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Choy Cheng (Cai Qing)-The Act of Picking the Greens By William Y.K. Lee Choy
Cheng (Cantonese) or Cai Qing (Mandarin) is a term often heard during Chinese
New Year. However, it is a phrase that
has many connotations. There is the
Hung Mun or Hong Men (red gate) aspect, which deals with the “Heaven, Earth,
and Man” societies, they represented the Chinese anti-Ching rebels who were
trying to overthrow the Manchurian Ching dynasty who were ruling Some, mistake the word Choy in this case to represent the vegetable that the lion eats (due to vegetables such as sin choy and choy sum) when in fact it means “to pick, catch, grab,” while the word Cheng means greens which symbolizes the vegetable, giving way to the phrase, “Pick the greens” or “Grab the greens”. Originally the Cheng served several purposes, one was to allow the Hung Mun to gather, identify themselves to other factions, and pass secret messages thru the Hung Baau/ Hong Bao (red packet/envelopes better known as li-see). Another was to demonstrate their martial arts skills. A third was for blessings and the forth was for entertainment purposes. Chinese love the use of symbolisms, puns, homonyms and word play. Where one word (usually an object), is used to represent another word that it sounds similar to in pronunciation to represent one’s wish or desire. The term Choy Cheng has multiple dualities. Looking at it from the Hung Mun aspect, Choy sounds like the word for Step On or Stomp. While the word Cheng (also called Ching) represents the Ching dynasty. However, they could not outright say Choy Ching (Stomp the Ching), as it would have been easy for spies and the government to understand this connotation. Further more when the Lion Grabs the Cheng to eat and spits it back out, it represented Grabbing the Ching/ Manchu’s (Choy Cheng/Ching) and throwing them out of China. The phrase Choy Cheng also has another meaning when viewing it from the fung seui perspective. Choy also sounds like the words for Vegetable and Wealth. In this case the Vegetable represents wealth. So when the lion takes the greens, and spits it back out it is doing two things, it is sharing with the person requesting the lion dance the lion’s good fortune and wishing the person Wealth and Happiness Placed Before the Household/business/person(s) or if the lion tosses the greens thru the doors, it represents the saying, “Wealth Comes Thru the Door.” One can also say that expelling the greens onto the person(s) is akin to saying "Showered with Wealth" There are many rules that a lion must follow when performing a Cheng, however, it all depends on what aspect the requesting party adheres to first, followed by what the lion dance group follows if the other party does not. In any event, the one rule no matter what perspective is followed is that the Cheng must have a theme! If not, the Cheng may be played anyway the Lion wishes, though there are still rules that must be adhered to.
To gain a better understanding of the various cheng and routines, it would benefit the observer to understanding what the various props represents. Chinese wooden chairs (similar to a carpenter’s wooden bench) are usually used to represent either bridges or mountains. Tables can also represent mountains or be a part of a bridge. Wooden buckets filled with water, represents streams, rivers, lakes, sea or oceans. Other items used include various types of foods such as tangerines, oranges, pomelo, kumquats, pineapples, apples, fishes, crabs and greens (vegetables) to name a few. It also helps to understand what different animals, flowers or other objects symbolize in Chinese culture. To understand these and other items one needs to understand word play in the Chinese language as mentioned earlier.
