Zhangjiajie Tujia Folk Entertainment "Play Light"

Play lamp is a unique traditional folk entertainment in Zhangjiajie. Legend of more than 2000 years ago, the Warring States period, the Chu people (Today, Hunan, Hubei area) Guiguzi, longer than the raising of Pi Chi Shen and enjoyable aspect of the operation. On one occasion, Guiguzi met arrogant old Dragon King of the Golden Horn, he said, "As far as I count on fingers, the recent rains, the city 36 points, 48 points outside the city," do not follow the old Dragon King Guiguzi by calculation, partial under 48 points in the city , outside the city the next 36 points as a result, the city rain and more people drowned, the rain outside a small, dry dead seedlings. The Jade Emperor was furious, the old Dragon King banished to the mortal. Old Dragon King in order to atone for his crimes during the Spring Festival every year, door-to-door to the world Lebanon's confessing his sin, the promise in the future to ensure good weather. Later, Turkish people in order to express to subdue the Dragon King, the dragon dance during the Spring Festival every year, expect a good harvest encountered dry year, Tujia people once again dabble dragon, longing for rain, the Dragon King met with fear as soon as it rains.

According to historical records, the dragon began in the Western Han Dynasty, attribution 100 plays. "West Han Chuan Chan" in the "Fish Man Yan Long" is set, the Southern Song Meng veterans in the "Tokyo Menghualu" and once wrote: Bianliang during the Northern Song Dynasty (including Kaifeng) During Yuan Xiao Festival, "All of grass to tie into the movie Dragon-like, cover the cage with the blue screen, the grass on the dense set Dengzhu 10000, looked like meandering Ssangyong fly away," says Wu from the animal husbandry in the "Dream Liang Lu" China "came out people's potential, the scale dance away wins changes in fish and dragons true, reactive art like a god, "a vivid description of waving vividly depicts the meteoric rise of the dragon-like.

Dragon art divided into four groups. The first category is "wearing Story", the content of "Sister Young 8 pass," "King Wen de Boots," "Ming by Arrow," "Eight Immortals sea Gone with the Wind," "Tiger jump Stream", "egrets wearing lotus", etc. The second category is called carried the story, the content of "brick at the end of Dragon," "Buddha sitting on a Hall", "god of longevity riding Crane", "lin-lin has ever been", etc. The third category is a small story, leading the former one or two young people dance and flexible beads (Dance also known as Paul), Dance of the content, "Yinzhu spit spring", "Seven points, the Big Dipper," "beautiful hair", "Guo Huoyanshan", etc.. The fourth category is the bundle of stories, the content of "cow 9 millstone", "blooming lotus", "spilled inside cylinder car" and so on. Various types of story creation, or from history, biography, or derived from myths, legends, or from astronomy, geography, or from working life, embodies the distinctive characteristics of folk tradition.

The dragon Sangzhi production, mostly put dragon, leading tall, full of energy, the dragon body length of about thirty feet three feet, usually 9 or 11, first tie the old system of leading artists, other artists Zhalong Festival, to the Chinese New Yearbegan to play, fine-sounding name out of lights. By Tujia rules, play dragon to lose a village, do not lose one, each household must be fun, to show auspicious. Today, play dragon is still essential for Tujia every Lunar New Year entertainment.