The history of Lion Dance (Research Paper Sample)

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The History of Lion Dance
The Chinese are known for their rich cultural heritage, all over the world. The community boasts of various renowned cultural traditions relating to a wide scope of their lives. The Chinese culture is recognized for its unique components such as cuisine, architecture, ceramics, literature, music, and martial arts among others (Nelson et al. 13). Most of the Chinese derives their social values from Taoism and Confucianism. Despite all the glory bestowed on the Chinese culture, one cultural component stands out, and this pertains to their music and dance. The Chinese community is known for a rich culture in folk music and dances that are intertwined with their culture. During the early times, the Chinese folk dances were performed essentially as ritual enactments of their beliefs in various superstitious elements of their lives (Nelson et al. 14). Such folk dances varied depending on ethnic groups. Some of the most common folk dances among the Chinese include the dragon dance, the Lion Dance, and the court dance among others. Notably, the Lion Dance is the most popular folk dance among the Chinese as it is performed in all regions both in the Southern and Northern parts of the country. In understanding the Lion Dance, this paper seeks to discuss the history of the folk dance, pinpointing its cultural aspects in the Chinese society.
According to Chinese folklore, lion dancing started thousands of years ago. Dating back to the time of Han Dynasty (205 BCE to 220 CE), the dance was particularly performed during major events such as religious festivals, New Year and other ceremonies (New World Encyclopedia). The dance reached its peak during the Tang Dynasty (716 to 907 CE), where it became so popular that it could be exported to neighboring countries such as Japan, for entertainment purposes. Other countries that adopted the Lion Dance include Taiwan and Korea. However, the dance in these countries became different, but quite symbolizing the same thing.
The lion is highly respected in the Chinese culture although the country is not historically associated with having lions. The animal is symbolized by five colours, which include black as a symbol of water, yellow as a symbol of earth, green symbolizing wood, red for fire, and white for metal (Xing 78). These colours symbolize the five elements the Chinese associate with life. The Lion costume is also adorned with a magical glass at the forehead, which is believed, scares away evil spirits when they reflect their images against it. The Lion Dance is usually performed to attract prosperity and good luck as human struggles with nature (Hulsbosch, Bedford, and Chaiklin 132). It acts as a unifying tool that shows the togetherness of all the three ancient Chinese Kingdoms of the Liu Pei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, who were brothers that fought to unite the Chinese states.
Different stories exist on how the Lion Dance came into existence. Such accounts are based on the story of Nian, the Emperor’s dream, and the story of Kuan Yin’s compassion. The first account of Nian is the most popular among the Chinese. Nian was a monster who was terrorizing people in China, kidnapping the children year after year. One day, a lion came and chased the monster away. However, Nian, the monster returned the next year, finding the villagers without the lion to protect them. This mandated the people to create a costume that had the likeness of a lion, which two people put it on and used it to scare away the monster. This became the reason why Lion Dance is performed every New Year in the country. The name “Nian,” in Chinese means year, and this could be one major reason why the dance plays an integral part in welcoming and celebrating New Year. The loud noises from firecrackers, drums and other instruments, produced during the Lion Dance represent the loud sound produced by the lion to scare away Nian (Nelson 14). The costumes also have to have a red colour, as it is believed the monster feared the colour.
The second account of the emperor’s dream, asserts that the emperor of the Tang Dynasty dreamt of a creature that resembled a lion, which saved his life. He then commissioned the Lion Dance to be performed in honor of the creature. On the other hand, the Kuan Yin’s account puts it that the lion existed as a mystical creature in the heavens, which was playful and troublesome (New World Encyclopedia). One day, it became hard for the King of Heaven to control it that its legs had to be cut off, as a punishment and the body thrown down to earth to perish. This explains why the lion costume is made of head and tail only. Kuan Yin, who was the goddess of mercy felt pity on the lion and transformed the lion’s body by adding other elements from different animals, to tame him and make him into a mystical force for good.
The Lion Dance is dramatically performed in a way to symbolize taming the lion in order to make it useful to human (New World Encyclopedia). To achieve this, the lion is awakened by being bestowed spiritual life. The ceremony, then proceeds to the lion bowing as a sign of respect to the audience, after which playing, fighting, grooming, scratching, and horseplay follow when more than one Lion is involved in the dance. The lion would then proceed to eating and dancing. These elements make up the Lion Dance, which is characterized by stability and harmony that should reflect in the lives of the Chinese people.
With the progress of historical changes, the Lion Dance has transformed with cultural transformations of different ethnic groups (Xing 79). Contemporarily, there are two types of the Lion Dance. The Southern Lion Dance style is one of them, and this is the most traditional form of performing the dance associated with the Qing Dynasty. It is based on the rituals and customs of the ancient Chinese, and it is performed with strict movements, although in the current times the movements have been modified to be more realistic. Culturally, the Southern lion symbolizes strength, the spirit of change, goodness and the cycle of life. Th...