Even with the simplest of Chengs, the Lion does not just take the Cheng and run. As an example let us use one of the most simplest of greens called: Jiang Tzu Ya Goes FishingJiang Tzu Ya was an official of the Kingdom of Shang who went into self-exile, disgusted with the tyrannical and corrupt King who did not heed the wise consul of his ministers. He would bide his time fishing at a river with a barb less hook, waiting for someone worthy to serve. One day King Wen of Zhou happened upon him fishing. King Wen, had once been told by his grandfather (the Grand Duke of Zhou), "… that one day a sage would come and help him to rule the Zhou state." He felt that this was an unusual old man and began to converse with him. He discovered that this white-haired fisherman was actually an astute political thinker and military strategist. He took Jiang Tzu Ya to the court and appointed him the role of prime minister. Jiang Tzu Ya would eventually help the Zhou kingdom defeat and overthrow the despotic Shang dynasty. This Cheng features a bamboo fishing pole with a red ribbon. One end is tied to the pole while the other is tied to some lettuce and the hong bao (red envelope with money). The lion will investigate then approach the greens three times. The first time will have the lion curiously approaching with caution from the right side and sniffing the greens before warily jumping back to the left. Approaching from the left side, the lion will taste, but again it is startled and jumps back, this time to the center. During this whole time the lion will periodically look behind and to the sides to make sure nothing is sneaking up on him. He also approaches the cheng wary of a trap. On the final approach down the center, the lion will take the greens and li-see. After which he will expel the greens onto the guest(s) of honor or either before or thru the doorway to wish them prosperity. The dancer then displays that the lion is happy and content. It then presents a card or banner that has a fortuitous greeting appropriate to the occasion. The symbolism of this Cheng is the person(s) is patiently fishing like Jiang Tzu Ya for some good fortune/luck to come their way, in this case the lion’s blessing. The reason the Lion moves in from different directions with certain stepping patterns (known as three star and seven star) is that the Chinese believe that malevolent spirits can only travel in a straight line. Cheng (greens) routines are divided into two groups. A third group is a set of routines that don’t necessarily feature a Cheng (but may do so if they wish), but instead is an act/routine that the lion goes through. The first group is called Tin Cheng/Tien Qing-Heaven’s Green or Gou Cheng/Gau Qing-High Greens. These are Chengs placed high in the air. The second is known as dei cheng/di qing, greens placed on the ground.
Tin Cheng With the first group, the Cheng is placed high in the air. There are several techniques that the Lion may use to grab the Cheng, depending on how high it is placed. The first involves the use of long bamboo poles with a cross bar near the top. The head player and sometimes tail player may either wrap themselves around the top side of the pole and have other members of the group anchor the bottom and propel and catapult him upwards. Or the head player may climb on the shoulders of members before scaling up the bamboo pole with the head. Another method is the use of a shield or several round table tops, the smallest at the top, with the biggest at the bottom. Each table is lifted and supported by an X number of performers. The Lion then climbs up however many are necessary to reach the greens. The last method involves people forming human pyramids by standing on the shoulder or shoulders of other people depending on the height of the green. The greens being up high represents high aspirations or wishes of the person requesting the lion dance. Dei Cheng The second group of chengs is usually placed on the ground in some sort of pattern or configuration that the Lion must attempt to solve. The puzzles as they are commonly known, for all intents and purposes of explanation, can fall into one of several categories and include chengs based on animals, religion, word play, skill, literature, and water. However, some puzzles may technically fall into several categories and not just one. These puzzles utilize an array of different objects to represent different things, some of which have an auspicious meaning. They include foods such as tangerines, oranges, pomelo (Chinese grapefruit), pineapple, kumquat, apples, chili pepper sugarcane stalk, fishes, wonbok (vegetable) and lettuce. Or may include tables, Chinese benches, planks, buckets, pans, bowls, martial arts weapons, vases, huge urns, bamboo, flowers, Chinese coins and figurines just to name a few. As there is an endless array of Chengs, some of which can be setup in a multitude of different ways, the author will try to explain in as much detail of the ones he is familiar with. However, one must remember that solving the puzzle, depends on ones beliefs and what aspect (Hung Mun, Fung Seui, martial arts, contemporary) they chose to follow, not to mention their village beliefs. With that said, there are still rules that apply that one must follow. Animal Puzzles These puzzles use different types of objects to form an animal. They include the Snake, Crab, Scorpion, Centipede, Tortoise, Dragon, and Spider. Basically, the Lion must dissect the animal in a certain way. Yet another animal puzzle makes use of a real live fish and in this case, the fish must be kept alive. Sometimes a real live crab may also be used. Snake
Formation (Se Cheng/She Qing or Fuk Cheng/Fu Qing)
One of the most popular animal puzzles is the snake. There are several reasons why the snake puzzles are done and a multitude of ways of setting up a snake puzzle. First, the Snake represents an impediment to any good luck/fortune coming to the store/household. A simpler way of looking at it is that if a real poisonous snake was blocking the doorway to a store, would you enter? Probably not, if not, then the business will lose money. So the Snake represents any bad luck/evil spirit etc, blocking the path and is So having the Lion remove the snake is akin to removing whatever is killing your business or any bad luck that is blocking the path to the doorway. Another reason the snake is used is that it represents renewal, rebirth and healing. This is because, as the snake grows, it sheds its old skin with the new skin under it. The third reason is that another word used for the venomous snake sounds the same as the word for good fortune in Chinese (fuk/fu), thus removing it is like getting their good fortunes. As stated in the beginning, Chinese love to use an object to represent their desires.
