How did the ritual dance of the Zhou Dynasty and the Six Dynasties dance come from?

It was at the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty in the pre-Qin period, the famous saint Zhou Gongdan in history. He is Zhou Wenwang's second son and Zhou Wuwang's younger brother. Zhou Gongdan was very kind. He was very famous in Kyushu at that time, and people believed him very much.

Later, Zhou Wuwang died, and the newly inherited Zhou Chengwang was still in its infancy, so it was impossible to run the country. Zhou Gongdan was worried that there would be disaster if no one managed the world, so he took the place of Zhou Chengwang and ascended the throne of heaven.

Later, some people spread rumors in the capital: "Zhou Gongdan wants to ruin Zhou Chengwang, and he wants to be the son of heaven himself!"

When Zhou Gongdan found out, he summoned officials and people. He said: "The reason why I didn't shy away from acting as a court official was because my brother died young and my nephew was young. I'm afraid there will be a war in the world, so I can't repay my brother and father. "

So he won the trust of the government and the people, and people ignored the gossip. Zhou Gongdan also continued to replace Zhou Chengwang and help him manage the world.

Soon, Zhou Chengwang became seriously ill, and his condition became more and more serious. Soon, he was going to die. Zhou Gongdan was very anxious when he learned this, so he cut off his nails and sank into the Yellow River, leading hundreds of officials to sing and dance.

Zhou Gongdan prayed to the river god, "My nephew is too young to be sensible. I, Zhou Gongdan, disobeyed God's command! Please God punish me and don't hurt my little nephew! " Zhou Gongdan sealed the prayer book, and he led the officials to sing and dance to please the gods. Sure enough, Zhou Chengwang's illness soon recovered.

Later, when Zhou Chengwang grew up, Zhou Gongdan returned the power to Zhou Chengwang. From then on, he served Zhou Chengwang strictly and gave him advice. Later, someone falsely accused Zhou Gongdan in front of Zhou Chengwang, and Zhou Gongdan fled to Chu to take refuge.

A few days later, Zhou Chengwang heard that Zhou Gongdan created music and dance to entertain the gods when he was young, and prayed that he would recover from his serious illness. He also saw Zhou Gongdan's book of praying for the river god. Zhou Chengwang asked the historian, "Why don't I know this?"

The historian replied, "This is absolutely true. Only when Zhou Gongdan ordered us not to tell, did we keep this secret! "

Zhou Chengwang realized the loyalty of the Duke of Zhou and was moved to tears. He cried, "From now on, there will never be such pious dancing and divination! This is all my fault! "

Zhou Chengwang knew that he had misunderstood Zhou Gongdan, so he immediately sent someone to Chu to invite Zhou Gongdan back. Later, Zhou Chengwang ordered 100 officials to turn the ritual dance created by Zhou Gongdan into a kind of etiquette, and gradually formed the ritual culture of our country. In addition, this ritual dance was handed down from generation to generation, which had a great influence on China's later dance development.

In fact, the downfall of Shang Zhouwang Dynasty originated from the vicious circle of cause and effect. The Western Zhou Dynasty occupies a very important position in the history of our country.

The ancestors of Zhou people were originally Qishan tribe living in Hexi, so they were also called Xilai tribe. Zhou Wenhua gradually flourished. After Zhou Wuwang's separatist regime in Shang Zhouwang, the eastern and western parts of the Yellow River were more closely linked, and under the impetus of various conditions, the Zhou Dynasty was unprecedentedly powerful in ancient history.

"Six Dynasties Dance" is said to be a dance based on Zhou's original system and reference. Through a series of important measures, Zhou Gongdan organized the sacrificial music and dance of ancient clans on a large scale, which not only established the authority of the Zhou Dynasty, but also expressed reverence for ancestors.

Zhou Gongdan advocated the system of rites and music, and put it in the first place. The so-called "ceremony", that is, the formulation of various laws and regulations, involves almost all aspects of social life, such as worship of gods, politics, economy, military affairs, criminal law, people's manners and etiquette, from behavior rules to ancestor worship, from weddings and funerals to everyday language. As a kind of "rule", "ceremony" was everywhere in China Zhou Dynasty.

Specifically, "rites" are mainly divided into five categories. The first is "Ji Li", which is the etiquette of Zhou Dynasty to sacrifice and worship national ghosts and gods; The second is "fierce ceremony", which is the funeral etiquette of the Zhou Dynasty. The third is the "guest ceremony", which is about the etiquette of North Korea's recruitment; The fourth is "military salute", which is the inspiring etiquette of the Zhou Dynasty; The fifth is "Li Jia", which is a kind of etiquette used for wedding banquets in the Zhou Dynasty.

