Lion and Dragon Dance in Singapore by Pauline Loh (Singapore: World Scientific, 2023), 209 pages, SGD 30.
Lion and Dragon Dances are the highpoints of Chinese festivals, deeply rooted in tradition and performed during Chinese New Year and other important occasions, symbolizing courage, strength, and good luck. Dancers adorned in colorful lion costumes mimic the movements of the lion, accompanied by the beat of drums, cymbals, and gongs. The dragon dance, with its long and intricately designed dragon puppet manipulated by a team of skilled performers, represents power, wisdom, and prosperity. The dances denote Chinese heritage that has lasted for centuries and fosters a sense of unity among communities across the world.
In her book, Pauline Loh presents a comprehensive account of the origin of these dance forms in the 1850s, performed by troupes in Singapore since the 1930s, and how they became an integral part of the city-state’s culture. Through sections on history, culture, and sport, the author locates the dance in the context of Singapore’s modern society and contemporary events. The author discusses the continuity of the dance in the future through the cooperation of Chinese communities in the country and overseas branches as well.
Folklore and History
The first section of the book encompasses the folklore associated with lions and dragons, and how they became an integral part of Chinese culture. The author presents a historical account of how the dance form continued during colonial times in Singapore as a means for people to reconnect with their cultural roots, by remembering the pioneers of prominent dance troupes and the dancers who carried forward their legacy.
The legend of the mythical lion as a guardian started when Nián 年 (p. 10), an unidentified monster in the Zhou Dynasty (1046 BCE to 256 BCE) terrorized villagers during the Lunar New Year. The author explains that they were protected by the lion, its appearance inspiring a costume made of bamboo and paper that the villagers used to drive away the Nián with loud noise and red banners representing fire. The peace that followed led to the annual celebration of the lion dance, and its performance at important occasions. Along with this, there are tales of the mischievous lion of the Jade Emperor, and how the Emperor of the Song Province was victorious when Tan He, the governor of Jiao Zhou, intimidated an opposing army by dressing the soldiers as monstrous lions. The author mentions Luo Guanzhong’s novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which is one of four greatest classical works in Chinese literature. It tells the story of six brave soldiers, Liu Bei, Guan Ye, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, and Ma Chao who were later known as Emperor Liu Bei and the five Tiger Generals. They are represented by costumes based on their individual characteristics and qualities.
These examples demonstrate the lion as a symbol of power and strength in Chinese culture, even though it is not a part of the native fauna. The author traces its presence back to the commonly accepted belief that lions were introduced by the Silk Route between 220 BCE to 207 BCE by Western merchants. They were accompanied by dancers who were probably inspired by the creatures presented by the emperors. The author fascinatingly points out that the Chinese lions look different from the species as the activities in the royal court were not accessible to the general public. So, their knowledge of these intriguing creatures was supplemented by the animals that were common to them, as the Northern lions look similar to Pekingese dogs, while the Southern lions are modeled on the appearance and actions of household cats, which were animals more common to them.
The author further explains that dragons in Chinese lore are vastly different from their Western counterparts, who are known to be malevolent creatures that were needed to be slain by heroes. Chinese dragons have been seen as protectors since the Han Dynasty and have immense significance in ancient Chinese cosmology for maintaining cosmic balance. They also appear in the story of Yangdi and Huangdi who are regarded as the ancestors of the Chinese. Their actions are believed to bring rain that sustains life on Earth. They are often associated with other powerful mythical creatures such as the Fenghuang (Phoenix) and the Tiger. Hence, their importance transcends the aspects of nobility, bravery, and good fortune.
With this background, the author offers an anecdote in the third chapter on how dance troupes emerged in the Straits Settlements. It is believed that in the 1850s, there was a Chinese temple committee member who suggested the idea of a Wushu group to a temple devotee, so that it could be a space for young people to be a part of the temple’s social activities. This was an ideal way for Chinese immigrants to remain connected to the homeland, as they had come to Singapore in search of employment, and soon there were many who joined clan associations based on their native dialect. The author mentions the other side of it, as it led to the formation of secret societies, gangsterism, and religious disputes, seen in less favorable light by the local families. However, the dance became extremely popular and the Singapore Infopedia presents a timeline of the dance forms being practiced in the 1900s by Chinese immigrants. It gained more traction when a silk lion costume was bought by the Fuzhou Woodwork Association who promoted a dragon dance form that is popular across the world today.
