Maogusi in Laotian Village, Longtou Town, Longshan County
Section 2: Maogusi in Laotian Village, Longtou Town, Longshan County. Longtou Town lies at the southernmost tip of Longshan County, bordering Pojiao Township to the east, the You River and Baojing County to the south, Yanchong and Jiashi Townships to the west, and Miao'ertan Town to the north. It covers 69.1 square kilometers with 8,292 mu of farmland. It was Longtou Township before Liberation, and in the early years after Liberation comprised Shuiba, Qingkou, Laotian, Shanshu, and Daxi townships.
This article has been compiled from historical materials on 'Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network' (33519.com · Specialty Foods / Cuisine / Customs section). Prices, business hours, administrative divisions, and statistical data mentioned in the text may already be outdated. Before traveling, please refer to the latest announcements from merchants, scenic areas, and local competent authorities; the parts involving folk legends and folk customs are local historical and cultural anecdotes, provided for cultural reference.
Section 2: Maogusi of Laotian Village, Longtou Town, Longshan County
Longtou Town is located at the southernmost part of Longshan County, bordering Pojiao Township to the east, facing Baojing County across the Youshui River to the south, adjacent to Yanchong Township and Jiashi Township to the west, and connecting to Miao'ertan Town to the north. Its total area is 69.1 square kilometers, with 8,292 mu of cultivated land. Before Liberation it was Longtou Township; in the early post-Liberation period it comprised Shuiba, Qingkou, Laotian, Shanshu, Daxi and other townships plus Longtou Town. In 1956 it was merged into Shuiba Township and Longtou Town; in 1958 it was incorporated into Miaoshi Commune; in 1961 Shuiba Commune was separated out and also governed one residents' committee. As early as before the Qing Dynasty it was already a commercially prosperous wharf and market town, one of the four major market towns of Longshan County. To the east is Daraopo; to the west are Jiaoyi Mountain, Huoshao Mountain, Jian Mountain, and Wangming Mountain, all stretching from northeast to southwest along both sides, with the highest peak at 1,002.2 meters above sea level. The Jiashi River flows in from the north and joins the Xiche River. The Xiche River runs from north to south, dividing the entire town into two halves, and empties into the Youshui River at Longtou. The brigade areas on the west bank of the river—Laotian, Shuiba, Shanshu and others—have relatively flat terrain. The annual average temperature is 17.1°C, and the annual average rainfall is 1,417.4 millimeters. Agricultural products include rice, corn, and sweet potatoes; forest products include timber, tung oil, and camellia oil. There are roads leading to Xiche, Longshan, Liye and other places. The river route via the Youshui connects upstream to Liye and Xiushan in Chongqing, and downstream to Baojing, Yuanling, Changde and other places.
The Tujia mountain villages under Longtou Town—Shanshuping, Shuiba, Xilaoping, the upper and lower villages of Laotianxi, and Qingkou (also called Caitong)—all have Baishou Halls. In these places the Baishou Dance was performed from the first day of the first lunar month to the ninth day of the first lunar month. The Baishou Hall of Shanshuping is at Shangmuqiaota (the Tujia-language place name is Meidongqi). Shuiba has three Baishou Halls: one at Mianqianhuliebiliexie, one at Xilaoping, and one at Dazhaiti Tiao. The Baishou Halls of Laotian: the upper village's is at Xinzhai Fort, and the lower village's is at the Wang Family Daughter-in-law Hall. The Baishou Hall of Qingkou is at Xinitang. Before Liberation, these places held Baishou dancing and Maogusi performances every year during the first lunar month. The Maogusi here is called "Kuqikabu" in the Tujia language. Here the deity offerings rotate among households each year; four households are responsible for worshipping the gods each year, and these four households responsible for worship are also called the Head Gate People. At the first crow of the rooster on the first day of the first lunar month, the several Head Gate households must go to the Baishou Hall to pay New Year respects to the gods (that is, to worship the Eight Great Kings). In the Maogusi programs performed at Shuiba and Shanshuping there are "Shuai Lianjia" (swinging the flail), "Baba Cao Wo (carrying the rice-cake trough on the back)", "Heicha Song" (in Chinese, "people stacked on people," composed of 24 people in three tiers, 8 people per tier; once formed, they rotate faster and faster without stopping, and the top tier must also imitate monkeys playing—a movement of considerable difficulty), "Baba Ha (pounding rice cakes)" and others. Those who participated in "Baba Ha" at Shuiba included Xiang Tianmin (in March 1986, aged 62, then living in Laotianxi Team 3); Xiang Tianmin also once dressed as Kuqikabu.
