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China Daily / 2020-09 / 23 / Page006

Intangible cultural heritage in city

China Daily | Updated: 2020-09-23 00:00

Lanzhou Guzi

Lanzhou Guzi is a form of folk singing in the Lanzhou dialect. Lanzhou Guzi is rich in melody and song, and has an elegant style, much charm and strong local flavor. In terms of vocal tone, Lanzhou Guzi can be divided into three types: Ping tunes, Guzi tunes and Yue tunes, each of which has its own characteristics, which can express the different emotions of different characters, such as the tragic and vigorous Bianguan Tune, the desolation of Beigong Tune and the intense tension of lover's complaint.

Walking on high stilts

Walking on high stilts in Kushui township in Yongdeng county is a traditional fire show. It has a history of some 700 years and dates back to the end of Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). The height of the stilts can reach 3.3 meters, and performers can rise to 5 meters tall with their own height, which is the highest in the country. The stilts are made of pine wood, and the performer uses ropes to tie their feet to the rests, so that the foot and the stilt are connected as a whole and move freely. The high stilts of Kushui mainly use the traditional Qinqiang Opera as the main performance content. During the performance, the performers wear traditional costumes, draw the faces of the characters in the opera, take props, line up in long lines, and seem to dance in the sky.

Lanzhou waterwheels

Lanzhou waterwheels are also called cranes. The Yellow River waterwheel suitable for local use was invented by Duan Xu in 1556 in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The Lanzhou waterwheel is a water conservancy facility that utilizes the natural flow of the Yellow River. The smaller one has a diameter of 178 meters and the larger one is more than 20 meters in diameter. There are scrapers at the end of the spokes, and equidistant oblique rectangles are installed between the scrapers. Water buckets are available in single, double, and multiple vehicles. By the end of the Ming Dynasty, large waterwheels were widely used in Lanzhou, Gaolan, Yuzhong, Jingyuan and Yinchuan in the Yellow River Basin, which promoted the development of agricultural production in these areas and was an ancient "tap water project". Now the practical function of the Yellow River waterwheel in Lanzhou has changed and evolved into a cultural product and tourism landscape.

Lanzhou Taiping Drum

The Lanzhou Taiping Drum dance has a history of hundreds of years. The Lanzhou Taiping Drum is cylindrical, with a height of 70 centimeters, a drum surface of 45 cm, double-sided Mongolian leather, painted with patterns such as Erlong Opera beads. The drum belt is long and can be worn on the shoulders, and the drum body hangs between the feet and knees. During the Spring Festival, Lanzhou Taiping Drum dances are popular among people because of their large presence, dynamic performances and huge number of participants.

Lanzhou sheepskin raft

Lanzhou sheepskin rafts emerged during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). They have a history that can be traced back more than 300 years. A Lanzhou sheepskin raft is as its name suggests made using sheepskins, which are made into bags, inflated and tied to a wooden frame. They are an ancient form of water transportation. Inherited down the generations from the Qing Dynasty to the present, the rafts are an important part of the Yellow River culture.

Lanzhou clay sculptures

Lanzhou clay sculptures are an ancient folk art. The sculptures are traditionally figurines and animals related to history, drama and mythology, as well as daily necessities. The works reflect life in ancient Lanzhou. The red clay is carefully selected so it is of high-quality, and then placed on a flat workbench and repeatedly rolled, so any remaining sand or impurities can be picked out. It is then put in a sealed container and exposed to the sun for two to three months. Lanzhou clay sculptures are not colored, and there is no need to use painting techniques to highlight the characters. Instead, they adopt direct modeling methods to make the works that reflect the emotions of the characters.

Lanzhou gourd carving

Lanzhou gourd carving is a traditional craft that uses special needles, knives and other tools to imitate the effects of calligraphy. The handwriting is as thin as spider silk but still looks chic and smooth, and though the face of a figure is as small as a kernel of corn, the eyebrows are visible. Lanzhou gourd carving is in the same tradition as Chinese painting and calligraphy. Since the 1920s, Lanzhou gourd carvings have been sold by antique dealers to Beijing, Tianjin and other places. Since then, they have enjoyed a great reputation as a representative of Lanzhou culture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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