It was in the early Zhou Dynasty in the pre-Qin period, a famous saint Zhou Gongdan in history. He was the second son of Zhou Wenwang and the younger brother of Zhou Wuwang. Zhou Gongdan was very benevolent, and he was well-known in Kyushu at that time, and the people were very convinced of him.

Later, Zhou Wuwang died, and the newly inherited Zhou Chengwang was still in its infancy, so it was impossible to run the country. Zhou Gongdan was worried that there would be disaster if there was no one to manage the world, so he ascended the throne of heaven instead of Zhou Chengwang.

Later, some people spread rumors all over the country, saying, "Zhou Gongdan is going to be bad for Zhou Chengwang, and he wants to be the son of heaven himself!"

When Zhou Gongdan learned about it, he called together officials and people. He said, "The reason why I didn't shy away from acting as a court official was because my brother died young and my nephew was young. I was worried that there would be war in the world, so I would not be able to repay my brother and father."

So he gained the trust of officials and people, and people ignored those rumors. Zhou Gongdan continued to take the place of Zhou Chengwang in power and helped him manage the world.

Not long after, Zhou Chengwang became seriously ill, and his condition got worse and worse, and he was dying soon. Zhou Gongdan was very anxious when he knew this, so he cut off his nails and sank into the Yellow River, leading hundreds of officials to sing and dance.

Zhou Gongdan prayed to the river god and said, "My nephew is too young to be sensible. I, Zhou Gongdan, am the one who violated God's orders! Please ask God to punish me, and don't hurt my little nephew! " Zhou Gongdan sealed the prayer book, and he led the officials to sing and dance to entertain the gods. Sure enough, Zhou Chengwang's illness soon recovered.

Later, when Zhou Chengwang grew up, Zhou Gongdan returned the political power to Zhou Chengwang. Since then, he has served Zhou Chengwang rigorously and advised him. Later, someone falsely accused Zhou Gongdan in front of Zhou Chengwang, and Zhou Gongdan fled to Chu to take refuge.

A few days later, Zhou Chengwang heard that when he was young, Zhou Gongdan created music and dances to entertain the gods and prayed for his recovery from his serious illness. He also saw Zhou Gongdan's book of praying for the river gods. Zhou Chengwang asked the historian, "Why don't I know this?"

The historians replied, "This is absolutely true. We kept this secret only when Zhou Gongdan ordered us not to tell!"

Only then did Zhou Chengwang know the loyalty of the Duke of Zhou, and he was moved to tears. He cried, "From now on, there will be no more such pious dancing and divination! This is all my fault! "

Zhou Chengwang knew that he had misunderstood Zhou Gongdan, so he immediately sent someone to Chu to invite Zhou Gongdan back. Later, Zhou Chengwang ordered 1 officials to evolve the ritual dance created by Zhou Gongdan into a kind of etiquette, which gradually formed the ritual culture of our country. In addition, this ritual dance has been passed down from generation to generation, which has a great influence on the later dance development in China.

In fact, the downfall of Shang Zhouwang Dynasty originated from a vicious circle of cause and effect. The Western Zhou Dynasty is a dynasty that occupies a very important position in the history of our country.

The ancestors of Zhou people were originally Qishan tribes who lived and lived in the west of the river, so they were also called tribes from the west. Zhou Culture gradually flourished. After Zhou Wuwang cut out Shang Zhouwang, he linked the eastern and western parts of the Yellow River more closely, and under the promotion of various conditions, the Zhou Dynasty was unprecedentedly strong in ancient history.

Six Dynasties Dance is said to be a dance made by Zhou Gongdan according to Zhou's original system and referring to Yin Li. Through a series of important measures, Zhou Gongdan organized the sacrificial music and dance of ancient clans on a large scale, which not only established the authority of the Zhou Dynasty, but also expressed his reverence for his ancestors.

Zhou Gongdan advocated system of rites and music, and made it a top priority. The so-called "ritual", that is, the formulation of various laws and regulations, involves almost all aspects of social life, such as worship of gods, politics, economy, military affairs, criminal law, people's manners and manners, from behavior rules to ancestor worship, from weddings and funerals to everyday language, and "ritual" as a kind of "rule" was ubiquitous in the Zhou Dynasty in China.

specifically, "rites" are mainly divided into five categories. The first is "Ji Li", which is the etiquette of Zhou dynasty to sacrifice and worship the ghosts and gods of the country; The second is the "fierce ceremony", which is the etiquette of mourning and funeral in the Zhou Dynasty. The third is the "guest ceremony", which is about the etiquette of the DPRK's recruitment alliance; The fourth is "military salute", which is the etiquette of the Zhou Dynasty about inspiring people; The fifth is "Jia Li", which is a kind of etiquette used for marriage banquets in the Zhou Dynasty.

