Chapter 30 The second section acrobatic performances during the Ming and Qing dynasties

The incense walking fair during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, also known as the temple fair, is a kind of folk activity with a certain religious color. Acrobatic performances are the most popular among the masses in the Xingxianghui, and religious activities often rely on these performances to attract audiences and expand their influence.Most of the participants in this performance are farmers, not professional acrobats.These farmers worked hard in the fields for a year. During the slack time, they used their acrobatic skills to go to other places to perform short-term performances, which not only adjusted their daily monotonous life. , and can also earn some money to supplement the needs of the family.Therefore, at temple fairs, they gather together voluntarily or at the invitation of others to hold joint performances.They beat gongs and drums, walked on stilts, and some even disguised themselves as historical and legendary figures to show off their talents in the procession.This situation is just like what Li Dou, a native of the Qing Dynasty, said in "Yangzhou Huafanglu" that "juggling skills come from all directions and gather on the embankment".

Most of the acrobatics performed in Xingxiang Zouhui are martial arts and sports programs, such as flying fork, lion dance, playing dragon lantern, dancing meteor, flying cymbals, stilts, shoulders, banners, tiles, flower beds, stone poles, Shi Suo and others, and Wu Youru's "Tricks in Yu Garden" painted by Wu Youru in the late Qing Dynasty, truly and vividly reflected the scene of the performance at the Shanghai Town God's Temple Fair.