Youth breathe new life into ancient art form(3)

Carrying the torch

These days, the ancient art continues to attract young performers

"I feel privileged to be able to pass on the intangible cultural heritage," said 25-year-old Li Jing, who was born and raised in Tongliang.

Like Cai, Li developed a keen interest in the art at a young age and was chosen to join the national troupe when she was in middle school.

She decided to join the troupe in 2020 after graduating from college and was the only woman among the 12 dancers.

Li is the troupe's "dragon ball hand", the person who holds a ball on a stick that the dragons follow as they move.

She contributes both strength and grace to her troupe's performances, and said she recognizes and appreciates the history behind the dragon dancing.

"The glory of the dragon dance is inseparable from our deeply rooted dragon culture and our dedicated successors," Li said.

Tongliang continues to pay homage to its heritage as the birthplace of the Chinese dragon dance.

The district has many dragon-themed streets and sites, including White Dragon and Golden Dragon avenues, Dragon Fly Road and White Dragon Square.

She said dragon dance artists are highly respected by residents. Taxi drivers even offer troupe members free rides.

Amateur teams are also active. Each year, dragon dance competitions are held at local primary and middle schools, and multiple dance troupes perform during festivals and holidays.

Several organizations dedicated to researching and preserving the dance form have also been established.

The local government has also attached great importance to the cultural heritage. Besides providing funding, special promotional efforts have been made, and a video of the director of the local cultural and tourism commission performing a dragon dance recently went viral online.

Cai's art troupe also uses Douyin, an online video-sharing platform, to promote the dance. He said as the dance has grown in popularity, the ribbon dragon dance — a new type focusing on fitness — has drawn massive attention on the platform and beyond.

Last year, the troupe, with support from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, went on a tour in Bulgaria and performed ribbon dances.

"More than 20 ribbon dragons were snapped up by local residents after the performance," he said.

On Jan 29, 36 artists from the troupe staged a fire dragon dance show in Harbin, capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang province. The performers use molten iron to create sparks that are supplemented by fire blasted from the dragon's mouth, creating a spectacular three-dimensional effect.

The iron is heated to 1,600 C in eight ovens arranged in a circle. Eighteen bare-chested men spray the liquid iron into the air, creating scatterings of flower-like flames. Fireworks fly from the bodies of two golden dragons held by 20 other shirtless men as the creatures fly up and down and back and forth through seas of fire.

"Many youngsters have shown interest in learning the dragon dance," said Cai, who has taught thousands of students at home and abroad.

"I hope there will be more international cultural exchanges for the Tongliang dragon dance in the future," he said.