The so-called "having fun" mainly means that whenever etiquette is used, "music and dance" should be used to match these etiquette rules. The "music" mentioned by the people in the Western Zhou Dynasty is actually a general term for music and dance, especially those different music and dance movements used in coordination with different etiquette. Therefore, the etiquette of the Western Zhou Dynasty is used to distinguish between nobility and inferiority and to judge right and wrong.

Music and dance in the Western Zhou Dynasty are used to ease the ups and downs and integrate people's hearts. The system of rites and music in the Zhou Dynasty is a combination of political and artistic education, which emphasizes the mutual cooperation and support of rites and music in order to fully consolidate the rule and reconcile people's hearts.

Zhou Gongdan system of rites and music actually completed the first major arrangement of music and dance in history, and formed the Six Dynasties Dance, a sacrificial music and dance in the Zhou Dynasty. Six Dynasties Dance, also known as Six Music, Six Dances or Six Great Dances, is the six music dances used by emperors in the Zhou Dynasty to offer sacrifices.

According to the records in the ancient book Zhou Li Chun Guan Da Si Le,

The Six Dynasties Dance is Cloud Gate by Huangdi, Xianchi by Yaodi, Dashao by Shun Di, Daxia by Yudi, Daxie by Shang Tang and Dawu by Zhou Wuwang.

It is said that emperors who win the world by virtue of literature must sacrifice with "literary dance"; And those who win the world with martial arts can enjoy "martial arts dance" Therefore, the first four dances belong to "Wen Dance", while the last two dances belong to "Wu Dance".

Six Dynasties Dance is an important part of the ritual and music system in the Zhou Dynasty. It was regarded as a model of music and dance by feudal rulers in past dynasties, and actually integrated many cultural achievements.

In the Zhou Dynasty, people established a huge music and dance organization "Dasile". When people hold big festivals, Dasile usually leads aristocratic children to dance "Six Dynasties Dance", and different music and dances need to be played on different occasions. Each music and dance has a clear function, which is used to worship heaven and earth, mountains and rivers and ancestors.

According to the records in the ancient book Zhou Li:

When dancing Cloud Gate, Huang Zhong and Da Lu were played to worship the gods; When dancing "Xianchi", I played too many clusters and sang bells to sacrifice mountains and rivers; When dancing "Da Shao", Gu Xi was played and Nan Lu was sung to offer sacrifices to all around.

When dancing "Great Summer", guests and bells are played, offering sacrifices to mountains and rivers; When dancing "Da Yun", Yi Ze and Xiao Lu are played for enjoyment; When dancing "Dawu", you can enjoy your ancestors by playing without shooting and singing with bells.

The performers of these six dances are all children of the royal family and nobles, and the number of musicians and dancers is more strictly regulated, which reflects the hierarchical nature of Zhou rites. Among them, "Da Shao" and "Yunmen Dajuan" are the music that started with the Yellow Emperor's "Yunmen Dajuan" in the Western Zhou Dynasty, and were used to worship the gods.

People in the Zhou Dynasty listed Cloud Gate as one of the "Six Great Dances", which shows its importance. The Yellow Emperor is the same ancestor of all ethnic groups in the Central Plains, with both morality and martial arts.

Although it is said that the Yellow Emperor defeated Chiyou because of the Battle of the Wild in Hanquan, he was even more well-known. Therefore, Liu Xiang, the imperial uncle of the Western Han Dynasty, recorded in the book "Huai Nan Zi Lan Ming Xun" edited by him:

In the past, the Yellow Emperor ruled the world, … made the strong not hide the weak, and the public did not be violent and widowed, … hundred palaces were just and selfless, …… the road was not picked up, and the city did not care about Jia.

According to the legend, the Yellow Emperor is named Xiong, Xuanyuan and Jinyun, which is generally believed to be the result of combining the appellations of many clans in northern China.

It is said that the Yellow Emperor once trained six kinds of wild animals such as bear, raccoon, tiger, raccoon and so on to fight against Chiyou. According to expert research, these beasts are tribal totems. The Yellow Emperor unified the tribes and was widely respected. Later generations respected him as the ancestor god, which was also related to his great cause of "unification"

The Zhou Dynasty regarded "Cloud Gate Dajuan" as a dance offering sacrifices to the gods of "system of rites and music", which shows that after defeating Chiyou, the Yellow Emperor has become not only the unified king in folklore, but also the representative of the gods in the Zhou Dynasty, which has profound significance.

