Siling Elementary School Lion Dance Team Inherits Local Traditional Culture 

by Hu Tai-da

Siling Elementary School, located on the Bagua Mountain Plateau in Nantou City, has a history spanning one hundred years since its founding. The "Tongyi Hall Golden Lion Formation" in the local area has been established for over a century and is a significant branch of the Green Lion culture in central Taiwan. It possesses distinctive traditional cultural characteristics, preserving many drum and lion dance techniques. During the annual "Welcoming the Jade Emperor" event on the ninth day of the first lunar month, the Tongyi Hall Green Lion acts as the vanguard general of the deities, performing lion dances in front of every believer's home to offer blessings. The students, influenced by this tradition, have developed a strong interest in lion dancing.

In February 2016, the school established a lion dance team club. For nearly eight years, it has nurtured many elite lion dancers, passing down this meaningful cultural heritage. Over the years, the team has achieved outstanding results in county and national competitions, bringing numerous honors to the school. For example, they won the championship in the Minnan Lion category at the Nantou County Folk Sports Lion Dance Competition and achieved top honors at the National Heritage Cup and Xinchuan Cup Lion Dance Competitions.

The two Green Lions of Siling Elementary School's Lion Dance Team were crafted by the school's director. The children perform various routines accompanied by diverse drum beats, showcasing eight emotions and states: joy, anger, sorrow, happiness, movement, stillness, surprise, and suspicion. Their adorable and lively movements have been widely praised. Currently, the lion dance team is a featured club of the school, encouraging students to improve academically through their interest in lion dancing and aiming to promote local traditional culture.

In February 2016, the school lacked all the necessary lion dance equipment and initially borrowed old gear from Fengming Junior High School in the district. Despite being old and dusty, the students were thrilled. The local Tongyi Hall Golden Lion Formation leader, Coach Guo Guozhen, was invited to teach the students. Director Hu Taida applied for club funding from the Child Welfare League Foundation, and thus the "Siling Elementary School Lion Dance Team" was established. At that time, Principal Tu Renxiong encouraged a few lively students who disliked homework by telling them, "To learn lion dancing, you must first complete your assignments. Only by improving academically can you continue to learn lion dance skills." That summer, all the students astonishingly completed their summer homework by mid-August, impressing all the teachers and students. This approach catered to their interests, encouraging positive development and demonstrating the students' deep passion for lion dancing.

In October 2017, the team signed up for the National Xinchuan Cup Lion Dance Competition, discovering that their practice lion heads were deformed, with soft and damaged mouths. Upon learning this, two kind local alumni, Lan Shazhong and Lan Qiujin, immediately donated NT$30,000 for the school to purchase new lion heads, a drum, and competition costumes. With this support, the students trained even more diligently, pulling the director to practice in the corners of the campus every noon, ultimately winning the championship and exceeding everyone's expectations.

An interesting incident occurred when Coach Guo took Director Hu to purchase lion heads. After successfully buying the lion heads and drum, they discussed the issues of lion head craftsmanship and heritage on the return trip. Coach Guo lamented that modern Green Lion head craftsmanship lacked the finesse of the late master Hu Xinhou, missing his unique style in appearance, binding, and painting techniques. As Hu Xinhou's grand-nephew, Director Hu shared this sentiment, recalling that his father had taught him the methods when he was young and expressed his willingness to attempt crafting lion heads, provided there was no time pressure. Subsequently, Director Hu spent weekends at school creating clay molds for lion heads, experimenting for five months. He innovated with materials like newspaper, kraft paper, and plaster bandages to create lightweight lion heads that retained traditional appearances. After nearly ten months, with the help of local high school student Zhong Weihao, they successfully created the school's first self-made Green Lion head, overcoming challenges like replicating the blinking eye mechanism.

In November 2017, Siling Elementary School's Lion Dance Team was invited to perform in Kasahara City, Japan, during the sister city ceremony with Nantou City. Their lively performance was highly praised by the Japanese delegation. In February 2019, they participated in the Nantou Lantern Festival's "Tongliang Fire Dragon" opening performance, where Principal Tu creatively combined tradition with innovation, transforming the traditional "Lion Demon" into a lively and adorable "Little Immortal Child." This performance received unanimous acclaim from over ten thousand spectators, earning a stellar reputation for the school. In October 2021, they performed at the opening ceremony of the "Tea Culture Themed Pavilion" by the Tourism Bureau's Tri-Mountain National Scenic Area Administration, continuously showcasing students' vitality through traditional culture, bringing blessings to events and guests, and earning high praise from audiences and guests alike.

As Coach Guo stated, "Training students is not as simple as growing pineapples." He dedicated his Wednesday afternoons to guiding the lion dance team despite his busy farming schedule. Students who reached proficiency by the sixth grade would graduate, necessitating the training of new students, embodying the spirit of passing down traditions. Perhaps these children may not remain in their hometowns in the future, but I believe the seeds of this traditional culture will deeply root in their hearts, eventually blossoming and thriving.