History of Chinese Folk Dance
The traditional Chinese culture includes folk dances that represent national wisdom, Chinese history, evolution of life and peoples ideas. Oftentimes, you'll see Chinese folk dancing preformed during the Chinese Lunar New Year or their Spring Festival.
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Han Chinese
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The Han Chinese tribe were said to be the first people to perform ritual dancing. These ritual dances were performed in hopes for a good harvest or a good hunt.
Art and Folk Dancing
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Archeologists have found pottery in China dating back to the 4th millennium B.C. etched with dancers using spears and other weapons for hunting. These depictions of the Chinese hunting-dance rituals are similar to the prehistoric hunting paintings found on the walls of the caves of Lascaux in France.
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Harvest Folk Dances
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Between 206 and 220 B.C., many folk dances of present day China were first developed. These folk dances were developed in appreciation of the gods for a bountiful harvest.
Tradition
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Even though the ancient superstition related to the folk dances is no longer relevant, the Chinese still believe in upholding traditions of the past, including the folk dances. By upholding the folk dance tradition, they hope to preserve their cultural identity.
Types of folk dances
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Two main folk dances exist, the dragon dance and the lion dance. They both stem from the Han Chinese people. Another type of Chinese folk dance is the court dance and was adopted by the royal court of Emperor Qin of the Qin Dynasty between 221 and 207 BC.
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References
- Photo Credit chinese building image by Bohanka from Fotolia.com