In addition, Dazhang Dance is a sacrificial music and dance in the Zhou Dynasty, and the object of sacrifice in Dazhang is the "earth gods", that is, the earth gods.

Dazhang was originally a music and dance in the Tang Yao era. According to legend, its content was originally for offering sacrifices to God, and it was created by Yao's courtiers. Later, Lv Buwei, the state of Qin, recorded in Lu's Spring and Autumn Period, Midsummer Period and Ancient Music edited by him:

Emperor Yao's standing is life and quality for pleasure. The quality is that the sound of mountains and valleys is sung, but it is drummed with a slap, and it is like the sound of God's jade, so that all animals dance.

Gu Sou is a five-stringed instrument, which is regarded as a fifteen-stringed instrument. He was named "Da Zhang" as a sacrifice to God.

The Six Dynasties Dance of the Zhou Dynasty also called this music and dance Da Xian. According to the records in the ancient book "Zhou Li Chun Guan Zong Bo Xia Da Si Le", the music and dance "Xianchi" dedicated to Tang Yao was originally dedicated to the Yellow Emperor.

In Tang Yao's era, if there is any "addition", it will be renamed "Da Xian" on the basis of basically maintaining its original name. If there is no change in the "music style", the original name will be changed and called "Dazhang". According to this, it can be seen that the inclusion of "Dazhang" in "Six Dynasties Dance" in the Zhou Dynasty is more < P > to retain the face of music and dance in the Tang Yao era. Also, "Da Shao Dance" is a legendary music and dance in honor of Emperor Shun. Shun was a wise monarch in ancient times. According to the ancient book "Shun Dian of Shangshu", he once toured all directions, consulted the four mountains, and was good at selecting sages. Therefore, the Zhou Dynasty used this dance to worship the "Four Views", that is, the four directions, and some said that it refers to famous mountains and rivers, or the sun, the moon and the stars.

According to legend, Shun ordered Kui to educate aristocratic children with music and dance. Therefore, this is not only the virtue of Emperor Shun's literature, but also refined into the virtue of the golden mean by later generations. About Da Shao, music and dance also have the beauty of the golden mean.

There are many records about this in historical books. For example, when the ancient book Shangshu Yaodian recorded Shao, it used "eight tones to be harmonious, without competing with each other, and gods and men to be harmonious", which means that people use the coordination between instrumental music to achieve the function of communication and coordination between people and gods.

Luo Bi, a scholar in the Southern Song Dynasty, recorded in The History of the Road:

Those who were young were the last words of Shun, and they were gentle and harmonious.

Da Shao was established in the Zhou Dynasty, and passed down through the ages, and finally it became a masterpiece of "Wen Dance". In addition to enjoying the respect of the royal dynasty, it is also loved by the people.

Shaoshan in Xiangtan, Hunan Province, is said to have been played here by Shun Di in ancient times, which attracted the phoenix to fly and the unicorn to dance. The name Shaoshan also has certain origins with it.

There is a huge stone named Shaoshi near Shaoguan, Guangdong Province. It is said that this is the place where Shun Di once toured. Shun Di once performed Shao music here.

if you think of the situation that "Da Shao" is often held, it seems that the joy of "Da Shao" is related to stone musical instruments. Maybe stones are sacred "props" in music and dance performances.

"Da Shao" not only has grand sacrificial significance, but also gradually enriches in the long-term development, achieving a relatively organic unity of content and form, and has high artistic appreciation value.

According to the book Twenty-nine Years of Zuo Zhuan Xiang Gong written by Zuo Qiuming, a famous scholar in the Spring and Autumn Period,

Ji Zha, the son of the State of Wu, once traveled to Wei, Zheng and Xu. When I arrived in Lu, I naturally asked to watch the music and dance of the Zhou Dynasty. He highly praised Shao: Virtue is great! It's amazing that there is nothing in the sky, and nothing in the earth.

according to the Analects of Confucius, Confucius once "didn't know the taste of meat in March" after enjoying Shao music. Confucius praised this music and dance as perfect, which shows that people have a high opinion of it. Also, "Daxia" was originally a music and dance that people praised Xia Yu. Later, people in the Zhou Dynasty used "Daxia" to worship the mountains and rivers of Kyushu, probably because Yu was praised for controlling floods in ancient times. It is recorded in the ancient book Shang Shu Da Yu Mo that:

Yu Keqin was diligent in the country, Karen was at home, respected Yao Shun, and was enlightened outside.