Yin Shaoshan, a farmer in Cangxian County: inheriting traditional culture and teaching lion dance for free

Yin Shaoshan is a representative inheritor of Cangzhou Lion Dance, a national intangible cultural heritage, Cangzhou Daily reported. In 2007, he founded a lion dance training center to teach young people lion dance free of charge. Besides, they pass on their dance skills wherever they perform. So far, more than 5000 people have learned Cangzhou Lion Dance, which is spread all over Gansu, Shandong, Shanxi and other parts of the country. Next, Yin Shaoshan planned to establish an inheritance base so that the Cangzhou Lion Dance could be inherited better.

Yin Shaoshan is a farmer in Liuji Village, Huangdipu Township, Cang County. He grew up watching "dancing lions". Yin Shaoshan said,"lion dance" is a folk dance, also known as lion dance. According to historical records, Cang County lion dance originated in the Han Dynasty, Ming Dynasty has been widely circulated, once in the countryside.

Yin Shaoshan is not only particularly fond of lion dance, but also good Zhang Luo, willing to worry. In 1980, at the age of 21, he pulled up a lion dance team, Liu Ji Lion Dance Troupe, with more than 20 people, all farmers.

In those days, there was no cash for performances, and it was often the host's family who gave cigarettes, firecrackers, steamed buns and steamed buns. As for these, Yin Shaoshan and the actors were happy to accept them. They were reluctant to dismantle the cigarettes and always sold them for money before buying props and costumes.

Yin Shaoshan thinks they--or rather his generation--are somewhat stupid. Today, calculate the input-output ratio. If you don't earn money, you will definitely leave. But this was not the way their generation thought, and in those days when they were not making money, they still lived faithfully with their hobbies. Yin Shaoshan said that when it was cold in winter, people were willing to stay in bed for a while, but the small army in the regiment got up early every day and shouted around the whole village until all the actors were called out of bed. He said he loved lion dancing. Sweat all the way, the reputation of "North Lion King of China" has won China and even the world

The transition occurred in 2000. This year, the Ministry of Culture held the 10th National Stars Award Competition, Liu Ji Lion Dance Group won the championship at one stroke.

After the game, the show orders continued. Excited, Yin Shaoshan and his wife Lu Chunling put all their energy into the troupe, they began to ponder how to improve lion dance skills, and invited experts from martial arts, acrobatics, literature and art circles to guide. While performing, while pondering skills, Liu Ji Lion Dance Troupe successively created and reproduced nearly 20 difficult movements such as "Stacking Lion Shaking Wei,""Three-dimensional Straight Turn,""Pedaling Chair Play" and so on.

With his creation and continuous practice, Liu Ji won the gold medal in the National North-South Lion King Competition in 2003 and was awarded the title of "Lion King of North China" by the State Sports General Administration. From then on, in more and more occasions, Liu Ji lion dance became the spokesman of the northern lion dance. Hong Kong's return, Beijing Olympic Games, Shanghai World Expo, the 60th anniversary of the founding of New China, the escort performance of the Olympic torch relay in Paris, France... They also went abroad to stage in the United States, South Korea and other places.

It is worth mentioning that after the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the chief director Zhang Yimou commented on the lion dance performance: "The lions in Cangzhou are always good. As the first program of the Olympic ceremony performance, their cheers and boiling show the Olympic momentum!" The establishment of a training center makes the inheritance of lion dance more hopeful.

As time passed, Yin Shaoshan had a sense of initiative that was even more active than before. Perhaps because of his age, he wanted to influence young people and wanted to train more lion dancers. He trained his daughter, son-in-law, son and daughter-in-law to perform on stage. This is not enough, in 2007, he founded "Liu Ji lion dance training institute." With the training center, Yin Shaoshan opened the door to everyone. He said he was willing to teach anyone who wanted to learn lion dance, free of charge and board.

In 2009, the Ministry of Culture announced the third batch of representative inheritors of intangible cultural heritage, Yin Shaoshan became a national inheritor. With non-genetic inheritance funds, Yin Shaoshan more actively "go out". He often went to school to teach his children, and his wife Lu Chunling went to prison to teach prisoners serving time. Yin Shaoshan said that if he and his wife are not available, other coaches from the training center will go out to teach instead of them, without charging any fees, and teach wherever they go, hoping only to find more people worthy of entrusting the skill. Relying on the training institute, they have trained more than 5000 students so far, all over Gansu, Shandong, Shanxi and other parts of the country.

In recent years, Yin Shaoshan has encountered difficulties. "With the development of society, the days of ordinary people are getting better, the choices of young people are increasing, and the number of children learning lion dance is decreasing." Old artists leave, new people can't make up for it. It's even more difficult to pass on the lion dance skills." Yin Shaoshan felt a little disappointed. Looking at all kinds of honorary certificates, trophies, medals and pennants placed in the training center, Yin Shaoshan was unwilling. He said that he used to go out to perform to earn money and support his family, but now he is a national inheritor, shouldering the mission and responsibility.

Yin Shaoshan was groping and looking for a way out for the Cangzhou Lion Dance, and he had never given up. "I want to build a lion dance inheritance base, just like Wuqiao Acrobatics World, which can not only provide a place for students to learn, but also provide venues for actors to perform and generate income." Now that he had chosen the location for this inheritance base, Yin Shaoshan had more expectations.