Lanzhou Taiping Drum Dance
By admin on 2015-01-12

The Taiping Drum Dance 太平鼓舞 in Lanzhou, Northwest China's Gansu Province, is more than 600 years old. Taiping literally means "peace" in Chinese. The drum is shaped like a big cylinder, is about 70 centimeters high and 45 centimeters in diameter.

With a picture of a dragon drawn on its red body and a Taiji diagram (concerning opposing elements) encircled by the Eight Diagrams (Bagua, relating to divination) on its cowhide cover, it incorporates the most important symbols of Chinese culture.

The splendor of its performance is brought about not only by the intricate yet ingenious formations of the team as a whole, but also by the individual drummers, who, beating the drum in a bold and powerful manner, hoist it over their heads, or shove it to the ground, or jump over it, all in perfect unison with other performers.

Today, the Taiping Drum Dance is still very popular in Lanzhou. In Lanzhou suburbs, every village has their drum team. When theSpring Festivalcomes, the Taiping drum teams in each village will hold parades before villagetemples, dispersing evil spirits and invoking blessings.

Origin
There have been quite a number of versions concerning its origin. One of them is associated with Xu Da, a general in theMing Dynasty(1368-1644) who, under the order of the emperor, led a western expedition in an effort to unite the country. Unable to conquer Lanzhou in the first offensive, he sought other means.

One day, as some local people passed him carrying buckets of water, an idea struck him. He ordered his army to make drums in the shape of water buckets.

On the following Lantern Festival, a group of his soldiers disguised themselves as drummers, with their weapons hidden inside the drums, and snuck into Lanzhou. Attacked from both inside and outside, Lanzhou soon fell. To celebrate the victory and the peace that ensued, the drum was called the Taiping Drum, taiping literally meaning "peace" in Chinese.

This story, almost a Chinese version of the Trojan Horse, is not without embellishments.