Nanjing Baiju

Folk arts. It began in the Ming Dynasty when brocade weavers sang folk songs, minor tunes, and folk songs in Nanjing dialect for their own entertainment, and gradually developed into a folk art genre. Because the singers do not get paid, they "sing a round in vain", hence the name "White Round". The main tunes commonly used in Nanjing Baiju include: "Man Jiang Hong", "Silver New Silk", "Chuan Xin Tune", "Shu Ban", "Dressing Table", "Jianjian Hua", "Xiahe Tune", "Hanyang Tune" etc., forming a concatenated body of Qupai. There are nearly a hundred tracks, and the content mainly reflects real life. For example, "Hardness in the Computer Room" is a brocade worker's complaint about his own suffering, while "Stealing Official Rice" and "Beating Members" reflect the two trends of stealing official rice and beating members of Congress that occurred in Nanjing in the 24th year of Guangxu and the 8th year of the Republic of China. After the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, "Nanjing Baiju" declined along with the brocade industry. After 1949, professional theater troupes were established, but now there are only a few amateur singers.

Nanjing vernacular

Folk folk art. Crosstalk is spoken in Nanjing dialect, so it is also called "Nanjing Crosstalk". Popular in Nanjing and its adjacent areas, it is said to have started in the 1930s. At first it was just a simple imitation of cross talk, and later it gradually developed. Cross talk uses the third person, while Nanjing vernacular uses the first person. The actor becomes the person in the play, so acting is more important than speaking. Representative tracks include "Old Acquaintance", "Your Satisfaction Guaranteed", "Favor Debt", "Temple Style", "New Business Trend", etc. Nowadays, "Nanjing vernacular" programs are often published and broadcast in newspapers, radio stations, and television stations, and are very popular among readers, listeners, and viewers.

Nanjing Pinghua

Folk folk art. Nanjing has a long recorded history of commentaries. Liu Jingting, a famous commentary artist in the late Ming Dynasty, lived in Nanjing for a long time. "Nanjing Pinghua" is also known as "Commentary Commentary". According to legend, "Shuo Shan Shu" began in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties. It was at its peak in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China. It was popular in Nanjing and its adjacent areas, and even flowed into Nanjing. "Nanjing Pinghua" mainly focuses on long historical lectures. The main repertoires include "Three Kingdoms", "Sui and Tang Dynasty", "Water Margin", "The Story of Yue Fei", etc. It pays equal attention to "narration" and "performance", and often intersperses many local customs and customs of Nanjing in the book. , historical anecdotes, scenic spots and historic sites, rich in local color. Nanjing Pinghua has declined in recent years, but there are still professional actors who continue to perform.

Flower Drum

Folk songs and dances. Popular in Nanjing and Yangzhou areas. According to legend, it began in the Ming Dynasty and reached its peak in the late Qing Dynasty. It is named because the dancers hold flower-scented drums. It is also called "Dancing Empress" because it is worshiped and prayed to the empress for children and blessings. Also, because the main action is named after the movement of the phoenix bird, it is also called "Phoenix Dance". The dance is accompanied by percussion instruments such as gongs, drums, cymbals, and cymbals, and is accompanied by "drum lyrics". The main actions include "phoenix worshiping", "phoenix nodding", "red phoenix rising to the sun", "phoenix spreading its wings", "phoenix shaking its hair", "flying phoenix coiling dragon", etc. After 1949, the Huaxianggu was processed and adapted, becoming a folk dance loved by the audience, and was absorbed into the famous national dance dramas "Little Knife Club" and "Leifeng Pagoda". The tune of "drum lyrics" sung became the tune of Yang Opera.

Dance Dangdang

Folk dance. Also known as "Dragon and Phoenix Shenghui". Popular in Lishui County, Nanjing, it is said to have started in the Ming Dynasty. In the past, it was performed from the first to the sixteenth day of the first lunar month of each year. The dance movements basically maintain a half-crouched "horse stance" with the legs, the upper body leans slightly forward, the arms are always straight, the movements are stretched, the strides are large, there is stillness and movement, and the charm of Chinese martial arts is obviously retained. The main actions include "three stars meeting", "crossing the dam", "birds paying homage to the phoenix", "phoenix nodding three times", "rhinoceros looking at the moon", "withered tree roots", "boy worshiping Guanyin", etc. The entire performance lineup is arranged in a Bagua shape, with the accompaniment of beating gongs and drums, and no singing, which resembles a martial arts scene where gongs and drums are used to support the performance.