Laotian Village, formerly called Laotianxi, is composed of two natural villages, the upper village and the lower village. The village is mainly composed of four major surnames—Xiang, Peng, Tian, and Jia; some other surnames are called mixed surnames by the locals, and are not very numerous. Laotian Village has a total of 202 households and a population of 611, of whom 90% are Tujia. The Tujia language is still preserved here; people over 50 years old use Tujia, most people can speak Tujia, and only a few do not understand Tujia. Laotian Village has more soil than fields because of a shortage of water; many large flat plots of soil have to be cultivated as dry land because there is no water. In the past, sweet potatoes were the main grain crop here. Laotian is 4 kilometers from the former Longtou Town government. At the end of the twentieth century, when the state built the Wanmipo Power Station, the former Longtou Town government site became a submerged area, and the town government moved to a place in Laotian Village called Labakou. Laotian Village is now the seat of the Longtou Town government.
Before Liberation, the Baishou Dance was very popular in Laotian Village. The village had two Baishou Halls less than 1 kilometer apart. The Baishou Dance was performed from the first day of the first lunar month to the ninth day of the first lunar month, and Maogusi was also performed interspersed during the Baishou Dance. The Tujia-language name for Maogusi here differs from other places; it is called "Kuqikabu," which in Chinese means "Man-Bear Granny."
The layout of the Baishou Halls of Laotianxi (both are the same): in front of each Baishou Hall stands a mast, and on each mast hangs a yellow dragon-and-phoenix flag. Below the dragon-and-phoenix flag, the Zhangtan Master burns incense and paper to sacrifice to the flag. Inside the Baishou Hall is enshrined the majestic statue of the Eight Great Kings. On the altar table in front of the statue are placed pig heads, rice cakes, sugar san, and all the game caught and wild vegetables gathered by the village. In front of the statue, incense burns continuously during the Baishou Dance.
The elderly Tian Daban of Laotianxi (who personally participated in the pre-Liberation Baishou Dance and Maogusi) described the past Maogusi of Laotianxi:
"In the past, both the upper and lower villages of our Laotianxi had Baishou Halls. The upper village's Baishou Hall was at Xinzhai Fort, and the lower village's Baishou Hall was at the Wang Family Daughter-in-law Hall. When performing the Baishou Dance, we also played Papa, which we here also call playing Kuqikabu. One hall per night, performed interspersed with the Baishou Dance, and each night we played three incense sticks' worth (that is, until three sticks of incense burned out; one stick of incense took about an hour). The specific method was: one person dressed as the Old Maogusi, and all the others dressed as Little Maogusi. The Maogusi wore clothes made of woven thatch or rice straw, and also had to make a 'jiji' (that is, the male organ). The 'jiji' was made from a two-chi-long fir stick, with the tip wrapped in red cloth (symbolizing the glans), worn hanging in front of the lower abdomen. As soon as the Maogusi appeared, one person (the Zhangtan Master of the Baishou Dance or another person of repute) dressed as the Tuwang and conversed with the Old Maogusi. The main Maogusi programs here are 'Ruoni (finding a place)', 'Huoshega (slashing and burning)', 'Liga (digging earth)', 'Shijie (chasing game)', 'Guluzi', 'Songzuo (catching fish)', and Sweeping the Hall."
Section 3: Maogusi of Baoge Village, Pojiao Township, Longshan County
Pojiao Township is located in the southeastern corner of Longshan County, Xiangxi. Pojiao is a Tujia-language name; in the local Tujia language it is called "Pojie." In Tujia, "po" means the Chinese "to release," and "jie" means the Chinese "to drive." The Chinese meaning of "Pojie" is "release" and "drive," a vivid portrayal of the Tujia hunting scene. To those unfamiliar with Tujia hunting customs, this may seem a little hard to understand, but in fact it refers to two procedures of Tujia hunting: first, a person releases the hunting dog (called in Tujia the "battle dog") to drive the wild animal out of its den; after the animal is driven out, everyone uses hunting tools to chase it. These two procedures linked together make "Pojie." Later, with the entry of Han culture, and because the Tujia have a language but no writing, for convenience of phonetic transcription and based on local geographical conditions, some people transcribed the sound using Chinese characters as "Pojiao"—this too is a mark left by history.
