What are the performance forms of Fushun Yangko?

Abstract: Fushun Yangge, also known as "Tatar Yangge", is a folk dance form with a long history and extremely rich national, folk and regional characteristics. Fushun Yangge is mainly popular in Fushun, northeastern Liaoning Province. Fushun City is the hometown of the Manchu people and the birthplace of the Qing Dynasty. After the Qing Dynasty unified the country, the Northeast region became relatively stable. Based on the original folk dances, the Manchu folk continued to absorb the folk dances of other ethnic groups, and gradually formed the Manchu Yangko that is unique in its performance form, roles, costumes, and dance movements. Let’s take a closer look at the performance form of Fushun Yangko! Fushun Yangge, also known as "Tatar Yangge", is a folk dance form with a long history and rich national, folk and regional characteristics. Fushun Yangge is mainly popular in Fushun, northeastern Liaoning Province. Fushun City is the hometown of the Manchu people and the birthplace of the Qing Dynasty. After the Qing Dynasty unified the country, the Northeast region became relatively stable. Based on the original folk dances, the Manchu folk continued to absorb the folk dances of other ethnic groups, and gradually formed the Manchu Yangko that is unique in its performance form, roles, costumes, and dance movements. It has a direct relationship with the folk dance of the Manchu ancestors. According to historical records, there was a dance called "Stepping Hammer" in the Tang Dynasty, and there was a song and dance called "Mang Style" in the Ming Dynasty. They had a certain influence on the formation of Yangko in Fushun. The most representative characters in Fushun Yangge are the "Tatar officials" dressed in flags and the "Kritu" (commonly known as "Outer Tatars") who only wear leather jackets, cross-body string bells and various living and hunting utensils. . Most of their performance movements are derived from the primitive production and life of the Manchus, such as prancing horses, archery, and fighting. Some of them imitate the movements of eagles, tigers, bears, etc., and many of them contain elements of traditional dance. The Yangko movements include squatting, stomping, crossing, swinging, and trembling. They are rich, vigorous and bold, and have distinct characteristics of the fishing and hunting life and the Eight Banners fighting life. The accompaniment music borrows the percussion form of the Manchu shaman's dance, including "Old Three Points", "Seven Sticks", "Quick Drum Points" and other playing methods, which are quite different from Han Yangge. Fushun Yangge has been popular in Fushun area since the Qing Dynasty and is deeply loved by the masses. According to a survey in 1986, there were 50 yangko troupes active at that time. However, currently there are only 4 yangko troupes with clear origins and lineage of inheritors.

1. Historical traceability

Fushun Manchu Yangge, also known as Fushun Manchu Yangge, is a Manchu folk dance spread in the counties and districts of Fushun. Fushun Yangge was formed in the early Qing Dynasty and has been passed down to this day. It has a direct relationship with the folk dance of the Manchu ancestors. According to historical records, there was a dance called "Tachui" in the Tang Dynasty, and a song and dance called "Mang Style" in the Ming Dynasty. They had a certain influence on the formation of Yangko in Fushun.

Since the rise of Nurhachi in Fushun in the late Ming Dynasty and the formation of the "Manchu" ethnic group, the Manchu people have inherited the folk dance "Mang style dance" passed down from the Jurchen period of their ancestors. In the early years of Kangxi, Yang Bin, a Han Chinese, lived in the Northeast for a period of time and wrote "Liubian Jilue". "Liu Bian Ji Lu" (Volume 3.15) records the dance movements and performance forms of the "Mang style dance" popular in "Liu Bian" (including Fushun area) at that time: "There is a big banquet in Manchuria, and the men and women of the host family must Dances alternately, with one sleeve raised on the forehead and one sleeve on the back, circling and making movements, which is called Mangshi. "After the Qing Dynasty unified the country, the Northeast region became more stable, and the Manchu folk continued to absorb the folk dances of other ethnic groups on the basis of the original folk dances. Dance gradually formed Manchu Yangko, which is unique in its performance form, roles, costumes and dance movements. Some historical materials, such as "Liubian Jilue" and "Fengtian Tongzhi", have detailed descriptions of Manchu Yangge.

The 1936 printed version of "Xingjing County Chronicle" (Xingjing County is now Xinbin Manchu Autonomous County, Fushun City) records: "On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, every family offers Lantern Festival, hanging lanterns and colorful decorations, and villagers make The play is called 'Taiping Song', which is said to drive away evil and epidemic diseases." The "Taiping Song" mentioned in "Xingjing County Chronicle" is not only the Yangge of Fushun Manchu people, but also the most direct record of the Yangge of Fushun Manchu people in modern local history. In the 1980s, an integrated survey of Manchu folk dances in Fushun found that Fushun Manchu Yangko has a long heritage. Zhou Rongjia (late), an old Manchu yangko artist from Xinbin Manchu Autonomous County, was born in 1926. When he was 14 years old, he learned Manchu yangko from his master. He and the old artist Yang Chuanfang (late) once recalled: "We know that the old Tatar Yangge has a history of more than 200 years. It is mainly because the old Han King Nurhachi ascended the throne in Xinbinhetuala and proclaimed himself Khan, established the Eight Banners, and the soldiers and civilians When we win a battle or celebrate a festival, we drink rice wine, sing and dance, and gradually it turns into Yangko. When the drums sound, the Tatar officials will lead them to sing. This is also a kind of music with the people. style, so we say: 'Tatar Yangge' is Manchu Yangge."

