History of Yantian Fishing Lantern Dance

The Fishing Lantern Dance is an episodic folk square dance made up by the fishermen of Shatoujiao Shalanxian Village in the ancient times to pay homage to their ancestors and pray to the Goddess Mazu to bless them with peace at sea and a good harvest in the fishery industry, imitating the habits of fish. The relevant declaration materials of the Municipal Cultural Affairs Bureau introduce that the Sha Tau Kok Fishing Lantern Dance originated in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, and is popular in Sha Tau Kok, Yantian, Tan Shui Hang in the New Territories of Hong Kong, Gangxia New Village and other places. Fishing lantern dance with its unique art, after more than 200 years of historical inheritance, passed down to the present day. 2003, the State Ministry of Culture named 90 "China's folk art townships" and "Chinese characteristics of folk art townships", Sha Tau Kok because of the sand bar scared of the fishing lantern dance on the list. Shatoujiao is on the list because of its fishing lantern dance.

Three hundred years of fisherman's lantern dance returned to the stage to shine

Many people in Shenzhen may not be aware of, in the village of Sha Lun scared of Sha Tau Kok, which is adjacent to Zhongying Street, there is also a folk art declared a national intangible cultural heritage! It is the fishing lantern dance, which is the pride of the people of Sha Lan Fright! After being selected as one of the first batch of intangible cultural heritages in Guangdong Province last year, this folk art, which had been interrupted for 50 years and then returned to the stage, has ushered in a new recognition of its artistic value.

What is the art of fishing lanterns? How many touching stories are there behind this traditional folk art's return to the stage?

In the sand bar scared, the reporter harvested countless feelings, surprise and moving.

Lament! Passed down 300 years of fishing lantern dance had been silent for 50 years

Fishing lantern art is circulating in China's Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang and other coastal areas of a folk art, has a long history of tradition and rich folk atmosphere. According to historical evidence, the art of fishing lanterns in Shatoujiao originated in Shalanxiang Village, which is located in Shatoujiao Street, Yantian District.

A study conducted in 1986 proved that the art of fishing lanterns in Sha Tau Kok Sha Lan Hao Village began in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, and was active in today's Sha Tau Kok, Yantian, and Tan Shui Keng and Gang Ha San Tsuen in Hong Kong's New Territories. "At that time, the fishermen in Sha Lan Hao lived a half-fishing, half-agricultural life, and the natural and social environments were very harsh, so the fishermen, who were in dire straits, gave play to their rich imaginations and created the fishing lantern dance as an art form using the images of various fish they were most familiar with to pay homage to their ancestors and worship the gods and pray to Goddess A-Ma for blessing for safety at sea and a good harvest from the fishing industry." When it comes to the fishing lantern dance, Deng Xiaowei of the Yantian District Street Office, who has devoted 20 years of his life to rescuing this folk art, speaks of it as if it were his family's favorite.

Deng Xiaowei said, Shatoujiao fishing lantern dance is by the ancient sand bar scared people imitating the habits of the fish into a plot, by more than 20 male performers holding fishing lanterns performing folk square group dance, reflecting the underwater world, the group of fish collective resistance to the bullying of the weaker snakehead fish story. During the performance, accompanied by gongs and drums, suona sound, the actors hid under the fishing lanterns, with a low horse stance curve back half-squatting hand-held fishing lanterns interspersed with marching, by imitating the action of the fish to show the plot of the dance.

Sha Lan scared the village of fishing lantern dance in history is very famous, become the villagers at the time of the New Year's festivals, celebrate the harvest of the necessary programs, can be said to be very successful for a while. Earlier, villages around Dapeng Bay would invite them to perform at major festivals, a custom

that lasted until the 1950s.

Rescue! Ancient folk art "salted fish" to shine again

Wu Guanqiu, 66, is now the leader of the fishing lantern dance team in the Shalan scare. As the "chief instructor", Wu Guanqiu wherever he goes are extremely respected by the villagers of Shalan scared, we all respectfully call him a "ball uncle". Silent for 50 years of fishing lantern dance can return to the art stage today, so that the sand bar scared villagers happy, y proud, but also let Wu Guanqiu and other old artists feel comfort. However, when it comes to the art of "salty fish turnaround", Wu Guanqiu and the sand bar scared of the locals say: there is a person must be mentioned. In the words of the locals: "Without her, there would be no fishing lantern dance today." She is Deng Xiaowei.

In 1986, Deng Xiaowei was transferred from Zhanjiang to Shenzhen Shatoujiao Cultural Station. In the course of walking the streets and chatting with local residents, a word often mentioned by the residents kept hitting her nerves: fishing lantern dance. Engaged in cultural work, she was sensitive to realize that the value of this folk art is precious and must not be lost! When the Yantian District Cultural Bureau commissioned the relevant city departments to help create and rehearse the "Sha Tau Kok Fishing Lantern Dance", she immediately began to collect information on the dance.

She worked hard to collect information on the fishing lantern dance, invited the old artists to "drink morning tea", "Kan Dashan", and visited the cultural station. In fact, these old artists also have a strong desire to bring back the fishing lantern dance to the world, moved by Deng Xiaowei's sincerity, revealed to her some of the production methods of the fishing lantern dance, performance moves or gongs and drums. Deng Xiaowei prepared a small notebook, and whenever she heard even the slightest detail of the dance, she would immediately take out the notebook and write it down. In this way, more than 10 years later, Deng Xiaowei from the girl into middle age, and successively became the Sha Tau Kok Cultural Station deputy station chief, station chief, the collection of fishing lantern dance data but never give up.

In 2003, the Sha Tau Kok Street Office allocated "10,000 yuan, as the restoration of" Sha Tau Kok fishing lantern dance "special funds. When the news came, the villagers of Sha Ban scared to tell each other, rushed to make fishing lanterns, and invited the old artists who had moved to Hong Kong and abroad to come back to participate in the rehearsal. In 2006, under the care of Deng Xiaowei and the Shatoujiao Cultural Station, the Yantian District Cultural Bureau and the Municipal Bureau of Culture, the Shatoujiao Fishing Lantern Dance was selected as one of the intangible cultural heritages of Guangdong Province, and then began to be declared as one of the intangible cultural heritages of the country.

The whole village of Shatanjiao was abuzz with excitement

The village of Shatanjiao was abuzz with excitement.