Straw Dragon Dance

The Dragon Dance, also known as "Wulong", is a widely practiced and deeply influential form of folk dance in China. It is also referred to as "Shualong", "Shualongdeng", or "Wulongdeng" in different regions. This dance comes in various forms, with distinct styles depending on the ethnicity and locality of the performers.

Based on the dragon's structure, the Dragon Dance can be classified into multiple types, including cloth dragons, gauze dragons, paper dragons, straw dragons, coin dragons, bamboo dragons, palm dragons, bench dragons, hundred-leaf dragons, lotus dragons, fire dragons, feather dragons, and meat dragons. The form of the dragon determines the dance's choreography and techniques. Traditional performances of the Chinese Dragon Dance generally follow a sequence of steps, including "Inviting the Dragon", "Releasing the Dragon", "Dancing the Dragon", and "Sending Off the Dragon". Embedded within the Dragon Dance are cultural values such as perseverance and harmony between humans and nature, making it an essential part of China's cultural heritage.

The Straw Dragon Rain-Praying Dance is an ancient folk tradition in Yexie Town, Songjiang District, Shanghai. According to legend, during the Tang Dynasty, a severe drought struck the region. Han Xiangzi, one of the Eight Immortals and a native of Nianjing Village in Yexie, summoned the Azure Dragon of the East Sea to bring much-needed rain, reviving the land along the Yantie River. In gratitude, the local people began an annual tradition of crafting a straw dragon using golden rice straw, featuring a bull's head, a tiger's mouth, deer antlers, a serpent's body, eagle claws, and a phoenix tail. This four-section, four-zhang-long (approximately 13 meters) straw dragon became a symbol of prayers for favorable weather. Over time, this tradition evolved into a series of folk dances, including the Straw Dragon Dance, the Rolling Lantern Dance, and the Aquatic Dance.

The Straw Dragon Dance is a communal ritual performed during the temple fairs held on the 13th day of the fifth and ninth lunar months. The ceremony consists of seven key stages: “Prayer,” “Cloud Formation,” “Rain Petition,” “Water Collection,” “Rainfall,” “Dragon Rolling,” and “Returning to the Temple.” During the ritual, offerings such as rice, wheat, beans, gourds, and carp are placed before symbolic representations of Han Xiangzi's divine flute and the Azure Dragon King to express gratitude. Performers use a combination of hand (swinging, waving, flipping), eye (gazing, glancing, looking), body (turning, leaning, twisting), and foot (stepping, crouching, shuffling) techniques to execute the dance, ensuring coordinated movements between the entire troupe and the dragon. The climax of the performance occurs during the "Rainfall" segment when eight village women joyfully dance the "Harvest Dance" while splashing water from basins and buckets onto the spectators. This ritual, known as "Dragon Water Sprinkling", is believed to bring good fortune, prompting onlookers to eagerly welcome the dousing.

The Straw Dragon Dance, with its ancient and rustic charm, carries profound cultural significance and is a distinctive representation of regional heritage. Until 1950, the people of Yexie continued to perform the dance to pray for relief from drought. However, as temple fairs declined, the tradition was largely discontinued. In recent years, efforts have been made to revive the Straw Dragon Dance in Yexie Town, but many of its intricate techniques have been lost, making its preservation an urgent priority.