Huangge Kylin Dance

Huangge Kylin Dance

Nominating Unit: City of Guangzhou

Even today, the ancient legend that kylin rocks and kylin hillocks still can be found around the locality is still alive among the locals of Huangge Township, Panyu District of City of Guangzhou. In the same vein, Huangge Kylin Dance is claimed to have a history of more than 200 years. It used to prevail in the early years of the Republic of China.

Huangge Kylin Dance is carried out with one dancer playing the head and one playing the tail. The basic sequence consists of the depiction of kylin coming out of its lair, picking up the green, touring the garden and returning its lair, among which picking up the green is the main story, which further includes coming out of its lair, rotating the head, playing the tail, finding the green, kicking the green, eating the green, green drunk, spitting out the green, beating sand, spitting jade book, touring the garden, returning its lair, etc. Among all these movements, special care is given to rotating the head and playing the tail. One thing special about Huangge Kylin Dance is the grand scene of eight kylins dancing together, with two big ones taking the lead, and six smaller ones performing group dance. The big ones and small ones collaborate and echo each other’s movements, forming an overwhelming scene. Another specialty is that the long staff techniques from the south are added to the performance of “picking up the green”. One dance solicitor would hold a long staff in one of his hands with the“green” tied up on one end, and show the Long Staff routine proudly. At the same time, he would go into the kylin herd and separate it from time to time, making it writhe up and down, yet in an orderly fashion, bringing the naive, playful, rough and martial natures of the kylin into full play.(https://www.daowen.com)

Guangge Kylin Dance is very peculiar in terms of the effects of accompanying music. Besides traditional gongs, drums, and cymbals, line drums, Guangdong Province Giant Flute (sona), and eightkey gongs and drums are also included. The famous rhythm from Cantonese Music, De Sheng Ling, is often played, which makes the rhythm bouncing and powerful, its melody joyous and vigorous, full of local flavors.

Huangge Kylin Dance is often performed on occasions such as traditional festivals, birthday celebrations of gods, and wedding ceremonies. It symbolizes the wish and prays of locals for good luck, good fortune, good harvests and the well-being of the country and its people. It possesses both strong artistic value and deep allegoric meanings. It is very valuable in studying the local beliefs in Southern China’s customs and traditional dances.

Due to historical reasons, there were two long periods of discontinuity for Huangge Kylin Dance, and the heritage of its performing techniques endured severe damage. Many old dancers are in old ages now and unable to teach the younger generation the traditional dancing techniques in full. Without timely rescue and protection, there will be a danger of breakdown in heritage.