Where did Chinese acrobatics originate?

Specifically there is not too clear, only know that Hebei Cangzhou Wuqiao is the hometown of acrobatics! Here is the history of the development of acrobatics!

(A) The embryonic period of Chinese acrobatic art

During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods, the strife of the powers and the contention of the sons had a far-reaching impact on the development of Chinese culture. On this basis, the acrobatic art entered its definite and formative period. The influence of later generations of acrobatics seven categories of prototype gradually appeared.

1. Force technique (also divided into two categories of jousting and carrying tripod)

A. Jousting: a kind of confrontational special skill similar to wushu or wrestling;

B. Carrying: similar to lifting weights and so on nowadays.

2. Physical skills

The most typical program of this type is the "Yan opera". "Yan play" that is, the performance of the body as light as a swallow through the action, Chinese acrobatic art to flexibility, the pursuit of lightness and ease. Acrobatic skills such as fighting is built on the basis of the body light and waist and legs kung fu.

3. Juggling skills

These skills are "jumping pills", "flying sword on stilts" and so on. ("Zhuangzi Xu Wugui": "City South Yirong, good at making pills and bells, often eight in the air, one in the hand. When Chu fought with Song, Yirong was wearing a chest and was refused, and he made the pill and bell in front of the army. An army stopped fighting, and then won").

4. Aerial skills

These skills can be traced back to the primitive society of "tree climbing" "rock climbing", and the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period of aerial skills "climbing cloth" and "help". "and" Fu Lu "and so on.

5. Illusion

Illusion is the ideal state of people beyond the boundaries of time and space, to enjoy greater freedom in the pursuit of the universe. The life-affirming meaning of Eastern human culture is also reflected here.

6. Circus

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, "circus" was only "art" but not yet "theater". It is the prototype of later circus.

7. Funny

Funny is an extremely ancient category of Chinese acrobatic art. During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, haiku and gnomes were the preachers of acrobatics. Haiku and gnomes not only performed songs and dances under the lords and officials to please people with their music and dances, but also, more importantly, to be rewarded for their skills.

In summary: the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods is the embryonic period of Chinese acrobatic art, which had a great influence on the later acrobatic art. It was characterized by numerous categories, complicated projects, high skill and skillfulness, and not a few practitioners.

(B) The basic formation and growth of Chinese acrobatic art

During the period of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the court haiku and jiaoyi included all performing arts. Emperor Qin Shihuang strongly advocated jiaoyi theater, the intention is not only to appreciate the one hand, but also more importantly, to practice and improve the physical fitness of soldiers through a large amount of exercise.

Horns, the original name of the Chi play. Is to commemorate the ancient famous character Chi You, a folk athletic music and dance. By three or two by two people, head wearing a bull horn against the play, by the court and folk favorite.

The Han Dynasty, is the formation of Chinese acrobatic art and growth period. On the basis of the corner of the theater constantly improve and enrich the new content, and further improve the skills. By the Eastern Han Dynasty, a new form of performance was formed with acrobatics as the main art and a collection of various performing arts as a hall - the Hundred Operas. So far, the basic establishment of the Han Dynasty acrobatic art system, which contains force techniques, physical class, circus class, Shangkong class, juggling class, illusion class, skill class, and other animal plays, colorful za play, burlesque and so on.

In short, the Chinese acrobatic art was formed in the Han Dynasty, although there were great changes later, but basically on the basis of the development of acrobatics in the Han Dynasty. Its basic form has not changed much.

(C) The mysterious and ingenious period of Chinese acrobatic art

In the Jin Dynasty, the metaphysical science flourished, and "it was only the nature that was opposed to the name and religion". The combination of martial arts among the literati and the practice of Zen Buddhism and Taoism promoted the development of acrobatic art. In this period, the formation of a typical series of Chinese illusionist program "Dan, beans, rings, swords.

Dan: According to the "Shuo Wen": "Dan is the essence of the stone, so all the essence of the drug is said to be Dan." This program was created by the influence of the Taoist alchemy of internal alchemy. According to legend, the alchemy of dan should be made at night to the moon, and the beads should be formed from the dantian, spit out from the mouth to the moon, and sucked back after full absorption of the moonlight. Therefore, acrobatics change Dan beads always use the mouth "over off", that is, the so-called "change Dan not away from the mouth, change beans not away from the hand.

Beans: slightly smaller than Dan. Originally from the Warring States period of the Yihong get pills. Generally use two bowls, three beans or five beans to change. Later generations developed to five bowls and ten beans. The variation of beans reflects the Taoist philosophy of "one life, two lives, three lives, three lives".

- Ring: The ring is a reflection of the spirit of seeking roundness and fullness in Eastern culture. As long as it can be round and full, it can cope with infinity. The ring is the expression of roundness and fullness, and is a symbol of auspiciousness.

Sword: Because the literati scholars generally good sword, Taoist masters and the sword for the gods and goddesses magic weapon. The so-called sword set the world, and Dan has a very close relationship. It is the two Taoist has a dependent role, so the sword and Dan performed many sets of acrobatic illusion program.

