Fengxian’s rolling lamps shining brightly
Afusion of dance, martial art and folk customs, Fengxian’s rolling lamp tradition is more than 700 years old. It is said that people living along the coast, as in Fengxian’s case, used baskets made from bamboo strips laden with earth or stones as a defense against flood tides.
When the tides were gone, people turned the baskets into giant hollow balls to swing and roll around, the prototype of the rolling lamp.
The culture was in danger of fading away but some heirs to the tradition have brought it back to life.
Wang Zhengrong, 70, one of the fifth generation of rolling lamp inheritors is still active in preserving and protecting the tradition though he should have retired 10 years ago.
“I’m needed here and I have work to do,” he said.
In the early 1980s, Wang was an official in Zhelin Town’s culture department when he and his colleagues began to revive the art of lamp rolling.
They collected materials and consulted with old artists on the moves, weaving the lamps themselves and making revisions when necessary.
A rolling lamp has an outer frame made of 12 bamboo strips and contains a smaller bamboo ball inside with the same structure, wrapped in red or black cloth.
So when the lamp rolls, the ball inside will fly like a bird.
Originally rolling lamps had only one size at 1.6 meters in diameter and weighed about 30 kilograms. The activity was almost exclusively for men because of the strength needed to wield the lamp.
The moves, whether on the ground or in the air, require great effort, not only to lift the lamp but also to fly them around.
One very difficult “spider spinning thread” movement even requires the performer to grip the lamp by his teeth.
“Performers have to be completely concentrated and motivated in the process to fully present the vigor of the event,” Wang said.
However, the size of the lamp has been cut somewhat to make the art easier. The diameter of a large lamp is now 1.2 meters, with much of the weight removed.
To improve diversity and also the visual effect, small lamps were developed to involve female performers, showcasing the tenderness and beauty of some movements and adding dance elements.
Later, medium-sized lamps were developed to create more combinations as both men and women could control them.
The occasions where lamp rolling is demonstrated also differ from the old days.
Whereas in the past rolling lamps were used on ritual occasions to pray for temperate weather and enough rain to ensure a good harvest, events today are more of a traditional cultural activity and for exercise.