*The Wuchuan Piaose Parade

*The Wuchuan Piaose Parade

Nominating Unit: Wuchuan Municipality, City of Zhanjiang

Wuchuan Piaose (Wuchuan Piaose Parade) originated in Shagang Village of Huangpo Town. It was created by Chen Quheng, a local artist born in the sixth year during the reign of Emperor Xianfeng in the Qing Dynasty. As a large-scale parade custom of the idolatrous procession held around the Lantern Festival, the course of Piaose Parade are now mainly performed in Huangpo Town and villages of the Meilu District like Wayao, Meilutou, Meiling, Getang and so on.

Wuchuan Piaose Parade has undergone a long process of evolution, from the original “spinning figures”, to “figures on the table”, and then to the contemporary “flying figures”. With its unique models and a variety of artistic forms, a model of the piaose figures actually resembles a moving stage. Usually the performers age between six and twelve. Most of the figures come from historical stories and fairy tales. Such as “The Tang Priest’s Journey for Scriptures”, “The Tale of the White Serpent”, “The Reign of Emperor Kangxi”, “Xu Jiujing Selling Wine”, “Zhuangyuan Lin Shaotang” and so on. In recent years, more educational modern subjects have been adopted, such as the “Olympic Athletes”, “the Red Detachment of Women”, “Acrobatics”, “The Legend of Mai Weiyi”, “The Patriotic General Zhang Yan” and so on. In the past, a model of the piaose figures comprised one “ping” and one “piao”. However, nowadays, there can be one “ping” for several “piaos”, one “ping” for a dozen of “piaos”, and even a couple of “pings” for a couple of “piaos”. A model of the piaose figures actually resembles a moving stage.(https://www.daowen.com)

There are five villages making Piaose in Wuchuan now, each with its own characteristics. Piaose made in Huangpo Town are more traditional and dedicated, while those made in Meilutou Village are more majestic and fanciful in style, more modern and scientific in techniques.

Each year there’re three performances of Wuchuan Piaose Parade in three different days. The procession usually starts at 11am and finishes after four hours’ tour around the town. The first performance is on lunar Jan.9th in Huangpo Town. The second performance is on lunar Jan. 16th in Meiling Village, Getang Village and Wayao Village. The last performance is on lunar Jan.17th in Meilutou Village. In the performance, a drums and dongs band with Wuchuan characteristics leads the parade, coming up with a“guard of honour” of performers with colorful flags and various traditional properties. For every ten models of the piaose figures, a drums and dongs band accompanies, forming a harmonic effect of sound, color and performance. The spectacular and exciting procession is very popular among people. In 2008, it was enlisted into the second batch of state-level intangible cultural heritage.

Wuchuan Piaose Parade is not only locally popular, but also admired by the surrounding areas, which has boosted the standard of Piaose craft and performance. Meilu Town, the cradle of Wuchuan Piaose Parade, has been named “Home of Folk Art in China” by the National Ministry of Culture.

However, with the development of the market economy, people have gradually changed their sense of value. Many young people would not spend so much time and energy learning the design and craft of Piaose, making it difficult to pass down and develop. Therefore, effective measures should be taken to support and protect the art of Wuchuan Piaose Parade.