The third chapter explains that the dance went into decline during the Second World War when Singapore became Syonan-to under Japanese occupation and violence was rampantly meted out to the locals. Despite the uncertainties and performances being halted, the troupes remained and many of its pioneers believe it was the guardian lion protecting the people that helped them rebuild the Lion City.
The connection to the Jia Xiang (homeland) has developed into a cultural phenomenon in Singapore. The re-emergence of the dance troupes began in the post-Second World War period, along with the formation of new troupes such as the Singapore Chin Woo Lion Dance Troupe, the Guang Wu Club, and the Sam Sui Wui Koon Singapore Lion Dance Troupe. The 1950s was a significant time for the troupes, as they began designing their own costumes that were unique to their performers. This was the time when the elders of the Hok San Clan Association Dance Troupe collectively changed the fierce-looking lion to make it more appealing to viewers. Some of the improvements included: changing of the lion’s black eyebrows to white, and reducing its length from 12 feet to 6 feet.
The dance troupes began fundraising and community service. They gained more traction after Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew attended an anniversary dinner in 1966 at Nanyang Siau Lim National Art Federation and proposed that an official foundation be organized for uniting the pugilistic community. As a result, the Singapore National Pugilistic Federation was formed in 1967 with an extravagant lion and dragon dance performance over eight days at Gay World in the same year. The federation is now known as Singapore Lion and Dragon Federation or Wuzong.
The year 1967 was important for another reason, as there was a performance with a glow-in-the-dark dragon at the inaugural event of Singapore’s national pugilistic competition. It was the first of its kind and was the concept of the Nanyang Shaolin Movement Centre. The 1960s also paved the way for the immense popularity of the lion and dragon dance troupes as it was a consequence of economic development in the country, and the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board had a key role in it. Now known as the Singapore Tourism Board, it provides opportunities to dance troupes to showcase their talent at local tourist attractions. These vignettes highlight the contribution of the dance in the multi-ethnic cultural environment of Singapore.
The Dance in Contemporary Singapore
In this dynamic and ever-evolving scenario, the author discusses the factors that have influenced the dance. The 1980s marked a new era in lion and dragon dance as there was a new generation of dancers who wanted to create a distinct identity from the martial arts associated with it. This led to the formation of groups from the 1980s right until the 2000s. By the 1990s, there were competitions held separately from Gay World, which was the original location since the first wushu. These were the Ngee Ann City National Lion Dance Championship in 1995, and the International Lion Dance Competition held annually in Chinatown during Chinese New Year.
The period of the twenty-first century, from 2000-2019, can be distinguished as a time of national and international awards won by individual dance troupes. The most notable among them were the two Guiness Book of World Records. The first was for the largest gathering of dancing dragons with ten dancers per dragon, while the second was for the largest lion dance performance. The record for the latter was 329 lions, but in 2019, there was a gathering of 720 lions at Marina Bay because the theme was to celebrate 720 years of the discovery of the Lion City by Sang Nila Utama in the year 1299.
The situation during the Covid-19 pandemic was especially hard for the dance troupes during the Lunar New Year, as this is the time they earn the cai qing commissions that finance their activities throughout the year. The pandemic halted the annual competitions such as the International Lion and Dragon Dance Competition in Chinatown and the Ngee Ann City National Lion Dance Championship. It was also detrimental to the smaller dance troupes as they were unable to manage the financial constraints. The author states that the situation can be described as the “period of the 睡 狮 (Shuì shī; sleeping lion)” (p. 35). This was followed by the Lunar New Year in 2021, with limited participation of dance troupes, however the troupes began showcasing their talent on social media platforms, which increased their popularity among international audiences.