The so-called "enjoy yourself" mainly means that whenever you use etiquette, you should use "music and dance" to match these etiquette rules. In the Western Zhou Dynasty, people said "music" was actually the general name of music and dance, especially those different music and dance movements used in coordination with different etiquette. Therefore, the etiquette of the Western Zhou Dynasty is used to distinguish between high and low, and to judge right and wrong.

Music and dance in the Western Zhou Dynasty were used to ease ups and downs and integrate people's hearts. The system of rites and music in Zhou Dynasty is a combination of politics and art education, emphasizing the mutual cooperation and support of rites and music in order to fully consolidate the rule and reconcile the people's hearts.

Zhou Gongdan's ritual and music system actually completed the first major arrangement of music and dance in history, and formed the sacrificial music and dance in the Zhou Dynasty-music and dance in the Six Dynasties. Six Dynasties Dance, also known as Six Music, Six Dances or Six Great Dances, is the six kinds of music and dances used by emperors in the Zhou Dynasty.

According to Zhou Li Chun Guan Dalles' ancient books:

Dances in the Six Dynasties include Cloud Gate by Huangdi, Fairy Pond by Yao Di, Less and Less by Shun Di, April by Yu Di, Dayun by Shang Tang and Dawu by Zhou Wuwang.

It is said that emperors who conquer the world by virtue must use "literary dance" to sacrifice; Those who win the world with martial arts can enjoy "martial arts dance", so the first four dances belong to "literary dance" and the last two dances belong to "martial arts dance"

"Six Dynasties Dance" is an important part of the ritual and music system in the Zhou Dynasty. It was regarded as a model of music and dance by feudal rulers in past dynasties, and actually integrated many cultural achievements.

In the Zhou Dynasty, people established a huge music and dance organization "Da Le Si". When people hold major festivals, Da Lesi usually leads the children of nobles to dance the "Six Dynasties Dance", and different music and dances need to be played on different occasions. Each kind of music and dance has a clear function, which is used to worship heaven and earth, mountains and rivers, and ancestors.

According to the records in Zhou Li's ancient books:

When dancing "Cloud Gate", he played Huang Zhong and Lu Da to offer sacrifices to God; When you dance "Fairy Pool", you play too many clusters and sing bells to sacrifice mountains and rivers. When dancing "less and less", you will play and sing "Southern Foothill" to offer sacrifices to the surrounding areas.

Playing the role of a guest, ringing bells and offering sacrifices to mountains and rivers when dancing "Great Summer"; When jumping "Dayun", Yi Ze and Xiao Lu are played for appreciation; When you dance "Da Wu", you can enjoy your ancestors without shooting at the target and singing with a chime.

These six kinds of dances are performed by the children of the royal family, and the number of musicians and dancers is strictly regulated, which reflects the hierarchical nature of the ceremony of Zhou. Among them, "Da Shao" and "Yunmen Dajuan" are the music that started from the Yellow Emperor's "Yunmen Dajuan" in the Western Zhou Dynasty and were used to worship the gods.

Zhou people listed Cloud Gate as one of the "Six Great Dances", which shows its importance. Huangdi is the same clan of all ethnic groups in the Central Plains, with both ability and political integrity.

Although the Yellow Emperor defeated Chiyou because of the wild war in Hanquan, he was more virtuous. Therefore, Liu Xiang, the imperial uncle of the Western Han Dynasty, recorded in the book "Huainanzi Lanmingxun" edited by him:

In the past, the Yellow Emperor ruled the world, ... let the strong not hide the weak, let the public not be violent and unscrupulous, ... One hundred palaces were upright and selfless, ... The road was not connected, and the city was not prepared.

Legend has it that the Yellow Emperor's famous bears, Xuanyuan and Jinyun are generally considered to be the result of the combination of many clan titles in northern China.

According to legend, in order to fight against Chiyou, the Yellow Emperor once trained six kinds of wild animals, such as bears, raccoons, tigers and raccoons. According to expert research, these beasts are tribal totems. The Yellow Emperor unified all tribes and was widely respected. Later generations respected him as the ancestor god, which was also related to his great cause of "unification"

In the Zhou Dynasty, "Cloud Gate" was regarded as a dance to worship the gods of "the system of rites and music", which showed that after the defeat of Chiyou, the Yellow Emperor was not only the unified king in folklore, but also the representative of the gods of the Zhou Dynasty, with far-reaching significance.

