The Eastern Zhou Dynasty of Chinese Traditional Dance

Folk dance

The history entered the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (77-221 BC). Due to the invention of ironware and the improvement of productivity, great changes have taken place in society and the feudal system has been firmly established. The elegant music system established in the early years of the Western Zhou Dynasty, after a short period of glory, appeared a situation of "ritual collapse and bad music". Various folk dances are flourishing, and the poems describing the local customs in The Book of Songs vividly reflect the activities of folk dances, such as "Chen Feng. The East Gate": "If you don't perform well, the city will be swaying", which describes the girls dancing with ecstasy; "Chen Feng Wan Qiu": "Kanqi drums, under Wan Qiu, there is no winter and no summer, which is worth its heron feathers", describing that people are obsessed with singing and dancing regardless of the cold winter and heat.

At that time, there were many singers and dancers-"female dancers" in the harem of princes and the homes of nobles for enjoyment and entertainment. Performance dance has made great progress. Many beautiful and vivid dance cultural relics were unearthed in the tombs of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, especially in the Warring States period. In addition, the famous dancers Juan Juan and Ti Yun, dancing as lightly as Gathering Feathers, fluttering as Wandering Dust, and soft waist like Xuan Huai, which can be curled into your arms. Chu dance is characterized by long sleeves and a thin waist, so there is a saying that "the king of Chu loves a thin waist and there are many hungry people in the palace" The dance characterized by twisting the waist out of the crotch has been clearly presented, and the aesthetic consciousness of being light, elegant and gentle has also been clearly displayed. Such aesthetic characteristics have had a far-reaching impact on later generations and have been passed down to this day.

Another style of dance, such as "Da Wu", is intense, high-spirited and magnificent, showing the beauty of national dance. Rigid and soft, literary and martial arts, two contrasting dance styles, have been running through the development of Chinese traditional dance.

The Zhou Dynasty was the first time in the history of China's dance development. -Xuan Juan and Ti Ge

More than 2, years ago, in the Warring States Period, two famous dancers-Xuan Juan and Ti Ge appeared. From the analysis of relevant records, they may have mastered the stunt of combining dance with qigong.

according to "the gleaning notes", in the second year of Yan Zhaowang's accession to the throne (31 BC), Guang Yan Guo presented two good dancers, namely Xuan Juan and Ti Di. Their faces are beautiful and their dances are light and elegant. They performed three dances: first, "Wandering Dust", dancing like light dust lingering in the air; Second, "Feather Collection", such as feathers swaying back to soup in the wind; Third, "Xuan Huai", the dance posture is extremely soft, and it seems that it can be rolled into the arms.

It is mentioned in the article that they danced on the fragrant chips with a thickness of four or five inches, but there was no trace of them. Jumping on the incense ashes all day without leaving any footprints, it is absolutely impossible without "lightness skill". Of course, there are inevitably some artistic exaggerations in the ancient records, but the skills of Xuan Juan and Ti Jin, the two earliest recorded ancient dancers in China, are amazing. The lightness of dancing is indeed an aesthetic feature advocated by the Chinese nation for a long time. The Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period-wuyue Music and Chuci

The musical thoughts of Confucius, Mozi and Laozi, as the representatives of the famous schools at that time, had an immeasurable influence on China's later musical aesthetic theory.

Confucius not only pursues the perfect realm of life, but also aspires to "perfection" in music. Confucius thought that "goodness" refers to the content of music and dance, which contains the connotation of social morality; "Beauty" is the form of music and dance, which refers to the aesthetic standard. Therefore, Confucius gave a very high evaluation of Shao, that is, "perfection", and even reached the point where "I don't know the taste of meat in March"

Contrary to Confucius, the most typical one is Mohism's theory of "non-music" (that is, denying music). Because Mozi emphasized thrift, he opposed the luxury of Confucian "rites and music" system. He criticized Confucianism for "being fond of pleasure and seducing others, and not being pro-governing" and "Confucianism is enough to ruin the world" (Mozi. Non-Confucianism). This thought was expounded from the standpoint of ordinary people. Mozi believed that the people were overwhelmed by the indulgent musical behavior of nobles.

there's also the Taoist saying that "the sound is great". For example, the philosophical basis of Laozi's music thought is "Taoism is natural". In his view, "Tao" is intangible, without image and without any stipulation. The "Tao" of music is "listening to it is not famous for hope", in which "hope" belongs to the natural nature of "Tao". The so-called "great sound and great joy" refers to music with the attribute of "Tao" (that is, the biggest and most beautiful music).

At that time, there were various schools and theories, among which the music thought laid the foundation for the study of music aesthetics in later generations.

How magical are these pleasures of Zhong Qing, which made Confucius not know the taste of meat, and how luxurious is Mozi's aristocratic music life? In 1978, I found the image answer in the underground music palace of Zeng Houyi's tomb unearthed in Suixian County, Hubei Province.

During the Spring and Autumn Period, wuyue (now in Jiangsu and Zhejiang) accepted the influence of Zhou Culture and inherited the original bronze altar of Baiyue, but on the other hand, it still retained the traditional sacrificial customs and formed a musical style totally contrary to the customs of the Central Plains. This can be seen from the story of Yue Wang's love of listening to "wild sounds" in Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals.

In addition, the Chu State, which still retains the custom of headhunting and praying to the gods, has long accepted Zhong Qing as a symbol of Zhou culture, which can be seen from the Warring States musical instruments unearthed in Jinan City. At that time, "Songs of the South" was not only an epoch-making milestone in the history of China literature, but also a masterpiece with rich classical romanticism in the history of ancient music in China. For example, Qu Yuan's "Nine Songs of the East Emperor Taiyi" is a aria in which witches express and praise the gods-the East Emperor Taiyi. Among them, it sings:

"Raise the drumstick and ring the big drum, with a soothing rhythm, singing peacefully, and singing in unison. The witch dances, the costumes are bright, the fragrance is full, the hall is full, the five tones are continuous, the symphony is wrong, and the East Emperor is too happy and healthy! "

This poem vividly depicts the meeting of gods and men in a romantic and splendid sacrificial scene.

as for the north, because the northern culture is dominated by the culture of historians, emphasizing personnel and being practical, it shows a realistic color represented by the Book of Songs in music.