User:Liu Chang

Study in Hunan Normal University

Chinese Korean Ethnic Group's Sangmo Dance: Spinning Wishes and Echoes of Heritage

Amidst the celebratory drumbeats and joyful melodies of the suona (Chinese horn), dancers wearing hats adorned with fluttering colored ribbons spin and sway rhythmically. The hat ribbons trace dazzling circles, scattering the wishes and vitality passed down through generations of the Korean ethnic group on the plain of Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture. This is the Chinese Korean Ethnic Group's Sangmo Dance - a unique dance art form whose soul lies in "swinging cap tassels." Listed among the first batch of National Intangible Cultural Heritage items in 2006, it is not only a bright star in the cultural firmament of China's Korean ethnic group but also a vibrant and dynamic component within the pluralistic yet integrated cultural landscape of the Chinese nation.

I. Historical Development: From Agricultural Ritual to Artistic Treasure

The historical lineage of the Sangmo Dance is deeply rooted in the ancient Korean "Farmer's Music Dance” system. Its origins are closely tied to the profound desire for favorable weather and abundant harvests in primitive agricultural societies, crystallizing from sacrificial rituals and collective celebrations after fieldwork. As the core prop, the form and function of the elephant hat have continuously evolved through history: from a simple hat initially serving practical purposes like sun-shading or symbolic functions in rituals, it gradually developed into an artistic apparatus specifically designed for dance, featuring long, rotating streamers(Wang Yansu, 2021). The colored tassel at the hat's crown is its soul. Its length has grown from the initial few feet to the dozens of meters challenged by modern professional dancers. The spinning techniques have also progressed from simple swings to breathtakingly complex, high-difficulty systems of movement. The materials and decorations of the hat have become increasingly exquisite, making it an important carrier of ethnic cultural aesthetics.

II. Artistic and Cultural Value

The Sangmo Dance demands performers master exceptional dynamic skills. Dancers require extraordinary control and flexibility in their heads and necks, employing precise neck force and clever coordination with body weight to drive the cap tassel into high-speed rotation. Based on different body postures and force application methods, core techniques have formed, such as "flat-swinging," "kneeling-swinging," "leaping-swinging," and "trembling-swinging." Each technique demands a high degree of coordination and rhythmic sense. The rest of the dancer's body is not static; it moves in coordinated rhythm with the hat's cadence, forming a harmonious expression involving the entire body. This dance movement is imbued with profound cultural symbols and emotional metaphors. The high-speed spinning, extending, and flying colored ribbons are totems of unleashed vital energy, symbolizing inexhaustible vitality and a fervent pursuit of a better life. The ribbons' arcs slicing through the air, seemingly extending infinitely, signify deep wishes for bountiful grains and the enduring prosperity of family lineage. The Sangmo Dance is often integrated with other forms of Farmer's Music Dance and traditional instruments like the suona and drums. The stirring drumbeats command the rhythm of the tassels, while the lively suona melodies infuse the spins with emotional soul. This form, integrating song, dance, and music, vividly embodies the Korean ethnic group's emphasis on collective emotional bonds and shared community joy.

III. The Realm of Transmission: Challenges and Vigilance

Despite its national intangible cultural heritage status, the path of transmitting the Sangmo Dance in modern society is not smooth. Firstly, the essence of the dance lies in its highly demanding neck techniques and bodily rhythm, requiring long-term, professional, and rigorous training passed down through oral instruction and personal demonstration. Currently, transmission relies mainly on the personal dedication of a few representative inheritors such as the late national-level inheritor Master Jin Mingchun and his disciples and short-term training programs at local cultural centers(Zhao Songshan, 2020). There is a lack of sustained, in-depth cultivation programs integrated into local or national education systems. Secondly, as society changes, the traditional agricultural ritual contexts from which it originated have significantly diminished in modern life, while new platforms that can fully showcase its complete cultural significance have not yet been fully established. The younger generation's preference for fast-paced popular culture also makes mastering this art form, which requires dedicated and arduous practice, relatively less appealing. Furthermore, how to create artistic expressions that genuinely resonate with contemporary audiences, especially younger groups, while maintaining the traditional core-avoiding becoming a "fossil" in a museum display case - remains an urgent challenge. Fortunately, active forces of preservation persist. Centered in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, local governments, cultural institutions, and civil society groups have carried out substantial protective work: providing grand performance stages for the Sangmo Dance through initiatives like "Intangible Cultural Heritage Enters Schools" and regularly hosting large-scale events such as the "Chinese Korean Ethnic Group Farmer's Festival." Simultaneously, intangible cultural heritage exhibition halls have been established for both static and living preservation. These efforts provide crucial support points for the dance's survival in modern society(Hong Shenshen, 2018). Looking ahead, the transmission and development of the Sangmo Dance need to embrace concepts of openness and innovation while steadfastly preserving its cultural DNA. Alongside deepening educational transmission, there should be active pursuit of creative integration with modern theater arts and large-scale cultural tourism performance projects (like Changbai Mountain cultural tourism) to revitalize it(Hong Shenshen, 2018). Embracing technology and new media, utilizing platforms like short videos and live streams for engaging dissemination and teaching popularization, is essential to attract younger audiences.

