Have you ever attended any Chinese celebration?

Chinese celebration is the

one of the most important celebration in our country. During the celebration, there will
many activities and cultural performance given. Have you seen traditional Chinese fan
dance?

INTRODUCTION

The traditional Chinese fan dance has been a part of China’s heritage for over
two thousand years. Considered to be an ancient form of folk dance, the fan dance
serves various purposes and is highly regarded by the Chinese. Fan dances has been
preserved to share the stories and beauty of Chinese culture.

The Chinese fan dance plays a few different roles. First, it is used to help pass
down stories and traditions of Chinese culture. Both tourists and younger Chinese
generations learn classic tales of China's past through the fan dance. Therefore, you
can often see fan dancers at festivals, theater performances, and other exhibition style
events where the performers are able to promote their rich roots in history.

HISTORY

The origins of the fan dance are rooted in the Han Dynasty. The Han Dynasty
is considered the first Chinese dynasty that cared about promoting and preserving
artistic tradition. This is the primary reason why the Chinese Fan dance is still practiced
today. Historically, the fan dance has been categorized in two ways which is civilian
and military. The military form of the dance uses no props, as it uses coordinated
movements and weaponry to demonstrate uniformity and authority. This is detailed
and graceful, resembling ballet in its pace and form, using fans and other props such
as feathered banners to accentuate the beauty of the dancing. Fan dance are based
on simple classical Chinese body movements, allowing the dance to be very soft and
flowing continuously.

FUNCTIONS

Like most other forms of folk dance, the Chinese fan dance developed to share
stories, preserve the culture and to communicate feelings and emotions without words.
This form of communication and preservation was vitally important to the Chinese, as
dances were created even before written symbols. Chinese fan dances include a
specific type of symbolism, vocabulary and structure to allow the dancer to
communicate their intentions. Fan dancing also serves as entertainment. Fans are
used as props, complimenting brightly-coloured costumes for an eye-catching
spectacle of movement.

Finally, Chinese fan dancing serves as exercise, as well as an exercise in

discipline for its participants. Like many other forms of dance, the choreography that
comes along with fan dancing requires physical fitness and the ability to memorize
routines. This can be a way for someone to enrich their bodies and minds with an
activity that means something to them both personally and culturally.