It is said that there is a Qiling Mountain in Jinhua County, Zhejiang Province, and at the foot of the mountain there is a large stream called "Lingxi". People use water from Lingxi River to irrigate their rice fields every day. One day, when the county magistrate and his entourage were inspecting the countryside, they suddenly saw several big men carrying a large cage. When they stepped forward and took a look, they realized that there was a big snake in the cage, and the snake was still crying. The county magistrate looked at it. He couldn't help but feel compassion, so he said to several big men: "Men, can you sell this big snake to me?" When the big men saw that the county master wanted to buy this big snake, they quickly agreed. The county boss took the big snake home to raise it. At first, the county boss ordered people to feed the big snake raw meat, but the big snake didn't eat it. Later, he found out that the big snake only eats rice, just like humans, which surprised people in the county government.
The days passed... This summer was extremely hot and it never rained, so Lingxi gradually dried up. The people pray to the gods every day, hoping that God will send rain from the sky to relieve the suffering of drought. When the county master saw this situation, he was very worried and prayed to God every day: I hope God will send rain soon to relieve the drought suffering of the people in my county! ...One night, the county master dreamed of the landowner in his county. The landowner said to him: "Because your kindness moved the Jade Emperor, put the big snake into Lingxi at noon tomorrow, and it will naturally..." Rain is coming." After the county master woke up, he immediately sent people to Lingxi to burn incense and pray, and put the big snake into Lingxi. After a few days, it rained, which relieved the people's drought. Later, in order to thank the snake, people not only burned incense and worshiped, but also threw large bags of rice into the stream, hoping for a bumper harvest next year. ...While people were worshiping the big snake with rice, the weather became very strange. Either the sun was shining brightly for several days and people were sunburned, or it was raining continuously. This scene made the people worried.
One day, when the county master was worrying about the strange weather in the past few days in his study, he suddenly saw the big snake coming back and said to him: "I was originally a dragon in Qiling Mountain, and I was also in charge of rice grains. Because I accidentally violated the rules of heaven, I was demoted to the human world by the Jade Emperor. Later, because of your kindness, the Jade Emperor was moved by the Earth God and let me go... But everyone gave up the rice. Throwing it into the stream for worship was a waste of food. When the Jade Emperor found out, he was furious and ordered Jinhua County to suffer a drought for two years. When the county master heard this, he was shocked and asked quickly, "Is there any way to remedy this?" said the big snake. "As long as you only use clean water for sacrifices from now on, don't use chickens, ducks, fish, or meat to avoid the Jade Emperor's anger." After hearing this, the county master thanked the big snake and ordered the people in the county to perform sacrifices according to the big snake's words. However, there are still some people in the county who do not follow the instructions of the serpent and still use chicken, duck, fish and other meat products for sacrifice. When the Jade Emperor found out, he became even more furious and said, "Dragon Lingxi, didn't you say that the people of Jinhua County already knew how to repent? The people of Jinhua County are still wasting food! Come on! Kill the Lingxi Dragon!" "... Just after the dragon was killed, red rain fell in Jinhua County every day, almost like blood. His subordinates reported this strange phenomenon to the county boss and said: "There is another strange thing. It was on the bank of Lingxi River that a divided dragon body fell from the sky." After hearing this, the county master rushed to the stream. When he saw it, he exclaimed loudly: "Isn't this my big snake? It's hard to tell in the world. Loyalty, don’t you know that there is no distinction between right and wrong in the sky, dragon, dragon! It’s all us who have harmed you!"...
Afterwards, people regretted it very much, so every time On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, dragon dances are performed in the hope that the dragon's bodies can join together. This custom has been passed down to this day
Lion Dance
Lion dance is an excellent folk art in our country. During the Lantern Festival or gatherings and celebrations, lion dances are performed by the people to add to the fun. This custom originated during the Three Kingdoms period and became popular during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. It has a history of more than a thousand years. According to legend, it was first introduced from the Western Regions. The lion is the mount of Manjushri Bodhisattva. With the introduction of Buddhism to China, lion dance activities were also introduced to China. The lion was a tribute brought back together with the peacock and others after Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent Zhang Qian as an envoy to the Western Regions. However, the skill of lion dance is derived from the "masquerade" of Xiliang. Some people believe that lion dance originated from the army in the fifth century and was later introduced to the people. Both statements have their own basis, and today it is difficult to judge whether they are right or wrong.