Jie Biao

Sacrificial dance, also known as "Tiao Biao". It is spread in Liuhe County, Nanjing and its adjacent areas. This dance is part of the Incense God Meeting and is a solo dance. Wang Lingguan, played by Xianghuo Tongzi, delivers the official document to the gods. The dancers hold flower drums and dance while singing and beating the drums. The dance steps are very dynamic and keep beating from beginning to end. The steps are flexible, vigorous and elastic. The movements of hands and feet in dance require linear motion, and the movements are simple and vigorous, clean and neat, flexible and smooth. Every time a movement is completed, there is an obvious brief appearance, which highlights the unique temperament of this dance.

Sparrow Jumping (Fangshan Dagu)

Folk dance. Because the main action is to simulate the jumping of a sparrow, it is called sparrow jumping. And because it became popular in Fangshan Township, Jiangning County, Nanjing City, it is also called Fangshan Dagu. According to legend, it was brought by immigrants from Henan in the late Ming Dynasty. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom period was the heyday of the development of "sparrow jumping". The "Celestial Land Acre System" allowed farmers to own land and dance "Sparrow Jump" after the autumn harvest every year to celebrate the harvest. The formations used in the dance are also similar to some formations used by the Taiping Army in battle. Gongs and drums are both props and accompaniment instruments in dance. The basic movements and drumbeats of this dance include "seven five three", spreading wings, pecking rice, shining wings, and hugging a nest. When dancing, always keep your knees close to the drum into a half-squat, imitating the jumping of a sparrow, flexing and extending the knees to drive the body up and down, and jumping up and down, left, and right, front and back around the drum. The whole dance has a distinct rhythm, vivid movements, heroic and vigorous movements, lively and enthusiastic. In recent years, "Sparrow Jump" is often performed in large-scale celebrations and is deeply loved by the masses.

Gao Chunyang Opera Opera

It is an ancient type of opera.

Centered in Gaochun County, Nanjing City, it spreads to Lishui, Liyang, Yixing, Jiangning, Jurong in Jiangsu and Langxi, Guangde, Xuancheng, Dangtu and other places in Anhui. Mulian Opera, known as "Drama Girl", can be found all over the country. According to legend, Mulian Opera in Gao Chunyang style began in the Yuan Dynasty. It is a unique type of opera that only performs Mulian Opera. This ancient opera with a history of more than 600 years has never had professional actors or professional troupes. All actors and musicians are temporary farmers and workers. Gao Chunyang's Mulian opera repertoire, including "Taicheng", "Nine Worlds Pictures", and "Mu Lian", all perform Mulian's stories.

Hongshan Opera

Local Opera. It originated in Liuhe County, Nanjing City, and spread to Yizheng, Jiangning, and Jurong in Jiangsu and Tianchang, Lai'an, and Xuyi in Anhui. Also known as Incense Opera and Children's Opera, it evolved from the Hongshan Incense God Association. Formed at the end of the 19th century, there were professional theater troupes at the beginning of the 20th century. The tunes of Hongshan Opera are composed of basic tunes (seven-character tunes, cross tunes), divine songs, couplets and miscellaneous tunes. Most of them are rap tunes with one word and one tune. The singing style is a solo song without orchestral accompaniment, with gongs and drums to beat the beats, and occasionally a chorus singing, which belongs to the banqiang style. The performance of Hongshan Opera is rough, simple, lively, humorous, and has a distinctive and strong local style.

Diabolo

Also known as "diabolo", "diabolo", "diabolo" and "diabolo", it is a traditional folk toy. It evolved from the spinning top and specifically refers to the diabolo toy that shakes and buzzes in the air.

The shape of the diabolo spinning in the air can be divided into two types: single axis and double axis. The inside of the shaft is hollow, and there are four or five on each shaft. The wood pieces in the holes are used as flutes to facilitate sound production. There is a cylindrical handle connected to the shaft, and the middle section of the handle is slightly thinner. The method of playing is to hang the diabolo on the strings at the top of two small sticks. The player holds a stick in each hand and pulls it back and forth to create a rotation and make a "buzzing" sound as the speed increases. When it reaches a certain speed, players can also throw it into the air, perform various tricks, and then catch it. His tricks include "kites turning over", "flying swallows into the clouds", "ringing pigeon bells", "climbing the cross", "throwing high", "Zhang Fei cheating the horse", "monkey climbing the pole", etc. Among them, in the "high throwing" technique, some people can throw the diabolo tens of feet into the air, and then use the shaking thread to catch it after it falls. It is so accurate that it is a masterpiece.

During the Spring Festival, diabolo can be seen for sale in Confucius Temple. In Nanjing’s civic squares such as the Ming Palace Museum Ruins Park and the Confucius Temple, there are often middle-aged and elderly people doing fitness exercises while playing diabolo and competing in skills.

