Among these, however, Ansai Waist Drum (Ansai Yaogu) in Shaanxi Province, Weifeng Drum Dance (Weifeng Luogu) in Shanxi Province, and Lanzhou Taiping (Peace) Drum Dance (Taiping Gu) in Gansu Province stand out as the three most prominent, representing the essence of the Yellow River civilization.

Ansai Waist Drum, with a history of over 2,000 years, well embodies the simple yet bold and uninhibited character of the inhabitants of the loess plateau in Northwest China. The spectacular performance of as many as 1,000 Waist Drum players produces an awe-inspiring and earthshaking effect. It has been used in such grand activities as the opening ceremony of the 11th Asian Games and the celebration of Hong Kong's return.

Weifeng Drum Dance, originating in Linfen Prefecture in North China's Shanxi Province, boasts a history of as long as over 4,000 years. A drum team ranges from 30 to over 100 performers, and their drums are of different sizes. People of all ages can take part. Recent years have seen the rising popularity of a number of women teams.

Weifeng Drum Dance is the simple and candid expression of the valiant sentiments of the local people. In both the 40th anniversary of the foundation of the PRC (People's Republic of China) and the opening ceremony of the 11th Asian Games, people around the world were surprised by its spectacular performance.

Taiping Drum Dance in Lanzhou of Northwest China's Gansu Province is also more than 600 years old. With a picture of a dragon drawn on its red body and a Taiji diagram (concerning opposing elements) encircled by the Eight Diagrams (Bagua, relating to divination) on its cowhide cover, it incorporates the most important symbols of Chinese culture.

The splendor of its performance is brought about not only by the intricate yet ingenious formations of the team as a whole, but also by the individual drummers, who, beating the drum in a bold and powerful manner, hoist it over their head, or shove it to the ground, or jump over it, all in perfect unison with other performers.

Having taken part in the celebrations of the 11th Asian Games, the Hong Kong recovery, and the 50th anniversary of the PRC's foundation, the Lanzhou Taiping Drum Dance team was also invited by the US Warner International Cultural Center to lead the procession in the 117th Rose Parade (January 2, 2006) in Pasadena, California.

The team aimed to bring the Pasadena spectators into direct and intimate contact with this side of traditional Chinese culture that exhibits a strong sense of unsophisticated simplicity and is at the same time powerful and majestic.

Given their typical Chinese characteristics, cultural richness, and inspiring artistic expression, these three types of drums, it is relatively safe to guess, are very likely to make a show in the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Page:

1

2

3

4

5

6

All rights reserved. Reproduction of text for non-commercial purposes is permitted provided that both the source and author are acknowledged and a notifying email is sent to us.