Industry representatives of Kushui Stilts

Speaking of Kushui stilts becoming famous in Gansu and even across the country, it is inseparable from the efforts of a large number of stilt enthusiasts. Old man Ju Chongshao is one of the representatives. After Ju Chongshao retired from Kushui Middle School in 1991, he has been quietly digging and organizing information on Kushui stilts. He believes that during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty, the number of immigrants coming to Kushui increased. During the Spring Festival every year, immigrants from various places performed their local cultural masterpieces in opera and social fire performances, and stilts were the most important part of the social fire performance. At first, the stilts on Kushui Street were only about two or three feet tall. After hundreds of years of competition, the tall stilts on Kushui Street have reached 3.5 to 4 meters. The villagers call them the two-foot-high stilts.

Ren Ju Chongshao invited hundreds of photojournalists and photography enthusiasts to Kushui twice during the "February 2nd" Shehuo performances to record the performance of the stilt performers through their lenses. The details were published in domestic and foreign media and magazines, which greatly promoted the publicity of Kusui Stilts. The performance art of stilts on Kushui Street is not only an extinct folk art passed down by the predecessors, but also a folk art treasure known throughout the province and even the country. In Kushui Street, this kind of performance art is being adopted by more and more young people (including girls) accept and participate in it.

According to Gan Peisheng, Party Secretary of Kushuijie Village, there are hundreds of people performing stilts in Kushui Street, and the real leaders are some middle school and high school students. Every good stiltist starts practicing at a young age, first on small stilts, and after he is proficient, he will practice on medium stilts of four to five feet. When he is sixteen or seventeen years old, he will practice on high stilts of eight to two feet. Gan Peisheng told reporters that in order to practice the unique skill of walking on high stilts, you must first have a strong body; secondly, starting from practicing walking on small stilts, you must master "the elasticity and appropriate binding of the stilt legs, be steady and practical without panic, be bold and careful, step steadily, and use force" The essentials of the method of "straighten your waist and look far away".

Although Kushui Street Stilts is not worried about the lack of successors, some problems it is currently facing also directly restrict its development. "It is obviously very difficult to excavate and sort out stilt art materials, performers' accident insurance, performance props and costumes, and performance training venues, etc., solely relying on private efforts. We hope that relevant government departments will provide strong support." Ju Chongshao said the old man. Miao Jiehou did makeup for Wang Jisheng. Wang Jisheng was less than 1.5 meters tall. He walked with very small "inch steps" and slowly moved the 1.8-meter stilts, carefully maintaining his body balance.

Wang Jisheng, 9 years old, is a fifth-grade student in Kushuijie Village, Kushui Town, Yongdeng County, Gansu Province. He has been practicing walking on stilts for 4 years.

Standing on the stilts, Wang Jisheng was a little proud: "Seeing that everyone else is shorter than me, the surrounding scenery becomes clearer."

"He started walking in the seventh grade when he was 6 years old. Practicing on 80-centimetre-high stilts, he has a good brain, quick reactions, and good physical fitness. He is outstanding among his peers." Wang Jisheng's master Miao Baoshan praised his disciple.

In 2006, the Yongdeng Kushui Stilts were included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage lists. As one of the three provincial inheritors of Kushui stilts, 63-year-old Miao Baoshan told reporters: "The highest stilts are 3.5 meters, which is higher than the height of a one-story building. Adding in the height of a person, the height can reach 5 meters. Although It is very interesting to watch, but every inch is dangerous, and performers must be bold and careful.”

The first time Wang Jisheng stood on stilts was one morning in the early summer of 2005. Wang Jisheng said, "At that time, my legs and feet were weak and I was shaking so much that I didn't dare to move forward. I couldn't feel anything except fear."

In the past few years, Wang Jisheng has suffered a lot from practicing stilts. Less suffering. His mother Tang Yuzhen said that the stilts on Kushui Street range from 0.7 to 3.5 meters in height, and each one is about the thickness of a fist. During performances, ropes must be used to fix the feet on the top of the stilts, and the ankles, knees and other parts must be tied firmly. . "If the rope is not tied properly, the legs will be bruised and bleed, which makes it painful to watch."