There were three more people behind, two of them carried long poles and carried drums, and one of them beat them. The two people following the team held a beast-faced shield in one hand and a knife in the other, in a guarding posture.
The lion dance bronze statue has lifelike expressions, free and easy movements, and magnificent momentum. The folk lion dance style is solidified on it
The origin of dragon dance
Legend There is a Qiling Mountain in Jinhua County, Zhejiang Province. At the foot of the mountain is a large stream called "Lingxi". People use water from Lingxi River to irrigate their rice fields every day. One day, when the county magistrate and his entourage were inspecting the countryside, they suddenly saw several big men carrying a large cage. When they stepped forward and took a look, they realized that there was a big snake in the cage, and the snake was still crying. The county magistrate looked at it. He couldn't help but feel pity, so he said to several big men: "Strong men, can you sell this big snake to me?" When the big men saw that the county master wanted to buy this big snake, they quickly agreed. The county boss took the big snake home to raise it. At first, the county boss ordered people to feed the big snake raw meat, but the big snake didn't eat it. Later, he found out that the big snake only eats rice, just like humans, which surprised people in the county government.
The days passed... This summer was extremely hot and it never rained, so Lingxi gradually dried up. People pray to the gods every day, hoping that God will send rain from the sky to relieve the suffering of drought. When the county master saw this situation, he was very worried and prayed to God every day: I hope God will send rain soon to relieve the drought suffering of the people in my county! ...One night, the county master dreamed of the landowner in his county. The landowner said to him: "Because your kindness moved the Jade Emperor, put the big snake into Lingxi at noon tomorrow, and it will naturally... Rain is coming." After the county master woke up, he immediately sent people to Lingxi to burn incense and pray, and put the big snake into Lingxi. After a few days, it rained, which relieved the people's drought. Later, in order to thank the snake, people not only burned incense and worshiped, but also threw large bags of rice into the stream, hoping for a bumper harvest next year. ...While people were worshiping the big snake with rice, the weather became very strange. Either the sun was shining brightly for several days and people were sunburned, or it was raining continuously. This scene made the people worried.
One day, when the county master was worrying about the strange weather in the past few days in his study, he suddenly saw the big snake coming back and said to him: "I was originally a dragon in Qiling Mountain, and I was also in charge of rice grains. Because I accidentally violated the rules of heaven, I was demoted to the human world by the Jade Emperor. Later, because of your kindness, the Jade Emperor was moved by the Earth God and let me go... But everyone gave up the rice. Throwing it into the stream for worship was a waste of food. When the Jade Emperor found out, he was very angry and ordered Jinhua County to suffer a drought for two years. When the county master heard this, he was shocked and asked quickly, "Is there any way to remedy this?" said the big snake. "As long as you only use clean water for sacrifices from now on, don't use chickens, ducks, fish, or meat to avoid the Jade Emperor's anger." After hearing this, the county master thanked the big snake and ordered the people in the county to perform sacrifices according to the big snake's words. However, there are still some people in the county who do not follow the instructions of the serpent and still sacrifice meat such as chickens, ducks, and fish. When the Jade Emperor found out, he became even more furious and said, "Dragon Lingxi, didn't you say that the people of Jinhua County already knew how to repent? The people of Jinhua County are still wasting food! Come on! Kill the Lingxi Dragon!" "... Just after the dragon was killed, red rain fell in Jinhua County every day, almost like blood. His subordinates reported this strange phenomenon to the county boss and said: "There is another strange thing. It was on the bank of Lingxi River that a divided dragon body fell from the sky." After hearing this, the county master rushed to the stream. When he saw it, he exclaimed loudly: "Isn't this my big snake? It's hard to tell in the world. Loyalty, don’t you know that there is no distinction between right and wrong in the sky, dragon, dragon! It’s all us who have harmed you!"...
