Enshi Play

Hubei
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"Shuashua" is the most extensive and popular traditional folk art form in urban and rural areas of Enshi City and Xuan'en County. It is mainly performed in occasions such as celebrating the New Year, weddings, births, birthdays, etc. The performance style is a combination of two people, one man and one woman, the woman dressed as a man, singing and dancing, funny and humorous movements, bright and beautiful singing, many traditional singing segments, and improvisations. Characters can come in and out, one person has multiple roles, the lyrics can be long or short, one person leads the crowd, creating an atmosphere of rap and singing, singing and dancing, with percussion accompaniment, the scene is very warm, and it is a pure "stepping song and singing" type of art. The prototype of "Shuashua" is called "Shuashen", also known as "Jiaoshen", which is a shaman in the witch religion who worships the gods and repays the vows to appeal to the gods, drives away epidemics and disasters, and spreads blessings to the people, in order to obtain good weather, no pain and disasters, and longevity. And the meaning of the prayer is sung, and the process of worshiping the gods is danced to complete the ritual of "Shuashen". The wish of "playing with gods" is beautiful. Human beings place their hopes of expelling epidemics and disasters and achieving a good harvest on the blessing of gods. As a kind of god culture, it is naturally established in people's hearts, and "playing with gods" has been passed down from generation to generation. Because "playing with gods" has relative independence in the ritual of "playing with gods", and it is a unit ritual that can independently express the worship of gods and fulfill vows, and pray for gods to exorcise evil spirits and protect the security, the procedure is simple and does not require the use of a large number of people. In an environment that thousands of households, rich or poor, can afford it, it is naturally separated from the huge matter of worshiping gods and fulfilling vows, and appears in various festive activities in society. In order to enrich the performance, enhance the viewing and fun and the female worship psychology of the Tujia people, female roles are added. This is the inevitable process of the artistic transformation of "playing with gods" into a two-person singing. This transformation is stereotyped and is accepted by the people and is popular. People can use it to pray for gods and fulfill their vows, and they can also get spiritual pleasure, so that "playing with gods" has been passed down from generation to generation and has lasted for a long time. "Shuashua" is very popular in urban and rural areas of Enshi City and Xuan'en County. There are singing groups in all towns and villages. It can be said that wherever there is a Duangong, there must be "Shuashua" inheritance. Since "Shuashua" is people's sustenance of good wishes, it has a unique style, flexible performance, and standardization. The singing is beautiful and easy to learn. It can be turned into a stage regardless of the occasion. The traditional pieces have stories and are easy to remember. The impromptu singing can touch the scene and evoke emotions. Therefore, it has laid a deep mass foundation and created unique conditions for inheritance and development. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, "Shuashua" has been active in urban and rural areas in a traditional form, enriching the cultural life of the masses. Later, it was sorted and refined by cultural workers and put on the stage, so that this art form has been improved and spread, widely used, and affected the surrounding areas. It has also won many art awards and has a good reputation.

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