Tiao Wu Ram

It originated in the Yin and Shang Dynasties more than 3,000 years ago. "Five Rams" are evil gods who often do bad things in the human world, such as stealing, robbing, setting fires, and molesting women; but they also like to play pranks. They will steal things from the Zhang family and put them in the Li family. If they watch someone If you like it, give him everything. The common people are both afraid and respectful of the "Five Rams", so they sacrifice them to please them and bring blessings to themselves. Another theory is that after Zhu Yuanzhang, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, seized power and established the Ming Dynasty in Nanjing, he bestowed honors on meritorious ministers, but forgot about the officials and civilians who died in the war. The "ghosts" of these war dead complained to him and asked for credit. So Zhu Yuanzhang came up with the idea of ??summarizing the ghosts of the East, South, West, North and Middle Roads as "Five Rampant", and let the people hold activities to commemorate them. Gaochun's "Five Ramps" dance has a set routine: villagers in ancient costumes carry baskets, carry flags, beat gongs, or drums, creating a lively and joyful scene, and then the main characters appear one by one. First, five strong men holding five-color canopies and wearing five-color costumes entered the scene; then four men in colorful clothes and masks dressed as Taoist priests, land lords, monks, and judges entered; followed by five people wearing armor and wearing shoulder straps. Jin Ling and the majestic "Five Rams" holding two swords entered the stage. These performers are dressed in red, blue, yellow, black, and white clothes (which represent the five directions of heaven and earth, and coincide with the colors of the five elements of wood, fire, gold, water, and earth), wear five-color masks, and hold five-color utensils. Amidst the sound of gongs and drums, people walk, dance, lie down, or jump, doing strange and weird dance movements, giving people an ancient and magical feeling. This event is still held in Hanqiao Village, Dingbu Town, Gaochun.

Flying Boring Performance

Flying Boring Performance is a folk sports activity and one of the folk martial arts events. Nanjing area, mainly in Liuhe County, has a broad mass base.

Flying boring machine, originally an ancient weapon, is one of the long weapon weapons in Chinese martial arts. It looks like a three-pronged fork. The front is a double-sided sharp blade, shaped like the tip of a sword, about eight or nine inches long. There are teeth on the left and right, which are curved upward. The fork head is embedded in the handle, and the handle is six or seven feet long. There is a triangular iron drill called "Zun" on the end of the handle, which is used to stab the frame. Because it is long and heavy, it is the heavy weapon among long weapons. Now it has evolved into a performance equipment for people to keep fit and entertain their body and mind.

The folk art of flying boring has been well promoted in Liuhe. Not only male team members, but also female team members, and some elderly people in their sixties also participated in the flying boring performance.

During the Spring Festival, Lantern Festival and other festive days, Nanjing has dragon lantern dance entertainment activities. Dragon lantern dancing, also called dragon lantern dancing, is a kind of folk dance. It has a long history and various forms.

Dragon lantern dance

The folk custom of dragon lantern dance originated from ancient people's worship of dragons. The ancients regarded the dragon as a divine creature that could bring wind and rain, bring good fortune and eliminate disasters. The dragon lantern dance was to pray for the blessing of the dragon.

Dragon dances are generally made of grass, wood, bamboo, cloth, and paper, with varying numbers of sections, mostly odd numbers, for good luck. In addition to the difference in color, there are also "hundred-page dragons" made of lotus and butterflies; "bench dragons" made of wooden benches; "grass dragons" made of straw; and "cloth dragons" made of cloth paste. The one with candles burning inside the dragon's body is called "dragon lantern", and the one with incense inserted inside is called "fire dragon" or "incense dragon".

Among the dragon lanterns in Nanjing, the most unique ones in terms of shape and performance style are the dragon lanterns in Lishui County and the Qixia Dragon Dance.

Playing with stone poles and stone locks

The stone pole is made of bluestone chiseled into two circles (mill-shaped), with a round hole in the center, and mounted on both ends of the bamboo pole. The distance between two round stones is generally between 1.6 meters and 2 meters. The practitioner holds the bar with one or both hands, grabs the stone pole and places it on the soles of his feet, sometimes turning it slowly, sometimes lowering it and raising it up. There are many names for the movements of playing stone burden: top flower, push press, cross flower, one-arm lift, fairy back fiber, wind swing lotus leaf, etc. The weight of stone burdens varies, generally between 80 kilograms and more than 200 kilograms. The stone lock is also a rectangular stone carved from bluestone, with a round handle chiseled on the long side, resembling the shape of an old lock. The general weight of stone locks is thirty or forty kilograms. When playing, you can grab it with one hand and perform various actions. Its movement patterns include: single dragon, double dragon, tower, parallel lock, inverted lock, elbow frame, back fiber, outward facing moon, etc. There are also two-person sparring and four-person sparring in Shidan Shisuo.

It is said that the stone-dancing and stone-locking activities in Nanjing began in the Ming Dynasty, when famous folk martial arts celebrities from Shandong and Henan came to Jiangpu County to perform their skills and recruit disciples. Nowadays, it is being vigorously promoted as part of rural mass sports activities.