IV. Conclusion

As a splendid treasure within the garden of Chinese culture, the future of the Sangmo Dance lies not merely in museum - style preservation, but in integrating it into the currents of the times, making it an enduring cultural bond connecting past and future, individuals and communities. Only through innovation within inheritance, and steadfastness within innovation, can this spinning "crown of culture" continue to shine its unique and eternal light upon the land of China.

References: [1] Wang Yansu. Exploring the Development of Inheritor Groups of the Korean Ethnic Group's Sangmo Dance in "Intangible Cultural Heritage" [D]. Yanbian University, 2021.

[2] Zhao Songshan. A Brief Analysis of the Inheritance and Development of Korean Ethnic Group's Primitive Dance - Taking the Sangmo Dance as an Example [J]. Voice of the Yellow River, 2020, (08): 162-163.

[3] Hong Shenshen. A Brief Analysis of the Protection and Inheritance of the Korean Ethnic Group's Sangmo Dance [J]. Art Education, 2018, (01): 116-117.

Terms: 象帽舞 Sangmo Dance

帽缨 hat tassel / cap ribbon

平甩 horizontal swinging

跪甩 kneeling swinging

跃甩 leaping swinging

抖甩 trembling swinging

农乐舞 Farmer's Music Dance

国家级非物质文化遗产 National Intangible Cultural Heritage

非遗进校园 Intangible Cultural Heritage Enters Schools

延边朝鲜族自治州 Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture

唢呐 suona (Chinese horn)

锣鼓 gongs and drums

Questions： 1.What was the original function or use of the Sangmo Dance?

2.What is the performance form of the Sangmo Dance?

3.What difficulties does the inheritance of the Sangmo Dance face?

4.What are the better methods and approaches to pass on the Sangmo Dance in the new era?

中国朝鲜族象帽舞：旋转的祈愿与传承的回响

在喜庆的鼓点与欢快的唢呐声中，舞者头顶彩带飞扬的象帽，身体随着节奏灵动地旋转、摇摆。帽绳划出令人目眩的彩圈，将延边平原上朝鲜族世代相传的祈愿与活力播撒开来。这便是中国朝鲜族象帽舞——一项以“甩动帽缨”为灵魂的独特舞蹈艺术，于2006年被列入首批国家级非物质文化遗产名录。它不仅是中国朝鲜族文化苍穹中的一颗璀璨星辰，更是中华民族多元一体文化格局中鲜活灵动的组成部分。 一、发展历史——从农耕仪式到艺术瑰宝 象帽舞的历史脉络深深植根于古老的朝鲜族“农乐舞”体系。其起源与原始农耕社会对风调雨顺、五谷丰登的深切渴望息息相关，是祭祀仪式与田间劳作后集体欢庆的结晶。象帽作为核心道具，其形态与功能在历史长河中不断演进：从最初仅具实用遮阳或祭祀象征功能的简易帽子，逐渐发展为专为舞蹈设计的、带有可旋转长飘带的艺术装置(王彦苏,2021)。帽顶的彩色帽缨是其灵魂所在，其长度从最初的几尺发展到现代专业舞者挑战的数十米，旋转技巧也从简单摆动发展为令人叹为观止的高难度动作体系。象帽的材质、装饰也日益精美，成为民族文化审美的重要载体。

