Shenzhen Kylin Dance

Shenzhen Kylin Dance

Nominating Unit: City of Shenzhen

According to local records, the origin of Shenzhen Kylin Dance can be traced back to the Xin You period during the reign of Emperor Xianfeng in the Qing Dynasty. It has a history of over 140 years till now. The Hakka in nearly 20 townships, namely Buji, Longhua, Guanlan, etc., of Xin’an County (later known as Bao’an County), which later became a part of the City of Shenzhen, highly honored martial arts and loved kylin dance back then.

The dancers of Shenzhen Kylin Dance must be young people who are martial art literate, because the dancing movements are in the same vein as those from martial arts, and also include such difficult movements as prostrating, lying, bending, rising, jumping, etc. The performing routine of Shenzhen Kylin Dance includes coming out of its lair, scratching head, licking foot, playing tail, finding the green, picking up the green, green drunk, foot shoveling, foot worshiping, and touring the garden, etc. The kylins sometimes rise up in the sky, sometimes squat forward, under the strong rhythms of gongs, drums, and small cymbals, as well as sona playing and the bursting out of fi recrackers. The different emotions and expressions, such as joy, anger, sadness, content, surprise, suspicion, drunk, and sleep are rendered by the dance.(https://www.daowen.com)

When playing “swinging the water”, namely the swinging of kylin’s body and tail, the man who plays the kylin head would hold down tight the whole heavy head with his teeth on the jaw part. He would then grab the kylin clock on his back with both hands and stand on one foot. This awesome gesture represents the highest level of skills of Shenzhen Kylin Dance.

Traditionally, Shenzhen Kylin Dance is performed during Spring Festival or other merry occasions for the locals. It normally consists of two parts, with the dancing taking the lead, followed by martial art performance, such as fists, staff, sword, fork, double-bladed sword, etc. This proves the strong connection between kylin dance and traditional martial arts. Shenzhen Kylin Dance reflects the local Hakka people’s wish for good luck, good fortune, auspices, and safety, and is an important way to carry their spiritual beliefs. It bears certain historical value in studying the social psychologies and folk dancing in Hakka regions.

At present, as many skilled teachers and masters have passed away, the most difficult moves have lost their heritage. The sophisticated craftsmanship of building the kylin head is also faced with the danger of extinction. Urgent rescue measures from authorities are called for.