洪湖凤舟Honghu Phoenix Boats

张国浩Zhang Guohao

端午節的龙舟竞渡是我国最具影响力的民俗盛事之一。近年来，学术研究与田野实地考察发现，湖北洪湖端午节的凤舟竞渡有着与龙舟竞渡同样出彩的表现。1 600多年前，南朝时期《荆楚岁时记》所记载的飞凫（fú）舟表演，至今仍以凤舟竞渡的名义在传承发展，尤其是洪湖地区内荆河两岸流传至今的“东龙西凤”竞渡，堪称端午竞渡文化的“活化石”。

It is well known to us that dragon boat racingduring the Duanwu Festival is one of the mostparticipated and popular folk events in China. Inrecent years， however， academic research and fieldinvestigations have revealed that phoenix boat racingduring the Duanwu Festival holds equal importanceand allure in Honghu City， Hubei Province. It wasrecorded， in the Jing-Chu Suishi Ji， a book on seasonalactivities and customs from the Jing-Chu regionover 1，600 years ago during the Southern Dynasty，that people staged flying-bird boat races duringthe festival. This ancient tradition has persistedand transformed into the modern-day phoenixboat racing. Particularly， along the Jing River in theHonghu region， the dragon boat race along the eastbank and the phoenix boat race along the west bankare considered “living fossils，” preserving the richboat-racing culture during the Duanwu Festival.

每年端午节，洪湖人都会在家门前挂上艾蒿、菖蒲等辟邪驱疫的草药。乡民们在享用雄黄酒、粽子、盐蛋、包子后，会在孩童们的脸上抹雄黄，扶老携幼一同去新堤观看凤舟竞渡。

Every year during the Duanwu Festival， the localpeople of Honghu hang silvery wormwood， calamus，and other herbs on their gates to ward off evil spiritsand diseases. After enjoying realgar wine， zongzi（sticky rice dumplings）， salted eggs， and steamedbuns， the villagers apply realgar on their childrensfaces， and the entire family heads for the Xindi Areato watch the phoenix boat race.

相传，洪湖凤舟的习俗与清朝时期的西太后慈禧有关。清光绪十四年（公元1888年），在新堤镇的元宵节花灯会上，内荆河东岸的龙灯以其精湛技艺力压群雄，河西岸的凤灯则以其资力雄厚自傲。当时，新堤元宵灯会将凤灯摆在龙灯之后，有人将此事奏报朝廷，慈禧太后听闻大怒。

Legend has it that the origin of the phoenix boatrace is linked to Empress Dowager Cixi， commonlyknown as the “West Empress Dowager.” In the 14thyear （1888 AD） of Emperor Guangxus reign， a LanternFestival was held in the ancient town of Xindi. Whilethe dragon lanterns from the east bank of NeijingRiver stood out with their exquisite craftsmanship，the ones from the west bank impressed the audiencewith a sense of luxury through their lavish materials.However， the dragon lanterns were staged in frontof the phoenix lanterns. Empress Dowager Cixi wasoutraged when this was reported to the imperial court.

端午节临近，当地官员紧急召集商会头面人物，磋商竞渡事宜。有人提出，新堤既有凤灯之祸，为何不可行凤舟之福呢？大家听后，觉得很有道理，于是决定：“我们就借西太后的‘西字之名，让西岸划凤舟。”比赛当天，太后的女使将从宫廷带来的黄绫系在凤舟的凤头上，以警示凤舟不能输。最终，女使带着满意的结果回京复命，“龙舟不准胜凤舟”的习俗就此流传下来。

As the Duanwu Festival approached， localofficials convened an urgent meeting with majorfigures in the business community to discuss theboat racing event. Some suggested making up for theprevious mistake by introducing a new celebratoryevent in the form of phoenix boat racing， a proposalwarmly accepted by the attendees. It was decided thatthe phoenix boat race would take place along the westbank， as a homage to the West Empress Dowager. Onthe day of the event， Empress Dowagers female envoybrought yellow silk from the imperial palace， tyingit to the phoenixs head as a signal that the phoenixboat must emerge victorious. Ultimately， the envoyreturned to the capital city of Beijing with a resultthat satisfied the Empress Dowager. Since then， thecustom of “phoenix boat beating the dragon boat inthe racing game” has been passed down.

至今，端午节新堤东岸划龙舟、西岸划凤舟的习俗已延续100多年。划凤舟是洪湖水乡人民主要的文化娱乐活动，其起源可能与官府的强制推行有关，但楚人崇凤的习俗也是群众愿意接受的重要原因。楚人崇凤，由来已久，洪湖作为荆楚文化的发源地之一，就更是如此：建筑物、民俗民谣、生活用品和婚丧嫁娶等，随处可见凤的倩影。洪湖凤舟的出现更突显了凤在洪湖人民心目中的地位。

With over a century of tradition in rowingdragon boats along the east bank and phoenix boatsalong the west bank， phoenix boat racing has evolvedinto a major cultural and entertainment activity forthe people of Honghu. While the emergence of thisevent may be linked to the authorities mandatoryenforcement， the local peoples reverence for thephoenix also contributes to its popularity. The Churegion has long honored a tradition of revering thephoenix， and this is particularly true in Honghu， acradle of the Chu culture. The image of the phoenix canbe seen everywhere： from buildings， folk songs， andcustoms to daily items， weddings， and funerals. Thephoenix boat racing further highlights the significanceof the phoenix in the hearts of Honghu people.

