A field guide to southern lion dance
Lion Dance 101醒獅
Many people first meet the southern lion on a Chinatown street at New Year, with firecrackers going off and a head of lettuce hanging over a restaurant door. This guide explains what is happening there, where the dance came from, and how it has changed since the 2000s, from high poles and international competitions to college teams, women's troupes and full-time professional troupes.
20 chapters217,000 words1,317 sources244 videos read195 timeline events354 glossary terms
Words count the chapter text, not the source lists. Sources count each web page, video, book or article once, however many chapters cite it: 2,108 source-list entries come to 1,317 distinct sources.
Start with a question
- Why does the parade lion look different from the lions on the poles?Chapters 4, 14 and 17
- What is the drum telling the lion?Chapters 7, 5 and 18
- Why lettuce, oranges and red envelopes?Chapters 10 and 9
- How did the lion get to America, and to Boston?Chapter 13
- Who dances it now?Chapters 16 and 19: college teams, women and girls
- How does a troupe pay for itself?Chapter 20
Chapters
醒獅是甚麼What southern lion dance isThe awakened lion, the people under it, and the story it tells.起源與傳說Origins and legendsFrom tribute lions and Tang court dances to the monster Nian.南獅在廣東的形成How the southern lion took shape in GuangdongFoshan, martial-arts halls, secret societies, revolution and revival.流派The stylesFut San, Hok San, Fut-Hok, Hong Kong, Malaysian, Vietnamese and more, and how to tell them apart.鶴山獅與沙坪十八路Heshan, Hok San and Sar PingThe Shaping tradition, its founder, its lineages and the eighteen drum routes.佛山獅Foshan and Fut SanThe Foshan lion, its teaching tradition and the craft of the lion head.鑼鼓Music and drummingDrum, gong and cymbals: the systems, the patterns and who leads whom.獅子的動作與意義Movements and what they meanStances, steps, emotions and the purpose of each thing the lion does.開光與禮儀Rituals and etiquetteAwakening a new lion, the bows, meeting other lions, taboos and retirement.賀獅與採青The blessing and choi chengThe blessing visit step by step, why each thing is blessed, the script and the cheng puzzles.獅子的象徵Symbolism, colors and the lion's bodyThe horn, the mirror, the beard and the Three Kingdoms colors.亞洲各地Across AsiaHong Kong and Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Indonesia: where the paths split.美國的舞獅Lion dance in AmericaFrom Taishan villages to Chinatown associations, kung fu schools and the high poles.比賽與規則Competition and rule booksHow lion dance is judged, from cheng contests to Genting.今日舞獅Lion dance todayChampions and rankings, heritage listings, LED lions and social media, safety, the sport-or-culture debate and Guangdong today.校園舞獅Lion dance on campusCollege and university teams in the United States and Asia: how they start, who teaches them and where they compete.獅頭與獅被Lion heads and costumes by styleFut San, Hok San, their traditional forms, Fut Hok and the other heads, and how to tell them apart.打法與鼓法Playing stylesHow each tradition moves the lion and plays the drum, gong and cymbals.女子舞獅Women and girls in lion danceFrom the old taboos to women’s troupes, drummers and champions.舞獅的生意The business of lion danceSponsors, full-time troupes, mall seasons, brand work, and how a young dancer can make a living.