In 1986, at the Fushun City Data Book Review Meeting for Chinese Ethnic Folk Dances, Yangge experts from Liaoning Province expressed their opinions on this kind of dance. The folk dance has been scientifically analyzed and identified, and it is believed that the Yangko costumes in the Fushun area wear the Eight Banners flag, and perform the "Qian'er ceremony" and "waist hug ceremony" during the performance, which are distinctive Manchu characteristics; the unique rhythm in the movements - Yang, squatting, stamping, panning, swinging and trembling have strong characteristics of the Manchu people's fishing and hunting life and social activities, and can be regarded as the representative folk dance of the Manchu people in Fushun area. In view of the policy of respecting ethnic minorities, it was not called "Tatar Yangko" and was officially named "Manchu Yangko". From the above historical data, it can be seen that the formation and development of Yangko in Fushun Manchu has a long history.

2. Types

Fushun Manchu Yangge is mainly divided into two types. One originates from Hebei and is related to the local Yangge introduced by immigrants from the interior; the other originates from the Manchu tradition. Folk dances evolved and merged to form Manchu Yangge, also known as "Taiping Yangge" and commonly known as "Tatar Yangge". Fushun Yangge was formed in the early Qing Dynasty and has been passed down to this day. According to expert research, the characters and their costumes in Manchu Yangge not only reflect the Manchu lifestyle, but also reflect the Eight Banners system and the unity of soldiers and civilians in art.

3. Artistic Characteristics

There were two varieties of Manchu Yangge in Fushun. One was originated from Hebei and was introduced to Fushun by immigrants from the customs; Manchu Yangge is the evolution and integration of traditional Manchu folk dances. Fushun Yangge refers to "Fushun Manchu Yangge", also known as "Taping Yangge" and commonly known as "Tatar Yangge".

The most representative characters in Fushun Yangge are the "Tatar official" dressed in flags and the "Kritu" who only wears a leather jacket, a cross-body string of bells and various living and hunting utensils ( Commonly known as "Outer Tartars"). Most of their performance movements are derived from the primitive production and life of the Manchus, such as prancing horses, archery, and fighting. Some of them imitate the movements of eagles, tigers, bears, etc., and many of them contain elements of traditional dance. The Yangko movements include squatting, stomping, crossing, swinging, and trembling. They are rich, vigorous and bold, and have distinct characteristics of the fishing and hunting life and the Eight Banners fighting life. The accompaniment music borrows the percussion form of the Manchu shaman's dance, including "Old Three Points", "Seven Sticks", "Quick Drum Points" and other playing methods, which are quite different from Han Yangge.

1. Costume props

The main characters of Fushun Manchu Yangko and their costumes and props are: Tartar official, commonly known as "Li Tartar" and "Big Master". The leader of the dance team. Generally, there are two "Tatar officials" in the dance team. They wore tasseled hats, arrow jackets, colorful trousers, yellow mantles, red battle skirts, waistbands, and black fast boots. He waved a fly broom in his hand and slung a knife across his body.

Kri Tu is commonly known as "Wai Tatar" and "Monk Tu". The characters blacken their faces, wear felt hats, leather jackets and trousers, carry bells across their bodies, and wield long whips to maintain order.

The stick puller is responsible for communication and marking the battlefield. He wears a straw hat, an arrow jacket, colorful trousers, a waistband, fast boots, and holds a willow stick.

Coats, female characters in the dance team, the number is not limited, wearing "Huashan" on their heads, dress up freely, use bright quilts as skirts, distinguish flags by different colors, and hold fans and handkerchiefs.

Bottoms, male characters in the dance team. There is no limit to the number of people. They can dress up freely and wear various colored furoshikis, ribbons, etc. to show their flag affiliation.

2. Performance program

The performance program of Fushun Manchu Yangko is generally as follows: The Yangko dance team usually gathers and performs in a designated spacious and flat area. The dance team is led by a Tatar official, followed by the stick puller. Men on the left and women on the right line up in two rows, with other characters walking between them. When the dance team enters, they first bow to the tea table three times, and then the Tatar official performs a "meeting ceremony". Kerry spits a long whip, and the Tatar official leads the team to "walk in formation." After "walking in formation," the top and bottom costumes "circle" "Field", transitioning to "Two-person Stage", which is the climax of the performance. At the end, the Tatar official leads the team to give a Manchu salute and express his gratitude to the host (host) and the audience. After that, you can "walk in formation" and "circle the field" again, repeat it many times, and then rest to your heart's content.