根据《山海经》的描述：“丹穴之山，有鸟焉，其状如鸡，五采而文，名曰凤皇……见则天下安宁。”最初的设计者依据其中“状如鸡”的记载，确定了凤舟的形态。凤舟初为红色，后改为象征君权的黄色。凤头高1米，用黄绫缠裹。凤尾是用绢布、孔雀尾毛制成的五彩色条。中舱竖有2米高的方斗，斗上插一束柳枝，传说是作辟邪用，斗下安放锣鼓。27对桡（náo）子依次排后，头桡、二桡、三桡略大，其后的桡略小。踩头者左手扶凤头、右手舞黄旗，指挥凤舟前进。

According to the Classic of Mountains and Seas，“there was a bird residing in the Danxue Mountainthat took the shape of a rooster. Its feathers werecolorful with patterns resembling Chinese characters.It is named Feng Huang （Phoenix）… The appearanceof this creature symbolizes peace and stability in theworld.” The documented resemblance to a roosterserved as the inspiration for the initial designers ofthe boat. Phoenix boats were first designed to be red，but the color was later changed to yellow， symbolizingimperial power. The phoenix head， wrapped in yellowsilk， stands at a height of one meter. The phoenix tailcomprises colorful strips of silk fabrics and peacockfeathers. In the center of the boat， a two-meter-tallsquare container holds a bundle of willow brancheson top to ward off ill luck， with drums positionedjust below. Behind the drums are 27 pairs of paddles，with the first three pairs slightly larger than the rest.The team leader holds the phoenix head with the lefthand and waves a yellow flag with the right hand，guiding the phoenix boat forward.

現在的洪湖凤舟造型精美、装扮靓丽，凤头形似鸡，舟尾形似孔雀开屏；舟身长27.8米，宽1.4米，有舱口31个、桡子27对。船上全员身着黄褂，共59人：踩头1人，中舱指挥1 人，锣鼓手2 人，棹手1 人，桡手54人。

Today， the Honghu phoenix boats are moreexquisitely designed and splendidly decorated，featuring a rooster-like head， and a tail that resemblesa peacock in full display. The boat measures 27.8meters in length and 1.4 meters in width， equippedwith 31 drainage devices and 27 pairs of paddles. Thecrew， comprising 59 members， all wear yellow attire：one leads at the front， another directs in the middle，accompanied by two drummers， a direction-leadingpaddler， and 54 paddlers.

在凤舟下水前，要燃放鞭炮、化纸烧香，以示庆祝和祈福。职业祭祀人为凤舟开光祭祀，用鸡血点凤头，画桃符压凤冠，以示求保一方平安。凤舟还巢时，凤头会回望，上岸前人们也要烧香放鞭，名曰“收水”，寓意收纳吉祥和福气。久而久之，这些仪式逐渐转变为楚地民俗。

Before the boats set sail， people set offfirecrackers， burn paper sacrifices， and light incenseto celebrate and seek blessings. Professional ritualpractitioners conduct a blessing ritual for the phoenixboat， praying for peace in the region. This traditionincludes applying chicken blood to the phoenix headand affixing a lucky talisman to the phoenix crown.Before the boats return to the land， it is orientedin a specific direction， allowing the phoenix headto face backward. Upon landing， people engage inthe shoushui event， marked by burning incense andsetting off firecrackers once again. This symbolicact represents the gathering of good fortune andblessings. Over time， these rituals have graduallybecome integral parts of the local folk customs in theChu region.

1989年以來，洪湖已举办四次凤舟节。1991年，在“洪湖市荷花节”中，洪湖凤舟荣获金杯；此后，在荆州、仙桃等地举办的百次赛事中，洪湖凤舟也获得无数殊荣。2007年，洪湖凤舟的图片北上俄罗斯参加“中国年”民俗图片展，吸人眼球。2009年，洪湖凤舟的凤头凤尾图南下中国澳门参加民俗展，艳惊四座。同年，洪湖凤舟的照片被选入联合国教科文组织《人类非物质文化遗产代表作名录》端午节项目图册中。2011年6月，洪湖凤舟被列入湖北省非物质文化遗产名录。

Since 1989， Honghu has hosted four Phoenix BoatFestivals. In 1991， the Honghu phoenix boat won thegolden prize in the Honghu Lotus Festival. Since then，it has received numerous honors at various events heldin places like Jingzhou and Xiantao. In 2007， images ofthe Honghu phoenix boat attracted visitors attention atthe “Chinese Year — Folk Tradition Images Exhibition”held in Russia. Two years later in 2009， pictures of theHonghu phoenix boat stunned the audience at a folktradition exhibition in Macao， China. In the same year，the pictures are included in the Duanwu Festival Album，a program under UNESCOs Representative List ofthe Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity Project.In June 2011， the Honghu phoenix boat was officiallyincluded in the Hubei Provincial List of IntangibleCultural Heritage.

作为端午文化多样性的组成部分，洪湖凤舟改变了人们对于端午竞渡中只有龙舟竞渡的认知，承载了久远而丰富的地域文化信息，它凝聚了历史，经历了沧桑，演变为一种文化符号和历史记忆。

The Honghu phoenix boat is a significant componentof the Duanwu Festival culture， which challengespeoples perception that the festival is solely aboutdragon boat races. It carries and reflects the ancient andrich regional culture. Through the vicissitudes of history，it has gradually evolved into a cultural symbol that tellsunforgettable tales from history.

供图/ 张国浩