Huangpu Kylin Dance

Huangpu Kylin Dance

Nominating Unit: Huangpu Town, City of Zhongshan

According to historical records, as early as the late Ming Dynasty and the early Qing Dynasty, kylin dances had already been introduced to Huangpu, Sanjiao, and Nanlang Townships which lie along the coast of City of Zhongshan. Later, under the influence of martial arts in the Pearl River Delta, such as Hong Fist, Cai Fist, Mo Leg, the kylin dance gained more popularity.

Huangpu Kylin Dance develops around the main story of picking up the green. It includes such dancing routines as green in mouth, spitting out the green, washing face, stretching body, swiping body, picking the green, saluting, acknowledging salute, kotowing, etc. Basic dancing steps include empty step, crane step, T step, bow step, kylin step, lifting, etc. to render different gestures of the kylin.

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Huangpu Kylin Dance bears strong characteristics of the water land. It is not only performed in the streets, but also at river crossings, wharfs, even on fishing boats and ships docked by the riverside. The music is mostly from Guangdong Province, and performed by the eight-key gong-anddrum band popular in the Pearl-River Delta. The most prominent feature is that it has two different sets of forms, techniques, and movements concerning picking up the green, namely “green on mast” and “green on ground”. “Green on Mast” refers to placing the “green” high up on a swinging mast of a fishing boat. The dancers must be well trained and brave, agile and skillful in order to be able to reach the green. It is regarded as the most difficult move in kylin dance. “Green on ground” consists of many forms, such as crab green, snake green, centipede green, seven-star accompanying the moon green, etc. The dancing steps are stretching, strong, and loud.

Huangpu Kylin Dance is a symbol of merriness, auspices, harmony and good fortune. It is not only performed on important festivals and occasions, such as the launching of a new boat, servicing of a new house, and opening of a new shop, a red poster that says “kylin here” is even posted on the door of every household and besides every wedding bed, to symbolize a safe sailing, harvest, and fertility of the wife. Therefore it bears certain spiritual and cultural values.

Huangpu Kylin Dance has always been transmitted generation after generation by local artists. Even today there are still some old artists who actively teach kylin dance. But with their aging and a lack of successors, without effective measures taken now, the uniqueness and skills of Huangpu Kylin Dance are losing its transmission.