Date: 2014 Level: State-level

No.: III-123 Category: Art

Place: Jiuzhaigou County, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture

The adorable panda bear dance (Photo/ Zeng Chunhua)

With panda-shaped helmets made of plaster on, the 44-year-old Mao Yun'an and his students put on "panda clothes" made of sheepskin and wore the "panda tails" made of yak tails, and presented a performance of panda bear dance.

As a national intangible cultural heritage (ICH), panda bear dance enjoys a history of over 100 years. It was once a repertoire of Jiuzhaigou.

Mao Yun'an and his student Yang Zhong performed the panda bear dance at the 6th Intangible Festival of the Intangible Cultural Heritage on June 12, which attracted lots of audiences.

Squatting on the ground and performing the dance is Mao Yun'an's experience.

Only the squatting postures can show the chubby and adorable body of panda vividly.

Besides plenty of squatting and rolling postures, Mao Yun'an also made some artistic changes.

Panda bear dance enjoys a history of over 100 years, and originates from a Pema Tibetan village of Jiuzhaigou County.

Every year on the 15th and 16th day of the 1st month on Chinese lunar calendar, Pema Tibetans of Caodi Village, Jiuzhaigou County wear panda masks and dance, in order to drive out the evils.

The special worshipping dance has been passed down via family inheritance.

Mao Yun'an is from Caodi Village, the remotest area of Jiuzhaigou County.

In 2012, panda bear dance was introduced to Jiuzhaigou Scenic Spot, and was popular among tourists.

In November, 2014, panda bear dance was included in the fourth batch of national ICH.

According to Wang Wang, a researcher of Tibetan culture, panda bear dance is accompanied with enormous horns, drums and cymbals.

The dancing movements imitate the postures of pandas. With performers' exaggeration, the dance is adorable and interesting.

The most representative movements are 'panda eats bamboos', 'panda drinks water', 'panda builds houses', 'pandas play with each other', etc.

The masks of panda bear dance are like bears rather than pandas.

The masks, with hideous faces to threaten ghosts and monsters, are closely related to the worship of animals and totems.

The totem worship has become an important cultural symbol.

Mao Yun’an, the representative inheritor of panda bear dance (Photo/ Zeng Chunhua)

Mao Yun’an is 44 years old. He is the fourth inheritor of panda bear dance, and also a provincial ICH inheritor.

Mao Yun’an started learning panda bear dance at eight, with his uncle Yang Jinbao being his teacher.

In accordance with local custom, he was not allowed to wear the panda mask to perform until he was 15.

According to Mao Yun’an, in the 1990s, as television and mobile phone were not widely used in the village, panda bear dance was popular among villagers and was the grand finale of important festivals.

With the impact of television, mobile phone and Internet, young people are not willing to learn this project, which brings them lower income.

"The dance is known to only a few people. There are only 10 inheritors of panda bear dance, and only four of them can perform now. A senior man can also perform, but he is hypodynamic," said Mao Yun’an , depressed.

Among the 10 inheritors of panda bear dance in Caodi Village, only four can perform it now, namely, Mao Yun'an and his students Yang Xiaolin, Yang Baixiuzhu and Yang Zhong.

In 2012, as Jiuzhaigou Scenic Spot introduced panda bear dance, Mao Yun'an started selecting and teaching young people who are in good physical condition.

He finally got four students. Later, one of his students wanted to work to make money and left the performing troupe. Now, Mao Yun’an has only three students.

What comforts Mao Yun’an is that the dance has received much more attention.

Panda bear dance has been included in the fourth national ICH list, and will be well protected and inherited.

According to Ou Lin, director of ICH department of Jiuzhaigou’s Cultural Center, Jiuzhaigou has built an inheritance square of panda bear dance in Caodi Village, which covers an area of 600 square meters.

Mao Yun'an teaches the dance regularly.

Besides, local cultural department is also planning to introduce panda bear dance into schools, making local children experience the charming traditional dance and cultivating more inheritors.