The eastern part of Pojiao Township is the Yonglong Great Boundary, the western part is the remnant range of Zengjia Boundary, and there are mountains in the middle, all running north-south. Between the three mountain ranges are gorges, but the terrain is relatively flat. The highest elevation is 1,133.4 meters, and the lowest is 304.4 meters. The annual average temperature is 15.8°C, the January average is 4.4°C, and the July average is 26.5°C. The annual average rainfall is 1,417.4 millimeters. There is only one small river within the territory, a seasonal river. Every year it is threatened by drought. Agricultural products are mainly corn, followed by sweet potatoes, soybeans, miscellaneous beans, and rice. Forest products include timber, tung oil, and camellia oil. Before Liberation, transportation was extremely inconvenient, and transport relied mainly on carrying on the shoulder or back; therefore the transport tools were mostly back-carrying tools, such as back baskets, ze baskets, and wooden back buckets (a tool specially used for carrying water). Thus the production and living conditions of Pojiao Township were very arduous and primitive. Pojiao Township has a total area of 69.39 square kilometers and 8,666 mu of cultivated land, of which 766 mu is dry soil. It has 9 villages, 58 villager groups, and 27 natural villages, with a total population of 6,558, of whom 6,411 are Tujia. The Tujia population accounts for 98% of the township's total population. Among the total population, the Peng, Xiang, and Tian surnames make up the vast majority; some villages are even entirely of one surname, such as Suzhu Village and Shidi Village, which are basically all Peng, Wanlong and Songlin villages, which are all Tian, and Duoniping Village, which is basically all Xiang. Ninety-five percent of the Tujia in the township still speak the Tujia language, making it the township with the most Tujia speakers in the country today, and also one of the townships where Tujia customs are most completely preserved.
In the old society, every village and stockade in Pojiao Township practiced the Baishou Dance and Maogusi, and each village and stockade had its own Zhangtan Master of the Baishou Dance and Maogusi—the Tima. In Lianxing Village, the Tima Tian Mingfang inherited from his father Tian Shicheng; the family passed down the Tima for three generations—his grandfather Tian Xiaoli and his father Tian Liancheng. After Liberation it was lost, and he took no disciples. Tian Mingfang began learning Tima at age 12 and formally took charge of the altar at age 20 (1934); by 1954 he had been practicing at the altar for more than 20 years. He himself knew massage and the gathering of herbal medicine. In Baoge Village, Tian Furong inherited from his grandfather Tian Rongcheng, and his grandfather inherited from his great-grandfather Tian Zhengxiao. A hereditary Tima, Tian Furong began learning Tima at age 12, and at age 27 received investiture from Tian Xiaoshi, formally practicing at the altar for more than 10 years. The Zhangtan Master of Shidi Village is Peng Wuchui, a man of Shidi Village Group 2. He is from many generations of Tima; his great-grandfather Peng Chengwan and grandfather Peng Guanchu were Tima. Peng Wuchui inherited from his father Peng Shangui, began learning Tima at age 12, and at age 24 was invested and took charge of the altar, lasting 7 years, and stopped when it was banned in 1954. His son Peng Jijin sometimes still acts as a Tima now. The Zhangtan Master of Kake Village is the Tima Tian Qiyou. Tian Qiyou himself inherited from Tian Shuncheng, and his grandfather in turn inherited from Zhang Zhicai (who had no descendants). At age 17 he studied Tima together with three others—Gang Bai, Bo Jia, and Bing Shu Jia He. At age 29 he received investiture from his grandfather and took charge of the altar for more than 20 years, and after Liberation it was banned. He was thoroughly versed in Tima songs and had a generous dancing style. His family's Tima was also passed down from generation to generation. Now his younger brother Tian Qigen, already 84 years old, can also perform some Tima. The Zhangtan Master of Shuxike is Tian Chengjin, the most renowned person of his clan; his family held the altar for three generations (his father and grandfather).
