Bai Ethnic Deity Parade Custom in Sangzhi, Zhangjiajie
Sangzhi Bai Ethnic Deity Parade originated from sacrificial activities commemorating the Bai ancestors' arduous pioneering journey to Sangzhi. In 1261 AD, Kublai Khan disbanded the "Cunbai Army" recruited by Uriyangkhadai. Gu Junwan and others serving in the army traveled up the Yangtze River, across Dongting Lake, through Jinli, and on foot to Ciyang, eventually settling in the Madiqing and Mahekou areas. From this major military action onward...
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Basic Introduction
The Bai people's deity procession in Sangzhi originated from the sacrificial activities commemorating the ancestors of the Bai people who came to Sangzhi and struggled to establish themselves. In 1261 AD, Kublai Khan disbanded the "Cunbai Army" recruited by Uriyangkhadai. Gu Junwan and others who had served in the army traveled up the Yangtze River, across Dongting Lake, through the Jin and Li river regions, and on foot to Ciyang, eventually settling in the areas of Maidiping and Mahekou. Thus, with the end of a major military campaign, Hunan finally had its Bai people. To commemorate their ancestors and educate descendants not to forget ancestral virtue, the Bai people created an artistic and visually appealing ethnic cultural activity—the deity procession.
The Bai people of Sangzhi believe in Benzhu (local lords). They hold that Benzhu possess both divine nature and extraordinary powers on the one hand, and human nature on the other. Benzhu evolved from ethnic ancestors, heroes, or people of noble character among the common folk; the ancestors are protective deities. Thus every Bai village and stockade has statues of Benzhu (ancestors). Mahekou has statues of Gu Junwan and Liu Meng; Furongqiao has statues of Wang Pengkai and Grandma Gao; Hongjiaguan has statues of Chen Ji and Chen Liang; Maidiping has statues of Zhong Qianyi and Lord Pan, and so on. Especially in the old society, whenever people encountered difficulties or great disasters, they would go before the Benzhu statues to seek shelter and pray for ancestral blessing. Benzhu had extremely broad influence among the Bai people, so the Bai chose occasions such as temple fairs, market days, and festivals to hold deity processions.
Historical Development
The Bai people's deity procession in Sangzhi began roughly in the late Song and early Yuan period. At that time, the procession was simple in procedure, thin in content, and had few participants. During the procession, only the Benzhu statue was carried on a tour through the villages. By the late Yuan and early Ming, people of other ethnic groups from Hubei and other provinces came to the outer half of Sangzhi County to escape war and recuperate. The population in Bai settlements increased greatly. Local culture flourished. To further enhance ethnic prestige, the Bai people gradually refined the procession procedures and established a rich and distinctly Bai ceremonial system.
Ritual Procedure
The Bai people's deity parade in Sangzhi consists of three parts. First, the "parade of deities." A mighty procession is formed, led by an honor guard carrying the deity statues. In the honor guard are those holding the Ten-Thousand-People Umbrella, carrying colored banners, and holding aloft the hall-name placards of the various Bai surnames. In the middle, the Three Yuan Elders and the ceremony leaders (clan heads) escort the deity palanquin. The Three Yuan Elders, holding conch shells, Three Treasures bells, and other implements, first go to the ancestral hall to invite out the local deity, chanting the "Ancestor Worship Words": "First bow to the ancestors who traveled far, second bow to the ancestors who toiled in countless ways, third bow to the ancestors who endured hardship in founding our livelihood, fourth bow to the ancestors whose glory shines..." Whenever they reach an open area, the ceremony leader shouts: "Dance the staff drum!" The staff drum performers gather in a circle and first sing the folk song "Bai Sons and Daughters, Dance!"—"A auspicious cloud rises in the east, a purple cloud opens in the west; the auspicious cloud rises, the purple cloud opens, Bai sons and daughters, dance!" Then the staff drum dance, surrounding drums, suona, transverse flute, and long horns all perform in turn. It is extremely lively. Second is entertaining the deities, which means carrying the local deity statues to the front of every household, symbolizing that the ancestors never forget their descendants. Every Bai household must set off firecrackers to welcome them and prepare tea and food for the performers and the statue carriers. Third is deity competition, which means placing the local deity statues in the stone courtyard, where people sing, jump, dance, and shout to their heart's content, expressing their surging emotions. When the singing and dancing reach their peak, with a shout of "Oh ho!" they leap into the ranks, grabbing sheep forks, rice baskets, tobacco pipes, fire tongs, and other items, stepping to the percussion music, dancing hard, dancing vigorously, laughing heartily, enjoying the joy and delight brought by the deity parade custom.
Inheritors
The Bai people's deity parade in Sangzhi has an indispensable system of inheritance. Each place has a representative folk inheritor. In the Maidiping area, the inheritor is Zhong Yangsheng, who began learning the deity parade from his father at age 5 and can sing such deity parade texts as "Inviting the Deities," "Parading the Deities," and "Settling the Deities." Since the establishment of the Bai Ethnic Township in 1984, he has persisted year after year in organizing large-scale deity parade activities, and is known as the inheritor of the deity parade of the Zhong surname of the Sangzhi Bai people. The late folk artist Gu Chaoqing of Mahekou learned his craft from his father at age 5. The local deity statues he carved were tall, mighty, and lifelike, and he was a famous Three Yuan sect elder in the outer half-county area. "Staff Drum Dance Master" Zhong Huilong, now 76 years old, normally makes his living as a pig butcher, but when it comes to the deity parade he is never careless. Especially when he leads the staff drum dance, his steps are nimble and his movements agile; he can perform such difficult martial arts moves as the "Forty-Eight Flower Spears," wielding the staff drum as if it were a spear, which shows his skill. The old butcher Zhong Weiyun is unsurpassed at playing the surrounding drums; the "Deity Parade Tune" he plays is high-spirited and impassioned. There are also Wang Anping of Furong Bridge and Li Liancheng of Zoumaping, both well-known inheritors of the deity parade.
Current State of Development
As an ancient Bai folk cultural activity, the Bai people's deity parade in Sangzhi has deep roots, embodies history, carries on traditions, has undergone evolution, and weathered many changes, yet its foundations remain strong. However, due to the influence of external culture, economic and talent factors, and the ultra-leftist ideology of the Cultural Revolution, the spiritual beliefs of the Bai people are still changing, and people's indifference and coldness toward primitive sacrificial activities have affected it. The Bai people's deity parade in Sangzhi is now in an endangered state of being left to fend for itself.