Chapter 16 Section 2 Aerial tricks and force tricks
The acrobats of the Tang Dynasty absorbed the acrobatic art of Xunlu from the Han, Wei and Six Dynasties, and made new developments. They were called air tricks and Chengli tricks.During the performance, one person carries the pole on his head or on his shoulders, and one or two or three people climb up the pole to perform.In an ancient picture scroll "Xinxi Ancient Music Picture" preserved in Japan more than 800 years ago, it depicts a popular picture scroll of acrobatic performances introduced to Japan during the Tang Dynasty.Among them are climbing poles, jacking poles, rope skipping, walking on stilts, and handstands.According to Cui Lingqin's "Jiaofang Ji", when Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty set up "Dajiu" in the south of Tianjin Bridge in Luoyang, a child could somersault and quickly climbed onto a long pole. Holding the pole, he "turned over and fell down" at last. The action was thrilling and the skill was superb, which made the audience intoxicated like crazy.The poet Zhang Hu wrote the poem "Da Jiu Le", praising its grand occasion:
Artists Pei Chengen, Zhao Jiechou, Hou Da, Fan Da Niangzi, Liu Jiao's father and daughter, etc. during Tang Xuanzong's time were all masters who were good at this skill.
Figure 15 Ange handstand (see "Xinxi Gule Picture")
Artists who perform astonishing strength are called Chengli Jue, which originated in the pre-Qin period of fighting, wrestling, and lifting the tripod, and later evolved into "Xia Yu carrying the tripod" and "Shengui carrying the mountain" (Song Dynasty Wang Pu "Tang Huiyao" ).According to the records of "Sui Shu·Music History" written by Wei Zheng and others in the Tang Dynasty:
It can be seen from this that this performance is not simply about expressing strength, but also about skills.This kind of Chengli Ji got a new development in the Tang Dynasty, and it cooperated with Kong Ji to form an interesting contrast.According to Zheng Chuhui's "Minghuang Miscellaneous Records", once Tang Xuanzong "listed a hundred acrobats" in front of the Qinzheng Building, and there was an acrobat named Wang Da Niang performing on the field in the teaching workshop.There is a tall bamboo pole on her head, on which there are fairy props similar to the legendary "Yingzhou, Abbot", and a child holds a bamboo stick with a crimson knot, going in and out of the sacred mountain.Liu Yan, a "child prodigy" who was only 10 years old at the time, was ordered by Concubine Yang to compose the poem "Ode to the Queen Wearing a Pole":
Among them, the "wearing pole" performed by Aunt Wang is "Chengli Jue". She not only performed the skill of jacking up the pole, but also showed amazing strength and physical strength.People in the Tang Dynasty liked acrobatics on top of poles, especially the "Chengli Jijutsu" performed by female wrestlers. At that time, many literati remembered its grand occasion with poems and prose.Poet Gu Kuang's "Dangerous Pole Song" describes the superb skills of female artists on top of the pole: "Circling the wind, flying birds, frightening apes, tree branches [niao bird]." Poet Wang Jian's "Looking for a Pole Song" says:
He not only described the amazing skills of the female artist, praised her extraordinary courage and skill in taking risks, but also admired her demeanor and dancing posture.Chengli female performer, with a long pole on her head and the performer on the pole, also performs graceful dances with the music and singing. At the end of the song, she is still so calm, charming and fit. .
Among the murals in Dunhuang of the Tang Dynasty, there is a picture of "Lady of the Song Dynasty Traveling", which contains vivid content depicting Chengli tricks and aerial tricks.In the picture, an artist is wearing a short dress and skirt, standing on one foot, with a long pole on his head, and a cross bar on the top of the pole, forming a cross shape.On the top of the pole, there is an actor holding the pole with both hands and raising the top. On the left end of the crossbar, an artist is copying the wood with one hand, hanging down in the air. On the right end, an artist is holding the right end of the crossbar with both hands.On the long pole a few feet below the crossbar, there is another artist holding the pole with one arm and two feet, doing rotation movements.This group of acrobatic performances has different postures and is all wonderful.