The most persuasive account of the situation in Pojiao is found in a document from April 16, 1983, by the then Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture and Longshan County rural housing census team, in a "Report on the Housing Census of Pojiao Commune, Longshan County," which wrote:
"Because of poor natural conditions, blocked transportation, cultural backwardness, and the influence of certain 'leftist' (trends of thought) in the past, agricultural production here has developed slowly, the economy is meager, and houses are crude; some people even live in thatched huts and squat in oil-pressing rooms, as well as the bitter cold phenomenon of people and livestock in the same room and mother and son in the same bed for decades. For example, commune member Tian Yongyi of the third production team of the Wanlong Brigade, a family of five, now lives in a thatched hut of only six square meters; commune member Zhang Mingfeng of the same team, a family of five, now has a thatched house (built with collective help), but it is extremely crude—'a thousand pillars touching the ground' (walls made of split bamboo strips), with wind blowing through from all directions, and all the rest of the family property is worth less than 50 yuan. Another example is commune member ××× (40 years old) of the second production team of the ×× Brigade, mother and son sharing a bed for 40 years (too poor to have a quilt); Luo Xiangui (37 years old), a long-ill bachelor of the Wula First Team, relies on begging for a living, and his life is very desolate. As the people's ballad about him says: 'Luo Xiangui, oh Luo Xiangui, with no home and no livelihood you truly suffer. By day you beg in circles, by night like a sparrow you fly all over the sky.' The Kake Brigade has to go three li up the mountain slope to carry water. There is a folk rhyme: 'If you have a daughter, do not marry her to Suzhu Ping; the carrying buckets and hoops will kill you.'"
The township (commune) leaders of Pojiao Township (before 1982 it was Pojiao Commune) also at all times provided relief and assistance within their capacity to the "Five Guarantees" households and impoverished households of Pojiao, doing this work almost every year.
According to the author's further understanding from the township government personnel involved, this visit was for the New Year. That year the New Year was on February 2; February 2 that year was the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month of the Renshen year, because local Tujia generally celebrate the New Year one day earlier than the Han. Therefore, it was very humane for the leaders and cadres of the Pojiao Township government to visit the Five Guarantees households and orphans with condolence money half a month before the New Year. The newly added Five Guarantees households and orphans in the table have no condolence amount because the township government Party committee meeting had not yet studied and decided on it; once the township government Party committee meeting studies and makes a decision, the visit amount will be the same as that for the original Five Guarantees households.
Before Liberation, the staple foods of the Tujia people of Pojiao Township were mostly corn and sweet potatoes. After Liberation, living conditions improved somewhat, but compared with other places they were still relatively backward. Even some state cadres assigned there were unwilling to work in this place, and even those who went were very unsettled.
Baoge Village is located in the northeastern part of Pojiao Township, with an average elevation of 1,003 meters, and is known as the Himalayas of Pojiao. The village has 273 households and 998 people (data from the fifth national population census in 2000). Baoge Village contains four natural villages: Sifangtou (Group 1), Baoge (Group 2), Ashatong (Group 3), and Bucihu (Group 4). The Peng and Tian surnames predominate, with a small number of Xiang and Wang surnames. Before Liberation, the four villages jointly held Baishou activities at the "Yecuo (shrine or Baishou Hall)," beginning on the first day of the first lunar month and ending on the seventh day of the first lunar month. During the Baishou Dance, "playing Baba" (that is, performing Maogusi) was also interspersed. Here playing Baba was one performance per night, with different content each night.
Section 4: Maogusi of Shuangfeng Village, Heping Township, Yongshun County
Heping Township, Yongshun County, has a total area of 48.5 square kilometers, 6 village committees, a total of 1,658 households, and a total population of 4,717. The cultivated land area is 4,722 mu, the total labor force is 2,130, the total grain output is 1,552 tons, and the total industrial output value is 1.34 million yuan. It governs six villages: Shuangfeng, Heping, Yanjingchang, Dajing, Liangchadong, and Mengdong.
Shuangfeng Village, originally named Shuangfengqi, is 25 kilometers from Yongshun County seat and 12 kilometers from the seat of Heping Township government. It borders Pojiao Township of Longshan County to the east, Tangjia'ao Village of the same township to the west, Bagu Village of the same township to the south, and Lidou'ao Village of the same township to the north. It covers an area of 6 square kilometers. Shuangfeng sits on a hill at an elevation of 680 meters, with the highest point at 750 meters and the lowest at 300 meters, and an average elevation of 729.2 meters. Its main mountain is Jiulong Mountain. The soil of Shuangfeng Village is blue clay developed from slate, and the climate is mild with four distinct seasons and high humidity. The average annual temperature is 18°C. The highest daily average temperature is 35.5°C, and the lowest daily average temperature is -7°C. The frost-free period is 266–277 days, and the average annual rainfall is 1357 mm.
