On The Folk Art Of Ancient Temple Fair In The First Month Of Lunar Year In Xun County Henan Province

According to inscriptions,historical records and in-depth interviews,the latest official formation of the temple fair in Xun County in the first month of the lunar year can be pushed back to the middle and late Ming Dynasty with the manifestation of the existing temple fair exhibition,originating from the middle of 16 th century,transmitted from the dilapidated City God Temple at the foot of the Fuqiu Mountain to the newly-built,continually been decorated Bixia Yuanjun Ancestral Hall on the top of that mountain.400 years since then,the folk art of the temple fair in Xun County has maintained the specific space,exhibition route and public gathering effect,thus leaving hundreds of memorial monuments erected by local governments,clubs from various countries and pilgrims and forming hundreds of clubs.Some of these clubs,with the institutions and skills inherited generations by generations and the exhibition enthusiasm undiminished,have developed into the largest ancient temple fair in North China.The formation of this situation is due to the unique geographical structure and historical and cultural conditions in Xun County,tow historic mountains named Dapi and Qiufu in the south part of Xun County,temple groups that have gathered in these two mountains since Wei and Jin Dynasties,and the folk worshiping of gods,religious worshiping of Confucianism,Taoism and Buddhism,and the villages' regular gathering activities handed down from generations to generations.Although there has been no trace of the dynamic exhibitions related to these acivities in history,from the static temple view and inscription relics,we can still get a glimpse of the basic features of the development of local folk wooden tiles,stone carving,colored plastic crafts and Taoist music in the Ming and Qing dynasties.The participation of all social classes is an important momentum for the development and preservation of ancient temple fair of Xun Country,regardless of the political,economic or cultural reasons.At present,the development of folk art ancient temple fair in Xun Country has also been highly valued by local governments,cultural scholars and village and town clubs.Among 150 local clubs,most of which have gradually formed their own traditions and actively seeking development in aspects as fund collection,program building,costume props and members' participation.However,During the gathering exhibition,due to the changes of the new space and performance route,the program content,combination mode and number of people have also been adjusted accordingly,in which often with the help of imagery techniques,blending and processing new elements such as foreign folk art or contemporary popular culture in the traditional stilts,bamboo horses,back pavilion,flower boats,pan drum,yangge,big tone,rap and instrumental music as well as color plastic mud goo goo,so as to skillfully combine the motif images of local history and myth narration,the motif of local customs and beliefs,the motif of witch wish,and the motif derived from contemporary culture and contemporary life,to reflect the rich local characteristics.Finally,the Folk Art of Temple fair,while entertaining the gods,has a significant function of self-entertainment,and becomes an important medium of the clan culture spreading and the group spirit activity construction.Space,group participation,form aesthetics,implication precipitation and value inheritance are five core elements for the sustainable development of folk art of ancient temple fair in Xun Country.With the social transformation,the folk art of ancient temple fair in Xun Country is facing the problems of marginalization of artists,economic dominance of folk craft industry,impact of emerging technologies and science.Although the places,groups,forms and implication still exist,some important incentives in folk beliefs and folk culture are gradually vanishing.In order to solve the problems of implement the inheritance and development,it is necessary to improve the self-awareness of folk culture,gather all forces to create the new culture and value chain,implement protection policies,pay attention to folk art groups and individuals,and improve their own strength,so as to bring new vitality to this county folk art tradition.