In addition, Zhang Da dance is a sacrificial dance in the Zhou Dynasty, and Zhang Da's sacrificial object is the "land god", that is, the land god.

Zhang Da was originally the music and dance of Tang Yao era. According to legend, its content was originally for offering sacrifices to God and was created by Yao's courtiers. Later, Qin's, in his editing "Lv Chunqiu, midsummer Ji, ancient music" recorded:

Emperor Yao Li, is happy with the quality of life. Quality is the sound of mountains and valleys, but it is drummed with a palm, just like the sound of jade, which makes all animals dance together.

Gu Sou is a banjo, regarded as a fifteen-stringed instrument, and called "Dazhang" to worship the gods.

The music and dance of the Zhou Dynasty and the Six Dynasties also called this kind of music and dance "the Great Immortal". According to the ancient book "Li Zhouguan Chunzong Xia Bo Da Le Si", the music and dance "Fairy Pool" dedicated to Tang Yao was originally dedicated to the Yellow Emperor.

In the era of Tang Yao, if there was any "addition and repair", it was basically to keep its original name.

On this basis, it was renamed "Dayan". If the "musical style" has not changed, the original name will be changed and it will be called "Zhangda". According to this, it can be seen that the "Six Dynasties Dance" in the Zhou Dynasty may contain more "Zhang Da".

Preserved the features of music and dance in Tang Yao era. Besides, "Da Shao Dance" is a legendary music and dance to commemorate Shun Di. Shun was a wise monarch in ancient times. According to the ancient book Shangshu Shundian, he traveled all over the world, consulted four mountains, and was good at selecting sages. Therefore, the Zhou Dynasty used this dance to worship the "four views", that is, the four directions, and some said that it refers to famous mountains and rivers, or the sun, the moon and the stars.

Legend has it that Shun Ming instructed the children of nobles to be educated by music and dance, so this is not only the virtue of Shun Di's literature, but also refined into the golden mean by later generations. Regarding the younger generation, music and dance also have the characteristics of "moderation" as beauty.

On this point, there are many records in Historical Records. For example, when Shao Shi was recorded in the ancient book Shangshu Yaodian, he used "harmony of eight tones, mutual non-contention, and harmony between gods and people", which means that people use the coordination between instrumental music to achieve the function of communication and coordination between people and gods.

Miro, a scholar in the Southern Song Dynasty, recorded in Postscript of Road:

Less, the legacy of Shun is also gentle and harmonious.

Shaoshao was founded in the Zhou Dynasty, passed down from generation to generation, and finally became the masterpiece of "Wen Dance". In addition to enjoying the respect of the imperial dynasty, it is also loved by the people.

Shaoshan, Xiangtan, Hunan Province, is said to have been played here by ancient Shun Di, which attracted the phoenix to fly and unicorns to dance. The name of Shaoshan came from this, and it has a certain origin.

There is a huge stone named Shao Shi near Shaoguan, Guangdong. It is said that this is the place that Shun Di once visited. Used to play Shao music here.

If we think of the situation that "Big Less" is often held, it seems that the joy of "Big Less" is related to stone instruments, and perhaps stones are sacred "props" in music and dance performances.

"Less" not only has the significance of grand sacrifice, but also gradually enriches in the long-term development, realizes the relative organic unity of content and form, and has high artistic appreciation value.

According to Zuo Qiuming, a famous scholar in the Spring and Autumn Period, it is recorded in Zuo Zhuan's Twenty-nine Years of "xianggong":

The son of Wu has traveled to Wei, Zheng, Xu and other countries. When I arrived in Shandong, I naturally asked to see the music and dance of the Zhou Dynasty. He spoke highly of Shao: De Da! Surprisingly, there is nothing in the sky and nothing in the earth.

According to the Analects of Confucius, Confucius once "didn't know the taste of meat in March" after enjoying Shao's music. Confucius praised the perfection of this kind of music and dance, which shows that people attach great importance to it. Also, "Heroes" was originally people praising Yu Xia's music and dance. Later, Zhou people used "heroes" to worship the mountains and rivers of Kyushu, probably because Yu was praised for his good management of water in ancient times. It is recorded in Shangshu Dayu Mo that:

Yu Keqin is in Guangzhou, Karen is at home, respecting Yao Shun and being a foreign teacher.