◎II.Funing Blowing Songs and Drum Dance
Funing's two major folk arts, Blowing Songs and Peace Drum, have gone from the rural areas to stages.On April 26, 2006, the Chinese Folk Literature and Art Association named Funing County as “The Hometown of Chinese Blowing Songs” and set up “The Research Base of Chinese Blowing Songs.”
1.Blowing Songs at Funing
Funing Blowing Songs is an outstanding representative of the art of blowing songs in East Hebei and the three provinces of Northeast China.With various suonas as main playing instruments, it is mainly used for festivals, weddings, funerals, or accompaniments of folk Yangko dances.It is also called “drum and wind music” locally.
According to historical records, Funing Blowing Songs has a long history of more than 400 years.According to the County Annals edited in 1599 and 1876, many artists worked in the Yamen (county government), and were known as “official trumpeters.” Blowing songs are mainly played with wind instruments, and the common combination are two suonas plus a drum and a pair of cymbals.It is characterized by lively performance form and rich local colors.On festive occasions, superb artists will use two suonas to play the sounds of various animals,or imitate two people with completely different tones to speak, one for calling and one for answering, which is full of fun.The most interesting thing is that when two teams meet together, the audience will be greatly gratified by a competition between these two teams.Nowadays, Funing Blowing Songs has developed into a unique cultural treasure with deep tradition and stable style, and become the famous “Chinese Blowing Songs.”
2.Peace Drum Dance
Peace Drum Dance was originally a dance performed by sorcerers.In the history, it had been called “Ji Dance,” “Braid Drum” and “Braid Fan Dance.” After thousands of years of spreading and several times of changing its name, Peace Drum Dance has become a kind of folk dance for selfentertainment.Peace Drum is the only prop and the only accompaniment instrument for Funing Peace Drum Dance.The dacnce was formed in the Han Dynasty, tended to mature in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and flourished the most in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
Peace Drum Dance originated from religion.In the prosperous period of the matriarchal society, nature, totem and ancestor worship were formed because of people's fear of and respect for some incomprehensible natural phenomena.In the religious ceremony of Shamanism, Shaman (the presider)uses many kinds of magic instruments, such as a sacred table, waist bells,single drums, and drum whips.All these musical instruments are engraved with various patterns of gods.The sacred drum used is a single drum, which is called “Peace Drum” in Shamanism.Today's Peace Drum is mostly painted with flowers and birds, written with “world peace,” and has become an entertainment item in people's lives.
Peace Drum Dance is divided into two parts, i.e., dance performance and Peace Drum performance, and used in occasions like festivals.Peace Drum Dance has no other accompaniment instruments, tunes or lyrics, and is exclusively used by women.It is an excellent folk art in the eastern area of Hebei Province, and also a relic of an ancient dance art.Its rich content and long history are rare among other similar drum dances in China.