*Dragon-Boat Ballad Performance

62.*Dragon-Boat Ballad Performance

Nominating Unit: Shunde District, City of Foshan

Also known as singing the dragon boat or simply dragon boat among the people, Dragon-Boat Ballad Performance is a folk art prevalent in the Pearl River Delta of Guangdong Province. It is believed to make appearance in Emperor Qianlong’s period in the Qing Dynasty, created by a buckeen whose ancestral home is Longjiang of Shunde. The performance of Dragon-Boat Ballad Performance is given by one or two people who sing by beating drums and gongs. The tone of their singing is short but in high spirits and humorous. It is also very simple and fluent. The content of their singing varies from fairy tales, folktales to news. Almost everything can be included in the singing. However, as the teller is illiterate and the singing is taught orally, there are only a few singings remaining.

Historically the Dragon-Boat Ballad Performance was performed by the actors on streets or in the alleys. On significant Chinese festivals or other joyous occasions they are very often to be seen giving performance. There are lots of folk customs included in Dragon-Boat Ballad Performance. Under the influence of it, even the Cantonese play has absorbed its music for voices and named the tunes as Dragon Boat Song or Dragon Boat.(https://www.daowen.com)

Now the value orientation of young generation has changed, thus the Dragon-Boat Ballad Performance is facing the danger of losing successors. Even in Shunde, there are only four to five people who can perform the musical telling. Worse still, no young people are found to learn the folk art willingly. It is in urgent need to take measures to insure the inheritance of Dragon-Boat Ballad Performance.

Dragon-Boat Ballad Performance was selected into the list of the first batch of state-level intangible cultural heritage in 2006.