Local culture: Jinxi hand-cranked lion

A popular folk lantern in Jinxi County is the hand-cranked lion. According to legend, this lantern has a history of 100 years, which was created by local working people on the basis of practicing martial arts. Hand-cranked lions are different from common lion dances. It does not show the spirit of bravery and grandeur, but it has formed a unique artistic feature with its small and exquisite structure and lively and playful performance, which can be said to be a rare variety in folk art.

For more than 100 years, hand-cranked lions have been repeatedly processed by local working people, and there have been 108 sets of performances. It embodies the diligence and wisdom of the working people. Unfortunately, most of them have been lost. In the past, from the first day of the first month to the Lantern Festival, the Jinxi area would perform hand-cranked lions, accompanied by suona and percussion music, filled with warm and cheerful emotions. The crowd is watching, a sea of people, so lively.

The hand-cranked lion is beautifully made. The colorful lion's body and flexible structure are exquisite handicrafts themselves. During the performance, one person dances the ball, one person dances the green lion and one person dances the yellow lion. Ball dancers have to toss and fall; Lion dancer, the lower squat indicates the lion's progress, the squat indicates the lion's vertical jump, the kneel indicates the lion's stillness, and the squat and lunge indicate the lion's crawling and jumping; Use "jumping hair" to express the lion somersault; Use "scratching the back" to show the lion rolling; At the same time, with the help of the strength of the wrist, the little lion is constantly shaken to show its licking, scratching and catching the ball. The lion's mood is also expressed through Mao's kung fu. It is difficult to play the hand-cranked lion, which requires the coordination of hands and feet and the cooperation from top to bottom. So actors need to have certain basic skills. The locals regard learning to dance and shaking hands with lions as martial arts and physical exercise. They often practice shirtless with a bench in their hands, and even in the cold winter, they will sweat profusely.