shi Kebin said that it takes more than a month to hand-make a dragon lantern that is more than ten meters long. The structure of the dragon lantern needs to have a well-proportioned center of gravity, the drawing of the dragon robe needs to be bright and festive, and the binding of the dragon tail needs to be strong and durable. In addition, the various parts must be easily assembled. , so all processes need to be very meticulous.
The picture shows workers installing wires and colored lights on the faucet. Photo by Liu Lixin
"We received overseas orders many years ago. The other party expressed that they wanted to feel the nostalgia and the flavor of the New Year through dragon dancing." Shi Kebin said that due to the large size of the above-mentioned order, the shipping cost was as high as several thousand yuan, and the bamboo frame involved customs quarantine. The process will be more cumbersome.
In order to reduce the transportation cost and loss of dragon lanterns and make customs clearance faster, Shi Kebin made innovative upgrades based on the traditional Chengnan dragon lanterns. Each part of the improved dragon lantern can be disassembled and assembled, and the lighting method has also changed from candles to LED lights. Now the cost of sending a complete dragon lantern overseas only costs a few hundred yuan.
In addition, the traditional dragon lantern dance requires the cooperation of more than ten people. Through the close cooperation of the dragon dance team members, the dragon lantern sometimes seems to fly to the clouds, sometimes into the sea and break the waves. After Shi Kebin's improvement, the current "ribbon dragon lantern" can be operated by a single person. When waving his arms, the dragon will dance in the air.
"Since the Spring Festival has been designated as a United Nations holiday, the volume of orders at home and abroad has surged. Many overseas Chinese customers have added freight and air freight to customize dragon lanterns from us." Shi Kebin showed reporters recent orders on his mobile phone, including those from the United States, Australia, and Singapore. Some customers also sent "Buyer Shows".
The picture shows Shi Kebin holding the faucet of an innovative and improved new dragon lantern (left) and the faucet of a dragon lantern made of straw using traditional techniques (right). Photo by Liu Lixin
"There are still many Taiwanese compatriots who have been ordering dragon lanterns from us for a long time. They always say that we are all 'descendants of the dragon.'" Shi Kebin showed reporters a "buyer show" sent by a Taiwanese customer, with more than ten dragon dance team members wearing Local traditional ethnic costumes and dragon lanterns more than ten meters long are vividly displayed in the night sky. On the dragon lanterns are hanging blessing words such as "the country is peaceful and the people are safe and the weather is good".
"Can you help me make a batch of dragons that can spray fireworks from the dragon's mouth? Electronic fireworks can also be used." During the interview, Shi Kebin welcomed another customer from Hubei who came here. Shi Kebin said that intangible cultural heritage cannot just stick to tradition, but also needs to advance with the times. Many of his innovations are based on customer needs.
"Many overseas Chinese customers have reported that Chengnan dragon lanterns are very popular with local teenagers, and they will write their names on the dragon lanterns to show their love." Shi Kebin said that he hopes to further expand overseas sales channels in the future. Overseas warehouses may be established, which will greatly reduce logistics costs. (over)