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Monkeyshines with a big bright, bouncing bamboo ball
By Tan Weiyun |
March 14, 2009, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
It's breathtaking to see a big bamboo ball light up the night as it's moved about by one small sinewy man. The ancient skill combines dancing, sports, martial arts and acrobatics. Tan Weiyun reports
Sixty-year-old Wang Zhengrong leaps, climbs, spins and lies down °?-- all while grasping a massive and heavy bamboo ball that flickers with light from within.
It's quite a sight in the dark as he executes "golden monkey picking peaches," "wood pigeon flying into the sky," or "spider spinning a web," among many other maneuvers. In the center is a light source -- today it's a battery but in ancient times, candles were mounted in bamboo gimbals and remained upright while the ball was moved about.
Wang, small and sinewy, "plays" a big bamboo ball, 1.2 meters in diameter and 22.5 kilograms in weight, as well as smaller and lighter ones. The balls seem alive.
"Some moves are difficult now -- I'm getting old and I'm not as spry as I used to be," says Wang, sweating and panting a bit.
He is one of the few players of lamp rolling (gun deng or rolling lamp), an ancient folk entertainment that involves dancing, sports, martial arts and acrobatics. It is common in remote Fengxian District and in the Yangtze River Delta region, and a popular way to celebrate grand events and festivals.
"It does need lots of strength," says Wang who lives in Huqiao Town. He has been a rolling lamp player for around 30 years. Now he's a master and teaches young men in an effort to preserve the 700-year-old intangible cultural heritage.
The small, medium and large balls are made of bamboo strips. The largest can be 1.5 meters in diameter and weigh 50 kilograms. In the center of the ball is a bamboo device, gimbals holding light candles upright.
"It is marvelous when the ball is being played with the flames flickering inside," Wang says with pride. Because of the danger of fire, open flame is a thing of the past.
It takes real acrobatic skill and coordination to master the ball.
Wang has been rolling lighted balls since the early 1980s when he was something of a celebrity in the town for his musical skills; he plays the erhu (two-string fiddle), dizi (bamboo flute) and violin.
"I feel lucky because I have been doing what I enjoy all these years," he says.
Wang didn't finish high school due to the "cultural revolution" (1966-76). Thanks to his talents, he became an open-air movie projectionist in his village, instead of being ordered to take up farming like most of his fellows.
"Each night after dinner, I put up the movie screen with two long bamboo poles in the field, and when everything was set, I beat my gongs and drums to inform villagers that the movie was ready," Wang recalls.
He remembers they used 8.75mm films back then.
Going to the movies was like a big festival in those days.
"Farmers carried their little chairs on the shoulders and came all the way from far-away villages to see the film," he says. "They envied me because I could see all the films."
During the "cultural revolution" most entertainment and artistic activities were forbidden. The only movies permitted were eight "model dramas" approved by the government.
"I had played rolling lamp before the 'revolution,' but had to give it up during those years," Wang says.
When the tumult ended in the late 1970s, arts and entertainment returned. Wang picked up his bamboo ball again in 1982 and this time he took it seriously, he wanted to become a master.
He learned from veteran Wu Boming, now 82, and finally was able to execute the folk dances.
"Don't think it's simple," Wang says. "It needs a lot of skill and strength in the arms, back and belly."
The traditional rolling lamp dance features nine sets of 27 movements. These include jin hou xian tao (golden monkey picking peaches) °?°?-- squatting on the ground while lifting the ball overhead; bo gu chong tian (wood pigeon flying to the sky) °?-- throwing the ball into the air and catching it); and zhi zhu tu si (spider spinning a web) -- holding the ball with teeth for about 15 seconds.
Last year, Wang took on two young men in the village as his students, teaching how to make and manipulate the balls of different sizes.
"Someone has to carry forward this old folkart," he says.
Sixty-year-old Wang Zhengrong leaps, climbs, spins and lies down °?-- all while grasping a massive and heavy bamboo ball that flickers with light from within.
It's quite a sight in the dark as he executes "golden monkey picking peaches," "wood pigeon flying into the sky," or "spider spinning a web," among many other maneuvers. In the center is a light source -- today it's a battery but in ancient times, candles were mounted in bamboo gimbals and remained upright while the ball was moved about.
Wang, small and sinewy, "plays" a big bamboo ball, 1.2 meters in diameter and 22.5 kilograms in weight, as well as smaller and lighter ones. The balls seem alive.
"Some moves are difficult now -- I'm getting old and I'm not as spry as I used to be," says Wang, sweating and panting a bit.
He is one of the few players of lamp rolling (gun deng or rolling lamp), an ancient folk entertainment that involves dancing, sports, martial arts and acrobatics. It is common in remote Fengxian District and in the Yangtze River Delta region, and a popular way to celebrate grand events and festivals.
"It does need lots of strength," says Wang who lives in Huqiao Town. He has been a rolling lamp player for around 30 years. Now he's a master and teaches young men in an effort to preserve the 700-year-old intangible cultural heritage.
The small, medium and large balls are made of bamboo strips. The largest can be 1.5 meters in diameter and weigh 50 kilograms. In the center of the ball is a bamboo device, gimbals holding light candles upright.
"It is marvelous when the ball is being played with the flames flickering inside," Wang says with pride. Because of the danger of fire, open flame is a thing of the past.
It takes real acrobatic skill and coordination to master the ball.
Wang has been rolling lighted balls since the early 1980s when he was something of a celebrity in the town for his musical skills; he plays the erhu (two-string fiddle), dizi (bamboo flute) and violin.
"I feel lucky because I have been doing what I enjoy all these years," he says.
Wang didn't finish high school due to the "cultural revolution" (1966-76). Thanks to his talents, he became an open-air movie projectionist in his village, instead of being ordered to take up farming like most of his fellows.
"Each night after dinner, I put up the movie screen with two long bamboo poles in the field, and when everything was set, I beat my gongs and drums to inform villagers that the movie was ready," Wang recalls.
He remembers they used 8.75mm films back then.
Going to the movies was like a big festival in those days.
"Farmers carried their little chairs on the shoulders and came all the way from far-away villages to see the film," he says. "They envied me because I could see all the films."
During the "cultural revolution" most entertainment and artistic activities were forbidden. The only movies permitted were eight "model dramas" approved by the government.
"I had played rolling lamp before the 'revolution,' but had to give it up during those years," Wang says.
When the tumult ended in the late 1970s, arts and entertainment returned. Wang picked up his bamboo ball again in 1982 and this time he took it seriously, he wanted to become a master.
He learned from veteran Wu Boming, now 82, and finally was able to execute the folk dances.
"Don't think it's simple," Wang says. "It needs a lot of skill and strength in the arms, back and belly."
The traditional rolling lamp dance features nine sets of 27 movements. These include jin hou xian tao (golden monkey picking peaches) °?°?-- squatting on the ground while lifting the ball overhead; bo gu chong tian (wood pigeon flying to the sky) °?-- throwing the ball into the air and catching it); and zhi zhu tu si (spider spinning a web) -- holding the ball with teeth for about 15 seconds.
Last year, Wang took on two young men in the village as his students, teaching how to make and manipulate the balls of different sizes.
"Someone has to carry forward this old folkart," he says.
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