| Northern Shaanxi | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | 陕北 | ||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 陝北 | ||||||||
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Northern Shaanxi orShaanbei (陕北) is the portion of China'sShaanxi province north of the Huanglong Mountain and the Meridian Ridge (the so-called "Guanzhong north mountains"), and is both a geographic as well as a cultural area. It makes up the southeastern portion of theOrdos Basin and forms the northern part of theLoess Plateau. The region includes twoprefecture-level cities:Yulin, which is known for theMing Great Wall traversing through its northern part; andYan'an, which is known as the birthplace of theChinese Communist Revolution.
Shaanbei, referring to the northern portion ofShaanxi, includes theprefecture-level cities ofYulin andYan'an.[1]: 39 The region'sphysical geography is largely characterized by the presence of theLoess Plateau.[1]: 39 Shaanbei is located in the northern edge of theLoess Plateau with a general elevation range of 800–1,300 metres (2,600–4,300 ft), occupying approximately 45% of the total area of Shaanxi.[citation needed] Elevation tends to increase from northwest to southeast.[citation needed] The northern portions degrade into theOrdos Desert, while the southern portions slope up into hills.[citation needed] TheGuanzhong region, also in Shaanxi, is located to the south of Shaanbei.
Shaanbei culture includes a number of distinct art forms, such as itsNorthern Shaanxi folk singing [zh],[2] waist-drums,[3]paper-cutting,[4] and a distinct form of painting known as "farmer painting".[5] Other forms of Chinese art are also present in Shaanbei, includingtraditional Chinese theater,shadow puppetry,yangge dance troupes, and traditionalstorytellers.[6]: 276 Historically, cultural activities in Shaanbei have been organized both by professional troupes and amateur groups,[6]: 274–276 and typically performed for all audiences, regardless of status.[6]: 274–275
The predominant language of Shaanbei isJin Chinese, with the southern areas being a transition zone intoGuanzhong dialect.
During the time of theShaan-Gan-Ning Border Region, a number of prominent intellectuals within China moved to the Shaanbei region to flee from theJapanese invasion of China.[6]: 270 There, theCommunist Party encouraged them to embed themselves in the rural culture of the region, in an effort to bolster support for its efforts.[6]: 271 Renown folk artists from throughout China were also invited toYan'an, its capital, and other parts of the Border Region, to intermingle with other artists and the urban intellectuals who fled to the region.[6]: 274 The Communist Party had a mixed perspective on folk art in the region at the time, as it served as a cultural expression for the region's rural peasantry, but did so through a pre-modernConfucian lens, and was often reliant on thepatronage of wealthylandlords.[6]: 277 By the early 1940s, some folk artists had taken steps to make certain folk arts, like the traditional yangge dance, more accessible for the masses.[6]: 287–288 By the mid-1940s, some traditional performing arts began to incorporate explicit pro-Communist political messaging.[6]: 279
Shaanbei's style of folk-singing is distinct from other types of folk singing throughout China, and has gained fame via a number of media depictions, such as in the 1984 filmYellow Earth.[2] The songs are typically about the struggles of rural life, such as poverty andarranged marriages.[2] Many of these folks songs are hundreds of years old, and passed down from generation to generation.[7]
Certain celebrations in Shaanbei are accompanied by dancers hoistingAnsai waist-drums calledyaogu (腰鼓), small drums strapped to the front of the dancers' waist.[citation needed] This tradition gained national notoriety through the film Yellow Earth, which included a scene featuring over 150 real drummers from the region.[3][8]
Qinqiang opera, native to Shaanxi, is popular in the region.[1]: 54 [6]: 278–279 Qinqiang opera was historically performed predominantly by professional troupes, although some semi-professional troupes devoted to it existed.[6]: 278–279 Shanxi opera is also popular throughout the region, due to its proximity to neighboringShanxi (not to be confused with the similar sounding Shaanxi, the province in which Shaanbei is located in).[1]: 54
Daoqing is a local form of shadow puppetry indigenous to Shaanbei.[6]: 279 It emerged in the region in the 19th century, and has historically been performed by small, amateur and unorganized troupes.[6]: 279 However, there have been records of professional daoqing troupes as early as the late 1930s, and activists began to form formal organizations for daoqing troupes by the 1940s.[6]: 279
Yangge, a traditional costumed dance occasionally accompanied by music and short sketches, has traditionally been used in Shaanxi as a post-Lunar New Year celebration.[6]: 280 Yangge varies widely from place to place within Shaanxi.[6]: 280
Paper cutting is another art-form traditional to the Shaanbei region, serving a number of different purposes.[4] In addition to beautifying the environment during important festivals, paper cut art also serves as a symbol of love and fertility during marriage, can be used to pay respects to various religious figures, incorporated into embroidery, or simply serve as toys.[4]
Shaanbei farmer painting is a tradition hundreds of years old, dating back to dynastic promotion of painting.[5] These types of paintings often feature bright colors and depictions of animals.[5][9] Key characteristics of farmer painting is that it commonly takes on subjects specific to the local region, its emphasis on expression rather than adhering to specific rules, use of thick outlines of shapes, use ofartist's conception, heavy usage ofsymbolism, and bright colors.[5]
Traditional religion in Shaanbei underwent a major decline throughout the 20th century.[1]: 40–41 Some within theMay Fourth Movement during the early years of theRepublic of China vandalized temples, converted temples toschools, and condemned traditional shamans.[1]: 40 During theWarlord Era of the 1910s and 1920s, some local warlords would destroy temples, or convert them intobarracks for their soldiers.[1]: 40 Subsequently, traditional religions continued to face suppression when theKuomintang established firmer control of the area during the 1930s.[1]: 40–41 Local conflict between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party resulted in unsafe conditions for religious pilgrimages in the area, and resulted in more damage and destruction to local temples.[1]: 41 Under the Communist Party's Shaan-Gan-Ning Border Region, Communist Party forces made a concentrated effort to neuter local shamans and mediums, which it denounced as backward and feudal.[1]: 41 Organized religion saw a revival during the 1950s, when firm Communist Party control led to peace and economic recovery.[1]: 41–42 While traditional religious leaders had much of their property redistributed during this time, ordinary peasants were on the receiving end of this, and used a significant amount of the resources to further inclusionary religious activities, and reconstruct previously damaged and destroyed religious sites.[1]: 41–42 Religious activity would face a period of mild repression beginning in the mid-1960s, and then a heightened period of suppression during theCultural Revolution.[1]: 42–43 Organized religion began to emerge from the shadows by the end of the 1970s, and underwent a revival during the 1980s and 1990s.[1]: 43 By the 21st century, government institutions to support certain religious organizations had emerged, although said organizations must provide a certain level of political and financial support to the government.[1]: 44
While there is a great deal of variety amongChinese folk religions within Shaanbei, the presence ofdeities is generally accepted among folk religion adherents, as are the beliefs that such deities should be venerated, that individuals can ask them for help, and that they can aid people.[1]: 68–69
Major religious sites in Shaanbei include theBaiyunshan Temples [zh],Taihe Mountain (Chinese:太和山) in Yan'an, andHelong Mountain (Chinese:合龙山) inSuide County.[1]: 45
Popular traditional deities among local adherents to Chinese folk religion includeZhenwu Zushi (Chinese:真武祖师) andGuan Yu.[1]: 45
Major festivals in Shaanbei include the Lunar New Year, and during the birthdays of various locally-venerated deities.[1]: 51 Such festivals are typically organized by local temple associations.[1]: 51
