 Flower-Drum
of Southern Shane Province
The FlowerDrum of southern Shanxi
Province is a kind of folk dance popular in Wanrong County. At the same
time, the Wanrong Flower-Drum is widely played in Hejin, Fushan, Jishan,
Yicheng and Wenxi counties in southem Shanxi.
Shadow Plays
Shadow play is very popular among the local people in
Shanxi Province. Figures, settings and stage properties made of donkey
or ox skin are manipulated by people, as in puppet shows, to cast the
images onto a screen on a stage, namely the "shadow skin".
Music and narrations, in addition to the skillful manipulations, make
the performance of the shadow figures very lively to watch.
Pictures Pasted on the Walls above Brick Kangs
People in many places
in Shanxi Province attach great importance to beautifying the walls
above their brick kangs, which is how the rich and colorful pictures
pasted on walls came into being. With at least an 800 year history,
these colorful pictures convey rich meaning in a unique way.
 Embroidery
Embroidery is very popular in rural Shanxi, with the embroidery work
in different places displaying their own local colors. Folk embroideries
of Shanxi can be roughly divided into three categories: clothing and
personal adornment, daily-use articles and articles for sacrifice.
Paper-cuts of Fushan County
Fushanknown as the "Home ofthe Paper-cut"'
is famous for its rich variety of paper-cuts. These folk handicrafts,
steeped in local flavor, are either bold and imaginative, simple and
vibrant, or delicate and pretty.
New Year's Wood Engravings of Pingyang
The New Year's wood engravings of Pingyang are mostly made by ordinary
farmers. The themes ofthese engravings usually come from folk customs,
fairy tales and legends, ranging from flowers and figures to fish, birds
and beasts.
 Dough
Sculptures
The Shanxi people, famous for their rich variety of dishes made from
wheat, aside from making various food with dough, also mold it into
various "dough figures" to admire as well as for good luck.
They send them to friends as gifts to extend lotions or pay tribute
to gods. The dough figures are therefore also called edible artistic
works.
Resounding Gong and Drum Performances
Gong and drum performances are very popular in the Linfen Prefecture.
It is a large ensemble of folk percussion instruments. On the occasions
of Spring Festival, harvests and mass rallies, the gong and drum performances
will be staged among the crowds. |