Afterwards, people regretted it very much, so every time On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, dragon dances are performed in the hope that the dragon's bodies can join together. This custom has been passed down to this day
Lion Dance
Lion dance is an excellent folk art in our country. During the Lantern Festival or gatherings and celebrations, lion dances are performed by the people to add to the fun. This custom originated during the Three Kingdoms period and became popular during the Southern and Northern Dynasties. It has a history of more than a thousand years. According to legend, it was first introduced from the Western Regions. The lion is the mount of Manjushri Bodhisattva. With the introduction of Buddhism to China, lion dance activities were also introduced to China.
The lion was a tribute brought back together with the peacock and others after Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent Zhang Qian as an envoy to the Western Regions. However, the technique of lion dance is derived from the "masquerade" of Xiliang. Some people believe that lion dance originated from the army in the fifth century and was later introduced to the people. Both statements have their own basis, and today it is difficult to judge whether they are right or wrong. However, in the Tang Dynasty, lion dance had become a popular activity in the palace, the military, and among the people. It is said in "Yuefu Zaxun" by Duan'an Festival of the Tang Dynasty: "There are five lions in the play, more than ten feet tall, each dressed in five colors. Each lion has twelve people, wearing red foreheads, painted clothes, and holding red whisks. It is called The lion man dances to the music of peace." The poet Bai Juyi vividly describes this in his poem "Xiliang Ji": "Xiliang Ji, Xiliang Ji, a disguised barbarian with a fake lion's head and silk tail, and a gold-plated head. The eyes are as silver as the teeth, and the ears are as if they have come from quicksand." The poem describes the scene of the lion dance at that time.
In the development process of more than a thousand years, lion dance has formed two performance styles, northern and southern. The Northern Lion Dance mainly focuses on the performance of "Martial Lion", which is the "Auspicious Lion" of the Northern Wei Dynasty designated by Emperor Wu of Wei Dynasty. The small lion is danced by one person, and the big lion is danced by two people. One person stands and dances the lion's head, and the other bends down and dances the lion's body and tail. The lion dancer wears a lion quilt all over his body, and wears green lion pants and gold-clawed boots with the same coat color as the lion's body. People cannot identify the shape of the lion dancer. Its appearance is very similar to a real lion. The lion leader is dressed as an ancient warrior, holding a rotating hydrangea in his hand, accompanied by gongs, drums and cymbals to lure the auspicious lion. Under the guidance of the "Lion Man", the lions perform tricks such as tumbling, falling, jumping, climbing, and worshiping. They also perform difficult actions such as walking on plum blossom piles, jumping around tables, and stepping on rolling balls. The Southern Lion Dance mainly performs "literary lion", which pays attention to expressions during the performance, including tickling, hair shaking, licking and other movements, which are lifelike and cute, as well as more difficult skills such as spitting balls. Nanshi is centered in Guangdong, and is popular in Hong Kong, Macao, and the hometowns of overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia. Although the Southern Lion Dance is also a duet dance, the lion dancer wears bloomers and only a colorful lion quilt on top. Different from the Northern Lion, the "Lion Man" wears a big-headed Buddha mask, a robe, and a colorful belt around his waist. He holds a sunflower fan in his hand and teases the lion, and uses it to dance various graceful moves with funny and humorous movements. There are many schools of southern lions, including the "Chicken-Gong Lion" from Qingyuan and Yingde, the "Big-headed Lion" from Guangzhou and Foshan, the "Duck-billed Lion" from Gaohe and Zhongshan, and the "Qilin Lion" from Dongguan, etc. In addition to their different appearances, Southern Lions also have different personalities. The dance of the white-bearded lion is not wide-ranging, and there are not many varieties of colors, but it is calm, vigorous, majestic and powerful. It is called "Liu Bei Lion" among the people. The black-bearded red-faced lion, known as the "Guan Gong Lion", dances bravely and majesticly, with extraordinary spirit. The gray-bearded lion has rough and warlike movements and is commonly known as "Zhang Fei Lion". The lion is the king of beasts, with a majestic and mighty image, giving people a sense of majesty and bravery. The ancients regarded it as a symbol of bravery and strength, believing that it could exorcise evil spirits, suppress demons, and protect humans and animals. Therefore, people gradually formed the custom of lion dancing during the Lantern Festival and other major events to pray for good luck and peace in life