China News Service, Huzhou, February 3 (Hu Fengsheng, Huang Yanjun) In the quiet lotus pond in the south of the Yangtze River, the lake water is rippling, and the lotus flowers are swaying in the breeze. In an instant, the lotus flowers turn into giant dragons and soar into the sky, soaring straight into the sky. , this is the stage "highlight" moment of China's first batch of intangible cultural heritage-Changxing Baiyelong.
Baiyelong performance scene. Photo provided by interviewee
Walking into the Baiyelong Exhibition Hall of Changxing County, Huzhou, Zhejiang Province, a long pink and white dragon "shuttles" between the "lotus ponds". Different from the common golden and red cloth dragons, Gu Yuan, the leader of the Baiyelong Art Troupe, said that this Baiyelong has a dragon body composed of 888 lotus petals, dotted with green leaves, and the tail is a butterfly, which has the style of a Jiangnan water town.
"The performances after the Spring Festival have been scheduled to February 25th, and the performances will start on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year." Gu Yuan said that it coincides with the Year of the Dragon, and there are more Baiyelong performances than in previous years.
In Tianping Village, Lincheng Town, the birthplace of the Baiye Dragon, people are used to dancing the dragon on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month every year to pray for good weather in the coming year. The petals form a lotus, and the lotus changes rapidly and interlocks with each other in order to form a long dragon in 10 seconds. This is folk wisdom that has lasted for more than 200 years.
Under the night, the body of the Ventilator has a fluorescent effect. Photo provided by interviewee
How to make traditional art "alive" and transform intangible cultural heritage resources into local cultural assets?
In 2005, the Changxing Baiyelong Art Troupe was established and registered its company and trademark. In recent years, the art troupe was restructured and merged into the Changxing Cultural Tourism Group to conduct market-oriented operations and undertake performance activities, injecting development vitality into the ancient Baiyelong.
"The influence of traditional intangible cultural heritage is limited. Through market-oriented operation, Baiyelong can be further popularized." Gu Yuan said that most of the dragon dancers in the group are not full-time actors. Cultural industry staff at their posts.
Because of this, they have a better understanding of inheritance and innovation.
In the Baiyelong Exhibition Hall, there is a "Wall of Honor" that records Baiyelong's "take-off" journey. In 2023, the Baiyelong appeared in the opening ceremony of the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games and appeared on the 6th China International Import Expo. The Baiyelong has appeared in Russia, New Zealand, France, South Korea... and this intangible cultural heritage dragon has appeared in Russia, New Zealand, France, and South Korea... , has become Zhejiang’s “golden business card” for external publicity.
According to Gu Yue, the "leader" of Baiyelong and deputy director of Baiyelong Art Troupe, every step of Baiyelong's dance requires hard work.
As a native of Changxing, under the influence of his father, who is also the inheritor of the Baiye Dragon, Gu Yue started practicing dragon dance in elementary school. It has now been about 20 years and he has experienced thousands of performances.
The 100-leaf dragon hovers between the "lotus pond". Photo provided by interviewee
After two years of practice, from the supporting roles of lotus and lotus leaves, to the dance of dragon body, dragon tail and dragon head, this is the path of advancement for a Baiyelong performer.
"It only takes about two months to get started with dancing the 100-leaf dragon, but it takes at least two years of practice to master the dragon dance." Gu Yue said, the 100-leaf dragon head is delicate and weighs about ten kilograms, which requires a lot of physical strength from the dragon dancer. High, you will get sweaty after dancing for two or three minutes.
When it comes to the inheritance of intangible cultural heritage, Gu Yue's words are more proud. "Currently, Baiyelong has 9 bases. It goes to campus once or twice a week to provide training to students. Students are very interested in Baiyelong." Gu Yue said that young people are constantly joining the art troupe and they are recruiting new students. strength.
When new actors perform on stage, the old members will always sit in the audience to watch, take videos, record their every move, and conduct review and analysis after the performance.
The Spring Festival of the Year of the Dragon is approaching, and the Changxing Hundred-leaf Dragon has become "alive" again. From the provincial Spring Festival Gala to the "Village Gala" in each village, this Jiangnan Chinese dragon can be seen everywhere. Gu Yue told reporters that his wish is to step onto a bigger stage with Baiyelong. (over)