Trivia About the Lion Dance 关于舞狮的冷知识

Each year at the turn of the lunar calendar and on other special days， the lion dancers put on a lively performance， gamboling about to the beat of pounding drums and crashing cymbals. Its a dazzling spectacle meant to draw in luck and prosperity， and as such， graces celebrations like the Lunar New Year， birthdays， or weddings where Chinese diasporas have landed around the world. Here are several things you might not know about the ancient tradition.

每年农历年初和一些特定的日子，舞狮人就会有一场生动的表演，随着锣鼓的节奏舞起狮来。这项活动既壮观又炫目，寓意着吉祥与兴旺。因此，全球各地的华人会在春节、生日、婚礼等喜庆活动中用舞狮表演助兴。有关这项古老的传统，以下几个方面的知识你可能并不了解。

The prevalence of lions in Chinese culture stems from Central Asia and Persia.

中国文化中对狮子的推崇源于中亚与波斯。

Lions never historically inhabited China， so how did the felines come to be such a common cultural fixture？ Their origin in Chinese culture begins in the Han Dynasty （202 BC—220 AD）， when the Silk Road was established to connect China with Europe. Along the way， emissaries from Persian （now Iran） and Central Asian states would gift lions to the Chinese emperor. The popularity of this imperial beast then percolated from the high courts onto the masses. Lions also play an important role in Buddhist mythology， which began spreading throughout China in the late Han Dynasty.

從历史上看，中国没有狮子。那么，这种猫科动物为什么会成为中国文化中如此常见的符号呢？中国的狮子文化源于汉朝（公元前202—公元220），那时朝廷为连接中国与欧洲开辟了丝绸之路。当时，丝路沿线的波斯（今伊朗）和中亚国家派遣使者，将狮子作为礼物进献给中国皇帝。中国人对这一象征着威严皇权的野兽十分喜爱，这种喜爱从宫廷蔓延到了民间。汉朝晚期佛教逐渐传入中国后，狮子在佛教典故中也扮演着重要角色。

The lion dance is over 1，000 years old.

舞狮活动已有1000多年的历史。

After lions were introduced to the popular imagination， the animal may have been incorporated into the existing traditions of animal pantomimes. Historical records from the Three Kingdoms Period （220—280） describe people dressing in lion costumes for Buddhist festivities， and later in the Tang Dynasty （618—907）， the lion dance became a well-documented court festivity.

狮子这一形象走进大众的视野后，就可能被纳入了当时流行的动物哑剧传统。三国时期（220—280）的史料记载了人们身着狮子样式的服装参加佛教庆典活动。后来在唐朝时期（618—907），舞狮成为一项有大量文献记载的宫廷庆典活动。

There are different styles of lion dance that vary regionally.

舞狮的风格有地域之分。

Although rooted in China， the lion dance has spread across East Asia， with each region adding their own local variations. An array of styles abounds in Japan and South Korea. In Indonesia， the lion dancers wear huge fur coats with hefty heads.

Within China， the lion dance can be broadly divided in Northern and Southern styles. The Northern lion is red and yellow with a shaggy fringe， and is usually performed with a male and female and sometimes little cubs. The Southern lion， originating from Guangdong Province， is the most common type seen on the international stage. They usually come with a fur trim and an array of flamboyant colors， and are further subdivided into the futsan and hoksan styles. The former is meant to look more aggressive and the latter more cat-like and playful.

舞狮植根于中国，但传遍了东亚，并且每个地区都将本土特色融入其中。日本与韩国的舞狮风格丰富多样。在印度尼西亚，表演者往往穿着毛茸茸的肥大道具服装，戴着硕大的狮子头套。

在中国，舞狮大致可分为南狮、北狮两种舞法。北狮的造型通常为红黄两色，带有浓密的鬃毛，并且往往是公狮与母狮共同表演，有时会带着小狮子。南狮起源于广东省，是世界舞台上最常见的舞狮种类。南狮的造型往往有皮毛镶边，色彩丰富艳丽，可以细分为佛山狮和鹤山狮。前者更好斗，后者则更像猫，更爱嬉戏。

Chinese Malaysians invented the extreme sport of high pole lion dance.

马来西亚华人创造了高桩舞狮这项极限运动。

The lion dance has historically been performed on the ground or in small obstacle courses， with lions leaping up onto chairs， balance beams， or upturned vases in a spectacle of balance and athleticism. This show of acrobatics was turned up a notch when Chinese Malaysians began performing routines on high wooden stilts. In the early 1990s， this became a standardized arena of metal poles ranging from 4 to 8 feet in height， and the high pole lion dance as a competitive sport was born.

Performances are scored out of 10. To impress the judges， teams must choreograph a 7-to-10-minute long routine where they leap between poles while performing acrobatic stunts. The most prestigious international competition has been held every other year in Malaysias Resorts World Genting since 1994.

舞獅历来都是在平地上，或是在设有障碍的小型场地中进行。狮子一般是跳上椅子、平衡木或者倒立的花瓶，以展示自己出色的平衡和运动能力。而当马来西亚华人开始在高木桩上进行常规的舞狮表演时，这项杂技对技巧的要求又上升了一个等级。在20世纪90年代早期，这项活动的表演模式演变为在4到8英尺（122—244厘米）高的金属桩上进行，于是高桩舞狮变成了一项竞技运动。

裁判以1至10分来评判选手的表现。为了获得裁判的肯定，舞狮团队需要设计一套7到10分钟的动作，在高桩之间跳跃的同时表演高难度杂技。自1994年起，马来西亚的云顶名胜世界，每两年都会举办一场这一领域中声望最高的国际性赛事。

The lion dance is getting a modern makeover.

舞狮正在焕发新的面貌。

Chinese Malaysians arent the only performers revamping an ancient tradition. Teams in Singapore and Hong Kong， China have incorporated LED lights， EDM （Electronic Dance Music）， and hip hop into their routines. Kwoks Kung Fu and Dragon Lion Dance Team in Hong Kong once put on a show with hip hop dancers clad in Tron-like suits bopping alongside flashy Chinese lions synchronized to EDM.

马来西亚华人并不是唯一对这项古老传统进行创新的群体。新加坡和中国香港的舞狮团队都在舞狮常规套路中加入了LED灯光、电子舞曲以及嘻哈文化的元素。香港的郭氏功夫金龙醒狮团曾举办了一场别开生面的表演，嘻哈舞者身着类似于《电子世界争霸战》中的服饰，伴随着电子舞曲，与炫目的中国狮子共同起舞。

Word Bank

spectacle /'spekt?kl/ n. 精彩的表演；壮观的场面

inhabit /?n'h?b?t/ v. 居住在；栖居于

incorporate /?n'k??p?re?t/ v. 包含；吸收

We have incorporated all the latest safety features into the design.

array /?'re?/ n. 大堆；大群；大量

There is a vast array of bottles of different shapes and sizes over there.

aggressive /?'ɡres?v/ adj. 好斗的；侵略的

leap /li?p/ v. 跳；跳跃

A dolphin leapt out of the water.