According to 2006 statistics, the village has a total area of 6,400 mu, with 186 mu of cultivated land and 160 mu of paddy fields. The village has 3 villager groups, 103 households in total, and 338 people, including 169 males and 167 females. Shuangfeng Village has eight natural villages—Laozhai, Xinzhai, Yangpin Gou, Baji, Zhaoxi, Fanpo, Xialiebu (half a village), and Shahu—locally customarily called "seven and a half villages." The village has five surnames in total: Peng, Tian, Tang, Chen, and Wang. Because the Peng and Tian surnames were sworn brothers in ancestral times, they still do not intermarry to this day. Before Liberation, the Tima (Tujia ritual priests) of Shuangfeng Village enjoyed very high prestige. The most famous Tima included Peng Zipao (the founding Tima of Shuangfeng Village), a man of the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty. Another was Peng Guangtao, whose religious name was Zhaishi Nieti, a man of the late Qing Dynasty. There was also Peng Wumin, born during the Republic of China period, who died in 1992.
Before Liberation, the Hand-waving Dance (Baishou Wu) was very popular in Shuangfeng Village. Peng Ruolan and Tian Renxin were selected to go to Beijing to perform the Hand-waving Dance. As a result, the Hand-waving Dance and Maogusi of Shuangfeng Village are both very famous.
Maogusi costume of Shuangfeng Village: a total of 7 pieces of straw (woven from rice straw). These 7 pieces of straw are: 1. Head cover (with three horns on top), about 0.5 square meters, used to cover the entire head; 2. Two gloves, each about 0.2 square meters, to cover both hands, but the palms must be left exposed; 3. Two torso covers, each about 0.7 square meters, one for the back and one for the abdomen, draped down from the neck; 4. Two leg covers, each about 0.4 square meters, mainly to cover both feet.
Special ornament: the straw bundle "male organ," made by twisting straw into a bundle, 4 centimeters in diameter and about 1 chi 5 cun long, slightly larger at the front and slightly smaller at the back, with the front 1 cun dyed red to represent the glans of the male organ. During performances it is tied in front of the crotch.
Characters: the Tuwang (Tujia King) (not costumed, only stands at the edge of the performance ground asking questions of Maogusi), Bapuka, and the Maogusi troupe (a dozen or more people).
The Maogusi of Shuangfeng Village is also performed in units of one night each.
The content performed on the first night is: seeking land, worshipping gods, sweeping the hall, and slash-and-burn cultivation.
The content performed on the second night is: hunting.
The content performed on the third night is: catching fish.
The content performed on the fourth night is: seizing a bride.
The content performed on the fifth night is: studying.
The content performed on the sixth night is: doing spring farming.
The content performed on the seventh night is: chasing monkeys.
Performance time: begins on the third day of the first lunar month and ends on the ninth day of the first lunar month. During the Qing Dynasty, it was also performed on the sixth day of the sixth lunar month.
Section 5: Investigation Report on the Hand-waving Dance and Maogusi of the Cultural Station of Pojiao Township, Longshan County
The Maogusi of Pojiao Township has flourished without decline. As late as 2003, Pojiao Township still had the Pojiao Township Bizika Art Troupe, which specialized in performing Maogusi. The main performance item of this art troupe is Maogusi. The program is recorded as follows:
1. Joyful Bizika Luoyou (Note: "Bizika Luoyou" is in the Tujia language, meaning Tujia mountain village)
2. Vocal mimicry performance (performer: Tian Ming)
3. Maogusi (Hunting)
4. Solo Tujia-language mountain song (performers: Li Xiang, Tian Yongbiao)
5. Small Hand-waving Dance
6. Pojiao Love Song
7. Crying Marriage (Scolding the Matchmaker)
8. Dongdongkui (Tujia wind instrument)
9. Bronze Bell Dance (Tujia Tima)
10. Daliuzi (Tujia percussion music)
11. Driving Corpses
12. Solo (performer: Peng Qinying)
13. Maogusi (Women Playing, Seeking Men)
14. Grand Hand-waving Dance
This Bizika Art Troupe of Pojiao Township has a total of 17 members. Its organizational members are: