Shehuo in Baoji City
The picture is taken in Tianwang village, Baoji City of northwest
Shaanxi Province. The crowd is watching Shehuo performance, welcoming the climax of the holiday - the
lantern's day. Shehuo, a spontaneous traditional festive occasion prevailing
mainly in the northern China countryside, is a mass entertainment activity that
involves a great deal of performers, virtually enabling almost all the men in
the village to participate either in the performance or the preparation work.
It's rooted from the primitive sacrificial activities in which ancient people
prayed for harvest and affluence from "She", originally meaning the God of
Earth, and "Huo", literally meaning fire which ancient people believed to have
the magic power of driving away the evil spirit.
Shehuo in Tianwang Village is more like acrobatics. Little girls and boys in the traditional costumes
stand on the edge of a "sword", "flower", "tree branch", or even "corn leaves".
In the ancient time, four, eight or even a dozen of people would lift up the
desks that carry the children. On some desks there are two to four stories with
a plate rotating in the center.
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