The Art of Lion Dance

Region： Throughout Heshan

Inclusion Information： It was selected for the first batch of county-level representative projects of intangible cultural heritage protection in Heshan City in 2007. It was also included in the first batch of representative projects of intangible cultural heritage protection in Jiangmen City and the second batch in Guangdong Province in the same year.

When it comes to the Lion Dance of Southern China， people often think of Wong Fei-hung from film and television works， representing the renowned Lion Dance Art of Foshan. In Heshan， there is also a representative figure of the Southern Lion Dance， Feng Gengchang. Feng Gengchang from Yuetang， Guangdong， possessed great talent and intelligence and was trained by his father， a secular disciple of the Shaolin Temple， since he was a child， laying a solid foundation in martial arts. When he grew up， he learned martial arts and lion arts from his fellow countryman Feng Liaoxing， who ran a martial arts school in Foshan. Diligent and eager to learn， Feng Gengchang excelled in adapting and innovating， meticulously studying the characteristics of Foshan lion art. After returning to Heshan， he summarized and innovated upon his years of learning， establishing a complete and distinctive lion art style known as Heshan Lion Dance. Since then， “Heshan Lion” and “Foshan Lion” have become the two major factions of the Southern Lion Dance.

What distinguishes Heshan Lion from Foshan Lion？ The most significant difference lies in their footwork， which shapes the personality and style of the lions. The Foshan Lion employs strong and vigorous movements， while the Heshan Lion is nimble， lively， and full of charm. Feng Gengchang， who ran a martial arts school， meticulously observed cats and derived the feline movements， integrating them into the lion dance. He developed the “Eight Expressions” （Joy， Anger， Surprise， Happiness， Doubt， Drunkenness， Sleep， and Awakening）， forming a performance style characterized by suspicion upon seeing something， delight upon seeing green， surprise upon seeing red， biting upon seeing posts， pulling upon seeing wood， playing upon seeing water， and exploring upon seeing stairs. This approach showcased both the fierce form and the light-footedness of the lion dance， displaying its agility， curiosity， and lovable aspects. Building upon the lion’s feline movements， Heshan Lion developed the footwork system called “Five Stances， Eighteen Steps，” as well as the training techniques of the “Five Methods， Four Requirements” （Five Methods： Back， Wrist， Finger， Stance， and Step; Four Requirements： Eye， Body， Waist， and Footwork）， forming a comprehensive footwork system for Heshan Lion Art.

Heshan Lion’s performance has its own unique characteristics and has developed signature movements. It also features highly difficult routines that showcase its flexibility， such as “Playing with Embroidered Balls.” Building upon the foundation of classical routines， the incorporation of Cantonese opera elements has given rise to traditional lion dance drama， greatly enriching the performance style and meaning of the lion dance. For instance， “Hero Fights the Lion” consists of eight major routines： Lion Emerging from Den， Lion Emerging from Cave， Lion Dance at Four Gates， Lion Ascending the Tower （Entering the Stage， Crossing the Bridge， Picking Greens on the Stage）， Big-headed Buddha Collecting Lingzhi， Lion Rolling the Embroidered Ball， Hero Fights the Lion， and Ending of the Posture. This production， which is based on lion dance and incorporates a storyline， requires exceptionally strong creative abilities to keep the audience captivated throughout the two-and-a-half-hour performance. The spectacular and diverse performances of Heshan Lion Dance have captivated the people of Heshan and instilled in them a deep love for this traditional art form.

The traditional Heshan Lion Dance excels in the challenging technique of Cai Qing （Picking up the Greens）， which involves a wide range of elaborate and diverse dance movements. There are various representative styles， including Di Qing， Gao Qing， Qiao Di Qing， and so on， totaling 108 different formations. As the core skill in lion dancing， Cai Qing serves as a comprehensive test of the performer’s martial arts ability， wisdom， and experience. Heshan Lion Dance is distinctive， combining high entertainment value with breathtaking difficulty， a testament to the relentless efforts of its founders and successors.

Legend has it that a businessman in Foshan once set up an extremely challenging lotus-themed Qing formation in the middle of a river， thirteen feet away from the shore. The appearance of this formation caused a sensation in Foshan， leaving everyone perplexed and unable to figure out a solution. Many lion dance guilds retreated， fearing to take on the challenge. Only Feng Gengchang， refusing to admit defeat， painstakingly discussed the matter with his junior disciple Hu Pei. They utilized the principle of leverage， inserting a large rake into the riverbank and supporting it with several disciples. Feng Gengchang assumed the role of the lion’s head， while Hu Pei became the lion’s end. Together， they danced the lion across the river and successfully “picked up the green.” The audience on the bank witnessed this astonishing performance and erupted into thunderous applause. News spread throughout Foshan， and Feng Gengchang’s name reverberated， solidifying his position in the lion dance community.

In addition to these features， the design of lion head in the Heshan Lion Dance is unique in its own right. Feng Gengchang， taking inspiration from the feline-like movements， depicted the Heshan Lion as the character “Liu Bei” （in accordance with the “Guan Yu” and “Zhang Fei” characters in Foshan Lion Dance）， and transformed the original Southern Lion head design. The typical Heshan Lion features predominantly green and yellow tones， adorned with a green nose， alert eyes， carp-like forehead， fisted horns， flower base， lotus petal eyes， whiskered face， toad-like mouth， and protruding ears. It incorporates various feline elements， resulting in a more whimsical appearance. Furthermore， to portray Liu Bei as the “Emperor in Straw Shoes，” two grass dragons are painted from the lion’s nose to its back， accompanied by five bats symbolizing “fortune，” known as the “Five Bats Back.” The distinctive “Liu Bei Lion” with these characteristics has become the iconic style of the Heshan Lion.

To complement the feline-like movements， in addition to the traditional Three-Star Drum， Five-Star Drum （Plum Blossom Drum）， and Mixed Drum， a grand， melodious， and rhythmically rich “Seven-Star Drum Technique” was developed. This enhances the synergy between the music and lion dance， creating a seamless integration and elevating the entertainment value， visual appeal， and performance aspect of the Heshan Lion Dance.

Compared to neighboring counties and cities， the people of Heshan have a special affinity for the lion dance. By the end of 2019， the permanent population of Heshan city was 516，500 （according to the “2019 Statistical Bulletin of Heshan City’s National Economy and Social Development”）. However， there were 45 registered lion dance guilds and as many as 223 lion dance troupes， with almost every village committee having one or more lion dance troupe. The number of people engaged in lion dance activities exceeded 6，000. This means that there is approximately one lion dance performer for every 100 residents in Heshan.

In recent years， the Heshan municipal government has placed great importance on the preservation and inheritance of the lion dance. They actively promote lion dance activities in schools， incorporating the lion dance as part of the curriculum， and teaching it to young students. The government organizes more than 10 lion dance events for the public and visiting tourists each year， with a large-scale “Dragon and Lion Dance Gathering” held during the Chinese New Year， featuring over 100 lion dance performances. This has become a remarkable cultural brand of Heshan. In the process of heritage promotion， a significant role has been played by a group of lion dance inheritors， including provincial-level inheritors Feng Kunjie and Huang Yong’an.

Illustrated Directory of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Heshan City

Compiled by Heshan City Culture Museum

The Chinese Overseas Publishing House

June 2021

98.00 （CNY）