Passing on the Ethnic Korean Farmers’Dance

By+staff+reporter+JIAO+FENG

THE elephant cap dance is one of the most unique and representative folk dances among Chinese ethnic Koreans， characterized by long history and rich content. The dance is performed with long streamers secured to the top of the dancers cap. Male dancers use their necks to swing the colorful 20-meter streamers， accompanied by music and singing. Often performed on festivals or celebration days， elephant cap dancers can turn the streamers into beautiful rings around the dancers and dazzle the spectators. The fast-paced rhythm and lively movements reflect the joy and enthusiasm of ethnic Koreans at work and at home.

Born for the Dance

Jin Mingchun was born in a farming village in Wangqing County. As a boy he enjoyed cultural and artistic activities and became proficient at the bamboo flute， comic drama and crosstalk. He was always full of energy and enthusiasm， practicing his performances whenever he had a spare moment from farmwork.

In 1978， Jin got his start when the local cultural station launched an elephant cap dance class. Jin made an ersatz elephant cap from an aluminum washbowl， abacus beads， bicycle spokes and paper.“It only took three days for me to master the basics of the elephant cap dance， so I felt that I might be talented at it. I had many ideas for choreographing new dances. I felt born for the dance，” Jin said.

In order to improve， Jin continued to try more difficult movements and longer practice. Once， after over zealous practicing， he couldnt move his neck for a week. In the daytime， he worked in the commune； his evenings were dedicated to rehearsals for the publicity team. With no money to purchase costumes and props， Jin made them himself with any materials available. “I persisted practicing for eight years and never felt that life was hard or tiring，” Jin said. In 1986， when Jin participated in a joint cultural performance of the Three Northeastern Provinces of China， he passed several rounds of competition and won the Special Award.

Over the past decades， Jin has never slackened his efforts in practicing. He has continuously improved his performance skills and added new movements and content to the folk dance. During daily practice or in his teaching class， Jin is always thinking about new movements. Sometimes he stays up at nights， filling notebooks with new ideas. When directing dance programs， he often tries to incorporate elements of martial arts， street-dancing and ballet， creating a novel and distinctive style. He has also improved many traditional acrobatic movements in the elephant cap dance to attract more viewers. After long study and practice， Jin made new elephant caps out of aluminum alloy with three colorful tapes of different lengths. The three tapes can be twirled at the same time， forming a wonderful image. Today， Jin is the only man in China who can swing a cap with 32-meter-long ribbons.endprint

High Sacrifices for the Dance

Because of his love for the elephant cap dance， Jin endured unimaginable hardships and pains that he will regret for the rest of his life. In 1979， Jin represented his township in a county-level cultural and artistic joint performance. When he arrived in Wangqing County， word spread that someones mother was critically ill. Jin didnt give much thought to the rumors， focusing on the performance instead. Afterwards， he learned it was his mother， and hurried home to find that his mother had died. In 1982， Jins dance troupe was touring the villages of Jilin Province when his father fell ill. Because communications were poor， his family was unable to tell him and Jin could not see his father before he died. Telling these stories， Jin cannot help blaming himself. “My parents raised me and supported me. It caused me great pain not to have seen them one last time because I was in the middle of my work. However， this pain also encourages me to carry forward the elephant cap dance and I will never let my parents down，” Jin said.

Despite his dancing achievements， Jin received little economic benefit. After marriage his life was still difficult. Both he and his wife had low incomes and they didnt have their own apartment. In 1986， Jin was transferred to Wangqing County Art Troupe， with a salary of RMB 60. However， he had to spend one third of this on rent. After becoming a professional performer， he was so busy practicing and performing outside that he could barely take care of the family. His wife had to run family affairs by herself. To earn more income she set up a stall. After a full day of hard work， she had to shoulder all the housework， but always supported him and never complained.

“We lived in rented apartments in Wangqing for four years， during which we moved seven times. We finally had our own apartment in 1990. I considered going to work in South Korea to make life easier for my wife and child. However， whenever I thought about the elephant cap dance， I knew I couldnt live without it， so I never went abroad，” Jin recalled. “I really appreciate the support from my family. They have made me the man I am today. However， dancing is also the source of my biggest sorrow of not seeing my parents one last time，” Jin said.

Striving for World Intangible Cultural Heritage

From 2003 to 2005， the Chinese government successively launched programs to preserve folk culture and cultural heritage. In 2006， the ethnic Korean farmers dance was approved by the Ministry of Culture for listing as part of the nations intangible cultural heritage. In 2008， the dance was nominated for the World Intangible Cultural Heritage list.endprint

When the application was made， there were few written or video records of the dance and too few dancers. In order to support the application， the government of Wangqing County selected 32 dancers from all the farmers dance troupes around the county to make a video of the dance， and Jin was chosen to direct it. Jin first chose a typical residence of ethnic Koreans as the backdrop. On shooting day， Jin served as both director and performer. Sometimes he wore a traditional Korean costume and explained the dance. Sometimes he wore a performance costume to join the dance with other dancers in the field. The video program was highly successful， and in September 2009， the Korean farmers dance was added to UNESCOs Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It is the only Chinese dance to be so honored.

In November of the same year， the Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage Show was held at the Zhongshan Hall in Taipei， Taiwan. As an inheritor of the national intangible cultural heritage， Jin Mingchun， together with musicians and other performers put on superb shows for the audience. The show lasted for more than two hours without intermission， but the Zhongshan Hall was filled to capacity by an audience that all stayed to the very end.

Preserving and Passing on the Dance

After the farmers dance of Chinese Koreans was listed as a world intangible cultural heritage， it drew more attention. The government of Wangqing County established an intangible cultural heritage preservation center and Jin was appointed its director. Entering Jins office， you see elephant caps， Korean long-drums and pictures of Jins performances around the country. Jin watches videos of the elephant cap dance on his computer while developing new movement. “As an inheritor， my most important task is to preserve and pass on the art. I have been working with other colleagues to help more people fall in love with the dance，” Jin said.

In recent years， the government of Wangqing County has set up over 30 elephant cap dance training centers in kindergartens and communities with many ethnic Koreans. Old and young both participate wholeheartedly. Jin often visits ordinary people to choose potential performers， including students and retired people， to form elephant cap dance troupes. Jin also actively responds to government-organized activities such as “Bring Elephant Cap Dance into Campus” and“Farmers Dance of Chinas Korean Ethnic Group Training Class” by personally explaining the origin， history and cultural background of the dance and teaching the movements.

When talking about the work he has engaged in for decades and how to carry on preservation work in the future， Jin said： “I cant live without the elephant cap dance. In the future， I plan to edit books and make instructional films of the dance and let more people study and pass on the art. I will keep trying to innovate it into an acrobatic dance， and ensure that the dance which is distinctive to Chinese Koreans enjoys a bright future！”endprint