The Cultuarl Morphology Research Of Xitieying "Flower Cymbals With Big Drums"

"Flower cymbals with big drums"of Xitieying village is a typical Han folk dance in the Beijing municipality. Originally, it was one of the 13 martial art events taking place spontaneously at temple fairs during the Qing Dynasty. Later, it spread to Zhongding village, which is under the administration by Xitieying village of Nanyuan rural area in today's Fengtai district. This dance is also known among the folk as"the big old drum association"and the"flower cymbals with carried drums". In the 1980s a general investigation on folk dances was conducted and the name"flower cymbals with big drums"was suggested as a unified title in the Anthology of Folk Dances in China (volume on Beijing), hence also the title"Xitieying Flower Cymbals with Big Drums"of this dissertation.This paper:first, describes the living environment of"Xitieying flower cymbals with big drums"; then, discusses its origins by considering its morphological traits and the general situation of related dances in the Beijing area; and then, evaluates its nature as a temple fair dance. Furthermore, this paper focuses on the dance itself:it points out the characteristics of"flower cymbal"dances in order to reveal how the dance took shape. In the last part, the cultural connotations of the dance are studied through an'ecological'and anthropological perspective. A view of the functional changes occurred to the dance during the phases of its formation, prosperity and decline allows drawing the conclusion that functionality is the main factor behind the development of the dance, while people's demands are its driving force.