*Puzhai Fire Dragon Dance
*Puzhai Fire Dragon Dance
Nominating Unit: Fengshun County, City of Meizhou
Puzhai Fire Dragon Dance is a traditional folk dance when the villagers from Puzhai Township, Fengshun County, City of Meizhou, celebrate the Lantern Festival. According to Fengshun County Annals, there was the custom of fi re dragon performance in Puzhai as early as the sixth year of the reign of Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty (1741).
The Puzhai Fire Dragon Dance originated from a folk legend. The legend says that in ancient times, Zhulong, the grandson of the East Sea’s dragon king, did all the evil and cruelly killed the villagers in Puzhai area. Princess Qingfeng, under the order from the old dragon king, executed Zhulong, her nephew, and removed the great threat for the local people. The locals, thereafter, make “gold dragon” with bamboo strips and straws filled with firecrackers and incense, light up the dragon and dance with it during the Lantern Festival each year to express their thanks to the princess. The meaning is “gold dragon falling from the sky to safeguard safety and prosperity”. Later on it is evolved into a 35-meter long fire dragon filled with all kinds of fi reworks and it can open its mouth, spit out a pearl, bow its body, swing its tail and spout fire.
Puzhai Fire Dragon Dance is normally performed on the night of the Lantern Festival, at a location which is believed to be Zhulong’s burial place. The whole performance is composed of three phases, namely burning the Yu gate, burning the smoking stand, and fi re dragon dance. The troupe is composed of more than 100 people, including a fi re rope team, a gun team, a dragon lantern team, and the band. First of all, several dozens of young men would circle the perimeter three times barebacked, with a torch in hand, to perform the “golden dragon out of lair” ceremony. Then, a Yu gate from the legend of “Yu curbing the flood” would be burned. “Carp jumping over the dragon gate” fireworks would spurt out of the huge gate frame immediately. After that, a layered smoking stand, which is over 10 meters tall, would be burned, and it would present such firework styles as “messing with the heavenly palace”, “centipede spitting out a pearl”, and “chrysanthemum pageant”. At last, more than 20 barebacked strong men would debut with the fire dragon. They would play the dragon and circle the perimeter following the enticement of a ball. Besides the dragon’s body, there would be flying fire ropes and various kinds of lanterns, such as gold carps, lobsters, and turtles. Following that, an elderly and respected village fellow would “light up the dragon”. Within no time, threads of gold pearls would be shot out of the dragon’s mouth, and colorful fireworks would go off along its body. The fire dragon winds and tosses its movements simple, old-fashioned, yet elegant, vigorous and firm. At this moment, people’s shouts, fire rockets and shooting stars would go off all round, rifles, guns, firecrackers, drums and music resonate at the same time, forming a spectacular scene with strong lights, sounds, and people’s enthusiasm. The performance reaches its climax.(https://www.daowen.com)
Puzhai Fire Dragon Dance is a main performing form of the local customs for the lunar Lantern Festival, and is deeply loved by the local people. Over 260 years, it has been transmitted generation after generation and never stopped. Puzhai township also gained its fame both at home and abroad because of the Fire Dragon Dance. It has been named “Homeland for Guangdong Province Ethnic and Folk Art” by the provincial Department of Culture, and “Homeland for the Folk Art in China” by the Ministry of Culture.
Puzhai Fire Dragon Dance is a product of folklore and folk custom. It is also a unique creation from China’s ancient firework techniques and even older dragon dance, an expression of common people’s ideas about livelihood and right and wrong. It bears great value in studying the evolution and development of dragon dance and dragon culture in the Hakka area of Guangdong Province. However, because it is located in a less-developed area, Puzhai Fire Dragon Dance suffers from severe restriction on its protection and transmission. Immediate measures are urgently needed to be taken to protect it.
Puzhai Fire Dragon Dance was also enlisted into the second batch of state-level intangible cultural heritage in 2008.