二、艺术与文化价值

象帽舞需要表演者掌握高超的动态技巧，舞者头部、颈部需具备非凡的控制力与灵活性，通过精准的颈部发力与身体重心的巧妙配合，驱动帽缨高速旋转。根据身体姿态和发力方式的不同，形成了“平甩”、“跪甩”、“跃甩”、“抖甩”等核心技法，每一种技法都要求高度的协调性与节奏感。舞者身体其他部位并非静止，而是随着象帽的韵律进行协调的律动，形成全身性的和谐表达。 这种舞动更蕴含着深厚的文化符号与情感隐喻。高速旋转、延展飞扬的帽缨彩带，是生命活力尽情释放的图腾，象征着旺盛不竭的生机与对美好生活的炽热追求；划破长空、仿佛无限延伸的彩带弧线喻示着对谷物丰盈、家族福泽绵延的深切祈愿。象帽舞常与其他形式的农乐舞以及唢呐、锣鼓等传统乐器融为一体，激昂的鼓点指挥着帽缨的节奏，欢快的唢呐旋律则为旋转注入情感灵魂。这种载歌载舞、乐舞一体的形式，是朝鲜族重视集体情感联结与社群欢乐共享的生动体现。

三、传承之境——挑战与守望

尽管荣列国家级非遗，象帽舞在现代社会的传承之路并非坦途。首先，象帽舞的精髓在于高难度的颈部技巧与身体韵律，其习得需长期、专业、口传心授式的严格训练。目前，主要依赖少数代表性传承人,如已故的国家级传承人金明春大师及其弟子的个人坚守与地方文化馆的短期培训，缺乏纳入地方或国民教育体系的持续性深度培养方案(赵松山,2020)。其次，随着社会的变迁，其起源所依附的传统农耕祭祀场景在现代生活中大幅消退，而能充分展示其完整文化意蕴的新兴平台尚未完全建立。年轻一代对快节奏、流行文化的偏好，也使得掌握这门需要沉心苦练的艺术吸引力相对下降。再者，象帽舞在保持传统内核的前提下，如何创造出真正打动当代观众、特别是年轻群体的艺术表达形式，避免成为博物馆橱窗里的“化石”，仍是亟待解决的难题。 值得庆幸的是，积极的守望力量始终存在。以延边朝鲜族自治州为中心，地方政府、文化机构及民间团体开展了大量保护工作：通过“非遗进校园”、定期举办“中国朝鲜族农夫节”等大型活动，为象帽舞提供盛大展演的舞台；同时建立非遗展示馆进行静态与活态保存。这些努力为象帽舞在现代社会中的存续提供了宝贵的支撑点(洪棽棽,2018)。面向未来，象帽舞的传承发展需在坚守文化基因的基础上，拥抱开放创新的理念。在深化教育传承的同时，积极寻求与现代剧场艺术、大型文旅演艺项目（如长白山文化旅游）的创意融合，使其焕发新的生命力(洪棽棽,2018)；要拥抱科技与新媒介，利用短视频、直播等新媒体平台进行趣味化传播与教学普及，吸引年轻受众。

四、总结

作为中华文化百花园中的一灿烂瑰宝，象帽舞的未来不仅在于博物馆式的珍藏，更在于使其融入时代洪流，成为连接过去与未来、个体与族群的永恒文化纽带。唯有在传承中创新，在创新中坚守，这顶旋转的“文化之冠”才能在中华大地上继续闪耀其独特而永恒的光芒。

参考文献： [1]王彦苏.探索“非遗”中的朝鲜族象帽舞传承人群发展[D].延边大学,2021.

[2]赵松山.浅析朝鲜族原生态舞蹈的传承与发展——以象帽舞为例[J].黄河之声,2020,(08):162-163.

[3]洪棽棽.浅析朝鲜族象帽舞为例的保护和传承[J].艺术教育,2018,(01):116-117.

Terms: 象帽舞 Elephant Hat Dance

帽缨 hat tassel / cap ribbon

平甩 horizontal swinging

跪甩 kneeling swinging

跃甩 leaping swinging

抖甩 trembling swinging

农乐舞 Farmer's Music Dance

国家级非物质文化遗产 National Intangible Cultural Heritage

非遗进校园 Intangible Cultural Heritage Enters Schools

延边朝鲜族自治州 Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture

唢呐 suona (Chinese horn)

锣鼓 gongs and drums

问题： 1.象帽舞最初的作用或用途是什么？

2.象帽舞的演出形式是什么？

3.象帽舞的传承面临着哪些困难？

4.新时代更好传承象帽舞的方法和途径有哪些？