4. Artistic Characteristics

Fushun Manchu Yangge inherits the folk dance prototypes of Manchu ancestors such as "Stepping Hammer" and "Mangshi", absorbs the advantages of Han Yangge, and gradually evolves It has its own distinctive characteristics in terms of characters, number of performers, etiquette, costumes, scenes, movements, etc. It has the characteristics of hot, vigorous, rough and bold performance. The dance rhythm of Fushun Manchu Yangko can be summarized in four words: "raising, squatting, swinging and trembling". Its style is unique and the performance is vivid. The mid-term "big field-walking array" and "small field-two people" "Field" and folk customs storylines form a series of Yangko, with its big waves and circling movements, it reproduces the folk customs of the Manchu ancestors who were brave and good at riding, riding and shooting, and there are often very lively and heated scenes.

The drum accompaniment of the Fushun Manchu Yangko is more ethnic-specific. The gongs and drums are played at the "old three points", which originates from the drum-grabbing method used by Manchu folk to perform sacrifices to the gods.

The Manchu ancestors lived in mountainous areas all year round, and hunting and fighting were their main forms of life. The national characteristics of Fushun Manchu Yangko dance movements are the dynamic expression of their lifestyle. The main features of Fushun Manchu Yangge are one arm in front and one arm behind, stretching widely; the upper body is swaying, the lower body is bending the knees, the feet are staggered, and the basic shape is ups and downs, which is closely related to the lifestyle of the Manchu ancestors. Its dance rhythm can be summarized as: rising, squatting, stomping, panning, swinging and trembling. For example, "Yang" is a movement of the arms, which is characterized by wide range, unrestrained stretch, and wide reach. "Anecdotes from the Palace of the Qing Dynasty" said that "when the Manchu people dance, their spirit is vigorous and vigorous", which means to be vigorous and vigorous, which is the basic characteristic of hunting and warring nations; another example is "squatting", which refers to a male squatting with his lower body half squatting and bending his knees at ninety degrees. The movements of left and right, ups and downs with the rhythm, are steady in shape, which is a true portrayal of the Manchu people who are good at riding and shooting, wielding bows and arrows, leaping into formation, bending forward and backward, and leaning forward and speeding forward. When performing in the old days, the Manchu Yangko dance team first went to "worship the temple" after gathering. If they encountered a large temple, they would enter the temple to perform, and if they encountered a small temple, they would perform in front of the temple. If a Yangko dance team from another village comes, local Manchu officials must immediately lead the team out of the village to greet them at the entrance of the village and begin to "receive the ceremony" before starting the performance.

Without this custom, "seeing gifts" has become an indispensable performance content in Fushun Manchu Yangge. Later, when the custom of worshiping temples and welcoming teams at the entrance of the village gradually disappeared, the Yangko dance team usually gathered in designated spacious and flat venues to perform.

According to expert research, the characters and their costumes in Manchu Yangge not only reflect the Manchu lifestyle, but also reflect the Eight Banners system and the unity of soldiers and civilians in art.

Manchu Yangge, which is popular in Fushun area, originated from Manchu dance. Although in the long history, the Manchu and Han people have lived together for a long time, and the Manchu and Han economies and cultures have integrated with each other, especially the frequent exchanges of folk arts, which have given the Manchu folk literature and art activities a strong Han tone, the content and form of Manchu Yangge are not the same as those of the Han people. The performance skills still retain the basic Manchu style of being good at riding and shooting, brave in battle, diligent in production, and frugal in life. Due to the particularity of the living environment, Manchu Yangko also has different schools even though the basic rhythm is the same. For example: Huangqi Township (original name: Matanggou), Xinbin Manchu Autonomous County, Fushun, where the "Prancing Horse Style" is a characteristic.

5. Inheritance significance

Fushun Manchu Yangge uses a unique form of expression to artistically reproduce the Manchu people’s national spirit of advocating martial arts and ancient folk customs of paying attention to etiquette. Through character setting and decoration, It reflects the Eight Banners system and the tradition of joy between soldiers and civilians, and is an important carrier of the traditional folk culture of the Manchu nationality; using unique dance movements, it artistically reflects the national style of the Manchu people who have worked for generations, lived in mountainous areas, and hunted and fought as their basic life content. , is a living fossil of the production and lifestyle of the Manchu ancestors. Precisely because it is the most representative form of artistic expression among Manchu folk art and embodies the value of history, culture, art, and inheritance, it has been passed down from generation to generation.

However, Fushun Manchu Yangge is on the verge of survival crisis. The inheritance of Fushun Manchu Yangge was mainly inherited by the people of villages and communities as a whole in the last century. There are also some family inheritances and master-disciple inheritances. During the comprehensive census of ethnic and folk dances in the 1980s, there were still more than 50 Manchu Yangko groups in the Fushun area. At present, there are very few pure traditional Manchu Yangge, and there are even no activities during New Year's Day. Occasionally, some celebrations are performed in Manchu costumes but without the traditional content and artistic features of Manchu Yangge. In addition, old Manchu Yangge artists have passed away one after another, and the few existing old artists are also old and sick. Manchu Yangge is facing the situation of being lost. Especially since a large number of Manchu compatriots have been Sinicized and young and middle-aged people have little contact with traditional Manchu culture, Manchu Yangge, an important carrier of Manchu traditional culture, is on the verge of extinction.

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