Farmers’ Dance of China’s Korean Ethnic Group
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Farmers’ dance of China’s Korean ethnic group
Gathering in fields or villages during community festivals, members of the Korean ethnic group in Jilin and other provinces in north-eastern China offer a traditional sacrifice to the God of the Land to pay homage to nature and pray for good fortune and a plentiful harvest. This is the beginning of the farmers’ dance of China’s Korean ethnic group, a popular folk practice passed on by senior members of a community to younger generations. Musicians play oboe-like ''suona,'' bell-shaped gongs and a variety of drums, while masked or unmasked dancers move farcically to the accompaniment. The dance is inspired by the motions of farming, which it imitates through gestures such as ‘walking the field ridges’. Spreading from its agricultural origins to Korean people of all walks of life in both urban and rural areas, the dance has evolved considerably since it was brought to China at the end of the nineteenth century. For example, the musical ensemble has been expanded to include wind instruments and the dancers’ costumes have been influenced by the clothes of other Chinese ethnic groups. As the product of accumulated labour and wisdom, the farmers’ dance remains an important expression of the cultural heritage of China’s Korean ethnic group.
Farmers' Dance of China’s Korean Ethnic Group
The Korean farmer's dance originated in ancient times when Koreans began to farm and hold rituals to pray for good harvests and good weather. It was traditionally performed during planting, harvesting and other agricultural events, to help them overcome their fatigue and anguish. Early records mention Korean farmers working to the beat of percussion instruments. Until recently, it was performed in rural areas, in particular during planting and harvesting, to give encouragement to farmers and to provide them with a beat to work to. It was also often performed as a part of shamanistic rituals to protect houses from thieves and fire, to purify the village, and to give thanks to the river or mountain spirits. Today the dance is seen mostly at special festivals and folk art competitions but can also be observed from time to time on village holidays and at major village events in rural areas. When it is performed now, the two major styles of the dance are often combined. In 2009, Farmers’dance of China’s Korean ethnic group was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the UNESCO.
Passing on the ethnic Korean farmers’ dance
As director of Wangqing’s Center for Preservation of Intangible Cultural Heritage, Jin has devoted 35 years to continuing the ethnic Korean farmers’ dance. He is also the only dancer who can perform the elephant cap dance with a 32-meter-long tail, and has won many awards including the “Lotus Award” representing the highest national honor for dancers. In 2009, UNESCO recognized the ethnic Korean farmers’ dance as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and Jin Ming-chun was recognized as its inheritor.
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Examples
1 The Farmer's Dance is a representative dance favored by the Korean ethnic group in northeastern China, and is especially popular in the Korean congregating area of Jilin, Heilongjiang andLiaoning provinces.It was inscribed in 2009 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
2 They are two typical instruments used in traditional Korean folk dance called Nongak (literally farmers' dance, Korean: 농악).
3 The farmer's dance is one of the oldest forms for China's Korean ethnic group