Chinese people love excitement, and Chinese New Year and other traditional festivals are times of special celebration and joy. Singing and dancing are everywhere. In spite of the heavy influence of western culture on Taiwan, the various customs and activities accompanying traditional fests and celebrations are still observed with enthusiasm. Many of these folk customs and performances are incorporated into the festival celebrations and competitions held on Chinese New Year and other festivals, and have been passed down from generation to generation. The most common of these are perhaps the dragon dance and lion dance. Children growing up in Taiwan, even ones who have not yet taken their first steps, have all seen one of these performances from their fathers' shoulders or on TV at home.
The Chinese revere the dragon; the dragon symbolizes power, dignity, and auspiciousness. The dragon dance was already a popular activity by Sung dynasty (960-1279 A.D.), and has continued to be so up to the present. The dragon mask and body used for the dance may be gold, green, variegated, or firey red. The dance may be performed in the daytime or at night. If performed at night, it is usually preceded by someone carrying a blazing torch to illuminate the procession. The length of the dragon varies from nine to 24 sections long, each section measuring from about five to six and a half feet. One dragon dance troupe forms a gigantic dragon measuring about 393 feet long, and carries a dragon head and body weighing over 220 pounds. The dragon's body is scintillating gold, and is carried by over 100 energetic and sturdy troupe members.
The lion dance also has a long history among the people. Because fewer participants are required, and because the lion head and body are easier to make, and since only a small dance area is required, performance of the lion dance can be seen just about anywhere you look on Chinese New Year and at other festival activities. The lion is usually controlled by two people: one to manipulate the head, and one for the tail portion. Sometimes a third person, carrying a silk flower ball, or wearing a mask of the laughing Buddha and holding a banana leaf fan, leads and teases the lion into action, adding to the gay and festive atmosphere.
There are innumerable other kinds of festive folk performances, such as "riding in a boat on land," walking on stilts, "carrying a youth piggyback," the clam spirit dance, and so forth. The boat used in the "riding in a boat on land" performance is usually made of woven bamboo branches covered with colorful cloth or paper. The boat has no bottom, and one man, who is dressed as a young female passenger, carries the boat, and another plays the part of the rower. The poling and rowing motions, and interactions between the two characters make for a hilarious and entertaining stage show.
Two wooden poles with footstops are used in stiltwalking. The stilt walker "dances" to various tunes or opera songs. Stiltwalking is not just a folk art and local musical art form, it is great outdoor fun.
In "carrying a youth piggyback," a young woman straps a head-to-waist wooden mannequin of an old person to the front of her body, giving the appearance that an old person is carrying her piggyback. This portrayal of two persons by one is performed as a burlesque pantomime.
In the clam spirit dance, a young woman puts on a clam shell woven out of bamboo strips. In one sketch, the clam spirit opens and closes her shell in response to a fisherman casting and pulling in his net, but who each time gets nothing in return for his efforts. In another, a snipe tries to peck out the clam's tasty flesh for a meal, but instead gets his beak stuck in the clamshell. This performance inevitably draws side-splitting laughter and roaring applause from the audience.
Popular Chinese folk games that go back thousands of years, such as playing diabolo, kicking a shuttlecock, jumping rope, and spinning tops, challenge and delight youngsters even today. "Diabolo" is a barbell-shaped hollow toy that is manipulated on a string tied to two sticks, which are held in the hands. The diabolo spins as it is worked from side to side, and it can be flung into the air and retrieved again while still spinning. When the diabolo is spun fast enough, it emits a humming sound. Producing and maintaining the spinning and humming give the player a pleasurable and satisfying "rush" of excitement. The beginner first learns to produce the humming while spinning, then slowly advances to the highly elaborate and varied tricks that can be done. Practicing manipulation of the diabolo teaches physical and spiritual discipline, and can help temper one's personality. Diabolo is a game that can be enjoyed by beginners to advanced players, from a very young to a very old age. Its adaptability and broad appeal have made it extremely popular over the millennia, up to the present day.
Shuttlecock kicking is another popular folk game that is unique to China. It is fun to do, and provides vigorous physical exercise. Only a very small area is needed to kick a shuttlecock, so it can be practiced just about anywhere and anytime. There are endless variations to the styles and methods of kicking, some of which include kicking the shuttlecock back and forth between two people. Those who advance to a high level of mastery can perform some truly impressive feasts. The challenge of the increasingly difficult levels of shuttlecock kicking has made it a popular and timeless game among Chinese children.
Jumping rope provides abundant exercise for all parts of the body. You can jump alone, in pairs, or with several people together. There are all kinds of elaborate variations to jumping rope, but they share the same requirements of concentration and coordination between the participants. Jumping rope is a popular children's activity at outdoor gatherings.
 Children climbed up on their father's shoulders to get a good look at the festivities. |
With encouragement and support from the government, games, stage shows, and customs such as these have been brought into the twentieth century in Taiwan today. Detailed information on their history, development, materials, technique, performance, and so forth, is widely available in cultural centers, bookstores, and craft shops around the island in the form of home videos and books. Elementary school students often get to try their hand at making some of the equipment used in these various folk arts themselves, under the guidance of an experienced teacher. In this way, these ancient cultural treasures are kept vital and new, and a part of contemporary life, so that they may continue to enrich the lives of China's people for generations to come.
Editor: Li Guixiang.