Being a part of a dance troupe is accompanied by a certain set of values that its performers have inculcated into their lives. As the dance forms have their origin in martial arts, self-discipline and constant training are a prerequisite for the performers. This serves as a basis for the principle that martial arts should be used for personal health, which is evident from their respective rules. Wen Yang’s mission statement explains this: “Without proper training, the lion will be without expression, the dragon will be without motion, and the drum will be without rhythm” (p. 84). Among the various rules, the essential values consist of fraternal bonds among the dancers, patriotism, and character development of its performers, derived from the Chinese Five Constants and Four Values of Confucianism. Troupes such as the Kong Chow Wui Koon Kungfu Dragon & Lion Troupe (“饮水思源 (Yǐnshuǐsīyuán,” p. 84), and Qing Wei Lion & Dragon Dance Cultural Troupe’s idea of an extended family, are striking examples of this strong sense of an ethnic identity in Singapore and around the world.
This section gives a concise explanation about how the dance forms developed over the years and how they gained prominence among the Chinese community in Singapore. The author also outlines important historical events associated with the tradition, the skill of its leaders who have developed aspects of the dance forms, and their general practices, making it an ideal introduction to the book.
Culture in Motion
In the second section titled “Culture,” the author begins by describing the different types of lion and dragon species used for the dances, which highlight the diversity of the dance form and the creativity used.
The Southern Lion, one of the most popular lion species resembling a household cat, is known for its cheerful expressions.
The Singapore Lion has two styles, the Foshan (Buddha Mountain) and Heshan (Crane Mountain) lions named after the places they originated from before they became a part of the “ceremonial lions” used in the National Day Parade in Singapore (p. 96).
The Northern Lion is decorated with red and yellow fur, and its performances are usually conducted with a pair of male and female lions, which make it suitable for weddings.
The Green Lion from Fujian in southeast China has a flat face with fierce looking canines whose origins lie in the Qing dynasty, whose rulers, the Manchus, had a reputation of usurpers in China.
The Green Face Sword Lion is separate from the green lion and emerged at the end of the Manchu reign, where Gan De Yuan paraded the lion in Quanzhou and removed its blade eyebrows, which signified the end of the empire.
The Wen Lion that is part of the Tang Dynasty and is known for the peace desired by people during the war years.
The Japan Lion comes from a country known for its 9,000 varieties of lion dances, and is a species to which people willingly offer their babies’ heads to be bitten by the lion for good luck.
The Korean Lion has sub-species such as the sajach’um performed for masked dramas, while the saja-noreum is used to drive away evil spirits.
The Tibet Lion featured on the Tibetan flag and currency as it is symbolic of happiness and fearlessness. Its dance is performed for secular occasions but there is also a Buddhist dance ritual depicting snow lions protecting the Buddha’s throne.
The Vietnam Lion is similar to the Southern Lion due to its colors, and is performed during the Vietnamese Lunar Year and the Tet Festival.
The Thailand Lion maintains the tradition of the Southern Lion dance, which is generally performed during Lunar New Year and the inauguration of new businesses.
The Indonesia Lion dances vary from region to region and are known as the barongsai. Among these, there is the Reog dance in Java, where dancers carry a lion mask weighing 30 kg to 40 kg with their teeth. With its length being 2.5 meters, it is the world’s largest mask.
The author describes a number of dragons, such as the Southern Dragon belonging to the area south of the Yangtze River in China; the Northern Dragon that appears at competitions held in Singapore, China, Hong Kong, and Malaysia; the Fuzhou Dragon brought to Singapore by Chinese immigrants in the nineteenth century; the Luminous Dragon that is native to Singapore and was performed at the inaugural national pugilistic competition in 1967; the Fire Dragon that receives its name from the candles and oil lamps that are placed inside its body; the Lotus Dragon covered in scales that look like lotus petals that might have its origins in Chongqing, China; and the Bench Dragon which comes from the Ming Dynasty in China and is performed during the Lantern Festival, where the head of the Bench Dragon is crafted and taken around a village.