Hong Kong, 5 May (ZXS) -- Taiping Qingyu returns to Cheung Chau, Hong Kong Master Floating Color adheres to the century-old tradition
China News Agency reporter Han Xingtong
The reporter of China News Agency followed the chairman and colorful master Li Zhiwei to the second floor, and the three floating colors were displayed neatly, and the joy and liveliness of the resumption of Cheung Chau Taiping Qingyu after 3 years is filling this small island only about 1 hour away from Hong Kong Island.
The Taiping Festival, held every spring, is the largest traditional festival in the region. According to legend, during the Qing Dynasty, in order to eliminate the plague, the residents of Changzhou prayed to the Northern Emperor to drive away the epidemic, and since then held the Taiping Qingxian every year. This year, the Taiping Cleansing Parade will be held from May 5 to 23, while the Floating Colors Parade will be held on the 27th (Buddha's Birthday). Today, Cheung Chau Taiping Qingyu has a history of more than 26 years and is listed as a national intangible cultural heritage, and the Floating Scenery Parade is one of the "highlights".
What is Drifting Color? "The children dressed up as ancient and modern characters according to different themes, standing on an iron stand and 'floating in the air', swaying above as the parade moved, which was fun and cute." The red banner behind Li Zhiwei is written with the theme of this year's Beishe Street: selfless dedication, Nezha troubles the East China Sea, song and dance to rise to peace. The theme of selfless dedication aims to recognise and thank healthcare professionals for their service to Hong Kong people during the pandemic over the past three years.
The neighboring Cheung Chau Hing Long Street is also designed with a medical themed floating color, and the remaining floating colors are covered with black film, leaving it to be revealed at the parade site. Cao Qiuming, chairman of the Xinglong Street Neighborhood Association, told reporters that this year, Cheung Chau has a total of eight colorful parade teams, which are organized by five neighborhood associations, two sports clubs and one hometown association.
Regarding the origin of the floating color, the masters have similar memories: as early as the 20s of the 20th century, some Changzhou people saw the floating color in Foshan and introduced it to Cheung Chau, but on the basis of the original, it was improved, not only broadening the theme of the cruise, but also making it more beautiful. Gradually, each street in Cheung Chau launched a colorful production, each with its own ingenuity and competition with each other.
In the small space of the Xinglong Street neighborhood, 4 floating color masters sat on two benches for interviews, and your small talk revealed that they have known each other since childhood, grew up in this street, and have been doing floating color for forty or fifty years. In the view of master Chen Ruguang, "Floating color is something that every Cheung Chau person will definitely touch in a lifetime. "When I was a child, I stepped on the stand to play a role, and when I grew up, I went out to find a job, and when this event was held, I would also take time off to return to the island to help prepare and make the floating colors.
Li Zhiwei casually picked up an old photo taken around 1970: "Lei Zhenzi" who came from the clouds held an axe in his hand and vowed to split the pocket of the landlord below, and it was only 5-year-old who played Lei Zhenzi.
In the past, when the Taiping Qingyi was approaching, the masters were busy looking for children suitable for flowing, and when they saw the right ones, they would step forward to ask one or two and hold them to try it. Li Zhiwei, who was "caught" on the way home from school that year, was so "caught" to try, he was bold, did not cry or make trouble, and settled down like this.
However, in recent years, the birth rate on the island has decreased, coupled with the change of parents' attitudes and the lack of their children to be affected, etc., the search for school-age children is difficult and slow, and the greater crisis is that there is no successor to this traditional skill, the technology of making the floating color iron frame has now been lost, some iron frames have gradually aged over the years, and the 59-year-old Li Zhiwei is the youngest among the floating color masters.
"How long can we do it?" Such doubts and feelings of loss lingered from time to time, and there were internal disputes among the floating masters, and finally a unanimous decision was made: we will do it until the day we can't find anyone. After the masters finished the interview, they rushed to recall the floating colors they had seen in their childhood, the gongs and drums were noisy, and the excitement was lively, which were the glorious memories that they carefully collected, and everyone's face was a satisfied smile. (End)