Guangxi Yao people’s mysterious yellow mud dance: from deep mountain dance to international_Guangming.com

Chen Qiuxia

“Bang, da”… The men of the Yao ethnic group wear Yao costumes, with embroidered white headscarves on their heads and red belts on their waists. One person beats the short and thick female drum in the middle and leads the dance, while the others hold the slender male drum. They dance around the mother drum while beating the drum. The dancers cooperate with each other tacitly, like stars over the moon.

Recently, China’s national intangible cultural heritage-Yao Huangni Dance was performed in Jinxiu Yao Autonomous County, Guangxi, attracting tourists to stop and watch.

On April 12, in Liuduan Village, Jinxiu Town, Jinxiu Yao Autonomous County, Guangxi, people from the Yao ethnic group performed yellow mud drums to attract tourists.Photo by Zhang Youhao

Jinxiu is located deep in the Dayao Mountains and is the earliest Yao autonomous county established in China. For thousands of years, the five branches of Panyao, Chashan Yao, Hualanyao, Shanziyao and Aoyao have thrived here, and the long-standing Yao culture has been accumulated and passed on here.

Huangni drumming is mainly distributed in the Aoyao inhabited areas of Liuxiang Township and Luoxiang Township in Jinxiu Yao Autonomous County. Pan Jinhai, who is over 60 years old, is a representative inheritor of Huang Ni Drum of the Yao people. His family has lived in Guchentun under Liuxiang Village, Liuxiang Township for generations. His family has a collection of Huang Ni Drums with a history of hundreds of years left by his ancestors.

In Guchentun, Liuxiang Village, Liuxiang Township, Jinxiu Yao Autonomous County, Guangxi, an inheritor is teaching the yellow mud drumming technique. (File photo) Photo by Gao Rujin

“The Yao people are inseparable from the drum.” The yellow mud drum is sacred in the hearts of the Yao people. Pan Jinhai told reporters that there is a legend about the origin of the Huangni Drum: One day, King Pan unfortunately fell off a cliff and died when he went hunting in the mountain. The sons and daughters found King Pan’s body on a paulownia tree at the foot of the mountain. In grief, they cut down the paulownia tree to make the drum body, peeled off the goat skin to make the drum head, then smeared it with yellow mud, beat the drum and danced in memory of King Pan. Since then, the Yao people’s custom of dancing with yellow mud to worship their ancestors has continued to this day.

In Guchentun, Liuxiang Village, Liuxiang Township, Jinxiu Yao Autonomous County, Guangxi, villagers danced with yellow mud to encourage people. (File photo) Photo by Gao Rujin

With the development of the times, Huangni drum dance gradually bid farewell to its single traditional ritual role and developed into a literary and artistic performance form. With its unique charm and artistic appeal, Huang Ni Dance has repeatedly shined on domestic and foreign stages. The Jinxiu Yao Huang Ni Drum Performance Team has performed in Japan. The locally produced Yao opera “The Love of Yellow Nigu” was performed at the China-ASEAN Culture and Art Week.

Jinxiu attracts tourists from home and abroad to explore and experience the authentic Yao culture. The ancient Yao folk art treasures have become the “magic weapon” for revitalizing the ancient Yao villages.

“After Huangni Dance was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage, it received more attention. In recent years, the rapid development of tourism has also given Huangni Dance more opportunities to display. I perform hundreds of performances every year. We conduct dance research It has been adapted several times, but the original version is the most popular among the audience,” Pan Jinhai said.

In Guchentun, Liuxiang Village, Liuxiang Township, Jinxiu Yao Autonomous County, Guangxi, villagers danced with yellow mud to encourage people. (File photo) Photo by Gao Rujin

The inheritors also broke the rule of “passing on the male but not the female” in Huang Ni Gu. “As long as you are willing to learn, we are willing to teach.” Pan Jinhai told reporters that the Huangni drumming movement seems simple, but in fact it is not easy to learn. Some people still cannot master it after learning for several years. “The beat of the female drum is the most important, as it controls the rhythm of the entire dance. Therefore, those who dance the female drum are usually skilled old artists in the village.”

Pan Ningyong, 51 years old, has been learning the yellow clay drum dance since he was a child. When he was young, he worked outside all year round to make a living. Later, seeing the development and changes in his hometown, Pan Ningyong returned to his hometown and performed in various places with his brother Pan Jinhai. He also went to campus to teach Huang Ni Gu drums to students and produced Huang Ni Gu drum cultural and creative products.

“In the past, we performed yellow mud drum dances on occasions such as harvest celebrations and sacrifices. Now the yellow mud drum dance has been moved to the stage for performances, which has deepened people’s understanding and love for the yellow mud drum dance. Primary and secondary school students are very interested in the yellow mud drum dance. I learned quickly and saw the hope of Huangni’s inheritance,” said Pan Ningyong.

Feng Wenbiao, who was born in the 1980s, is a representative inheritor of the Yao people’s yellow mud drum making skills. He founded a studio and led a team to study the mechanized production of yellow mud drums. He also continuously improved and upgraded the hand-made skills of yellow mud drums, and constantly pondered. How to make Huangni Drum more popular and loved by young people. The traditional Huangni Drum, improved Huangnigu and Huangnigu cultural creations designed and produced by his team are welcomed by the market.

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责编：张晓荣 ]