ragon dance.pptVIP

* * * Dragon Dance Prop (道具) accompaniment(伴奏) Gong (铜锣) momentum(动力) Clan (部落) emblem(象征) Totem (图腾) legendary(传说中的) sacrifice (祭品) lantern(灯笼) pigment(颜料) vigorously(精神旺盛地) spectator(观众) unremitting(不懈的) * . Questions: 1. What did the Yellow Emperor of Chinese nation adopt as the totem of his tribe? 2. What was dragon dance performance used for in the remote past? 3. What does dragon symbolize? 4. What makes dragon dance so popular for centuries? * The dragon dance, also known as the dragon lantern dance, is a unique folk dance in China. The performers wave props(道具) shaped like a dragon to the accompaniment(伴奏) of drums and gongs(铜锣), displaying a powerful and majestic(宏伟的) momentum(动力). The image of the dragon appeared in prehistoric times. Each clan(部落) adopted the image of an animal as its emblem(象征)and this became the clan’s totem(图腾). The Yellow Emperor, the legendary(传说中的)ancestor of the Chinese nation, adopted the dragon as the totem of his tribe. The dragon could be long or short, big or small. In spring, the dragon rose high into the air and in autumn, it hid at the bottom of the water. People in ancient China believed that rain was under the control of the dragon. About 3,000 years ago, the dragon dance was performed when people offered sacrifices (祭品) to Heaven. * HU XIAOWEI (Research Fellow, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences): In the remote past the dragon dance was performed to pray for rain. In China, agriculture was the base on which to build up the nation. The time and amount of rainfall were very important for harvests. Today we can still see the earliest form of the dragon dance. One family offered a wooden bench. Benches from many families were linked together to form a dragon for performance. Naturally the dragon lantern(灯笼) was the most wonderful. The dragon lantern was an improved prop of the dragon dance performed when sacrifices were offered to Heaven. About 2,000 years ago, the