In short, the Jin and the North and South Dynasties period of acrobatic art, endowed with the Han Dynasty hundred plays on the basis of the further creation and development of the period of the illusion of this feature. Inheritance and development of the Han Dynasty hundred theater art is particularly notable on the creation of the formation of the Chinese juggling influence of the sword beans ring Dan played a historical role.

(D) The comprehensive development of Chinese acrobatic art

The primitive society is the origin of Chinese acrobatic art, the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period is the embryonic period of Chinese acrobatic art, the Han Dynasty is the basic formation of Chinese acrobatic art, and the Tang Dynasty is the comprehensive development of Chinese acrobatic art.

The acrobatics of the Tang Dynasty was characterized by comprehensiveness and integration. Not only did the Chinese acrobatics get unprecedented development, but also the acrobatics of ethnic minorities and foreign countries got extensive exchanges and development in this period.

Such as "aerial skills" type of program, in which the pole skill is a typical reflection of this comprehensive features and the **** integration of various ethnic groups. The pole skill program is divided into "climbing pole", "top pole", "the car carries pole" and "palm pole play", "in the streamer", "in the streamer" and "in the air". The program is divided into "Climbing Pole", "Top Pole", "Carrying Pole on Car", and "Pole Play in Palm", "Middle Streamer" etc. The "pole-rocking" play created by Shi Huoming, an ethnic-minority woman from Youzhou, based on the famous music and dance "The King of Qin's Broken Formation Music", was very unique. She topped a 100-foot pole, on which five bowstrings were supported, and five girls dressed in five-color clothes, holding swords and halberds on the pole and tilted to and fro in time with the rhythm of the music. This program is a combination of song and dance, force techniques, and pole-rocking techniques. In this type of work, there are also Changan suburb of Sanyuan female artists can head over the funeral pole carrying 18 people back and forth. It is this variety of arts and techniques, so the Tang officials and nobles traveling ceremonial often to "carry pole" performance as a guide.

In short, the Chinese acrobatic art in the Tang Dynasty has been an unprecedented development, the further development of acrobatic art of later generations to create a good foundation.

(V) The downturn and boom period of Chinese acrobatic art

Yuan and Ming are the downturn of Chinese acrobatic art.

In the Yuan Dynasty, the rulers took strict control of the acrobatic art of the Central Plains, which was characterized by martial arts. Folk are not allowed to private weapons, so acrobatics in the "play fork" "machete" and other types of programs can not be staged. So one part of the acrobatic artists stayed away from the city and wandered to sell their skills, while the other part of the acrobatic artists devoted themselves to various kinds of small and large acrobatic classes. (This had a far-reaching impact on the content and acting skills of acrobatics, and made Chinese opera a comprehensive artistic feature of song and dance, acrobatics, rap, and martial arts.)

In short, acrobatic art in the Yuan Dynasty in different ways organic integration in the opera performance. Combined with the shaping of characters, the miscellaneous opera (Chinese opera) had a great development, and thus formed a specialization in the art of opera - "fight".

And in the Ming Dynasty, acrobatics and dance and other traditional performing arts are rarely performed at the court. Especially acrobatic art is regarded as an unappealing plaything. Artists had to run the countryside to sell their skills, but the gradual emergence of opera on the absorption of acrobatics into an unprecedented flourish. Therefore, this period of acrobatics can only be recorded from the performance of opera art to find the trajectory of its development.

During the Qing Dynasty, the acrobatic arts were in full bloom.

Although, acrobatic art in the Qing Dynasty Palace performances rarely recorded, but the prosperity of opera art, the richness of urban secular culture, the formation of the Qing Dynasty acrobatic art continues to blend in the opera and the folk art of the two paths of development.

In 1790, Hui Ban entered Beijing, the birth of Beijing opera. As a result, the absorption of acrobatic martial arts into the opera has become a phenomenon. "Heel" is an important item of acrobatic skill, and it was absorbed and used in many aspects of opera performance in the Qing Dynasty. Therefore, there is a "Peking Opera's heel acrobatic top" said. This is a blackmail, but it shows that the acrobatic art and opera art integration, not only inherits its artistic characteristics, but also promotes its development. After the integration of the opera, the "bucket" has been constantly renovated, and its charm is infinite. At the same time, acrobatics and draw on the characteristics of the opera and the law of the opera, used in "drilling" and "big and small martial arts" and other programs.

As the opera flourished, a large number of acrobatic skills and acrobatic artists into the opera performance at the same time, the other part of the acrobatic artists in order to adapt to the development of the times, in the case of large-scale acrobatic performances are almost extinct, forcing individuals to drilling small juggling and sell their skills in the jianghu, in order to seek food and clothing. This formed the "play, ring, stirrups, color" as the main content of the Qing Dynasty acrobatic art.

In summary, the Chinese acrobatic art to the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties to form the integration of this major feature with the opera. Folk acrobatic performances alone in the development of Yuan, shrinking, to Ming and forward, to the Qing Dynasty is flourishing. Whether shrinking, forward, vigorous, which are and acrobatic artists hard work, hard research is inseparable. Otherwise, the acrobatics category will not be so complete generation to generation heritage to date. (End)