The Lion will face the snake, head to head only once, he must never do so again after the initial confrontation as this would signify that the Lion came into the striking path and was bitten, this would be a bad omen as it meant that the Lion died. After the initial face off, the Lion proceeds to circle the snake in a clockwise fashion to investigate, as if sizing up his nemesis. In a show of skill and panache, the Lion may stack, jump around, retreat, roll, and jump over the snake as if maneuvering to get an advantage on the snake. All the while displaying the many emotions that come with it: such as curiosity, fear, anger, happiness (excited), and cautiousness. Eventually the Lion will jump the snake from behind with both the Head and Tail player landing atop the snake to subdue it. The Lion then will then remove the oranges or tangerines one at a time to blind the snake, each time ripping it apart and spitting it in front of the doorway or rolling the them thru the doorway (as explained earlier, this is akin to wishing good fortune, happiness, good luck or blessings before the persons door or thru the door). The fangs or butterfly knives are then removed. The lion will then take the body of the snake and begin devouring it head first, during this time, the head player can show the Lion struggling and battling with the snake as if the snake is resisting. Eventually, the whole snake will be devoured. It should be noted some groups remove the fangs first then the eyes. At this point, there are several different ways to play the snake. If a spear is used for the body and money is wrapped around the body, the lion will remove it as it devours the spear. The Lion will then expel the spear out thru the mouth. In one case, when it is spat back out thru the mouth, another person will catch and wield the spear to do battle with the lion. This represents the Lion doing battle with the snake’s spirit and ends when the Lion disarms the weapon from the person. The Lion will then take the Cheng and hung pao. After shredding the greens, the lion will spit it back out in front of or thru the entrance or before the person requesting the Lion Dance. At this point the Lion will go into a sleep mode. During this time the club will perform several kung fu sets. After, the lion will rise, play the firecrackers or simply pay its respects with 3 bows. The use of the sugarcane stalk for the body is played similarly except the stalk is compacted.
Another way that the snake can be setup and played is themed “The Snake Brings Forth Good Fortune”. On a side note Prosperity or Wealth can be substituted for Good Fortune. With this puzzle the snake’s body is made up of many segmented pieces of bamboo (or something similar) of various sizes. Like the previous versions of the snake, the eyes and fangs are made up of the same parts. It is even played similarly except for the oranges/tangerines. Instead of shredding and spitting them out, the Lion holds onto them. Also, when the Lion gets to the body, it eats the body piece-by-piece, beginning from the head side first. As one might surmise the Lion cannot animate fighting with this snake as the body is made of several pieces. The Lion will then take the bamboo pieces and oranges to spell the Character for Good fortune, prosperity, or Wealth. As one can guess by now, how many pieces of bamboo and whether the oranges are used, depends on the character to be written. This puzzle may also somewhat be considered a word puzzle. In yet a third way, Snake cheng uses apples and tangerines or oranges for the body (with a ratio of five apples for every orange) and also employs old Chinese coins, pineapple and suan. As another person related it to me, that was familiar with the setup of this formation, the Lion can’t jump on the snake lest he squishes the fruits. Also three Lions were used. Each attacked a section of the snake: head, middle and tail. The apples were taken along with the tangerine. The tangerines would then to be used to make a saying that basically wished happiness, blessing, prosperity, or wealth to the business. This was all done while the lions were made to look as if it went to sleep. Then there is the Cheng called “The Family Snake Protects the Path”. In this one there are no weapons that represent the fangs and the head of the snake is facing away from the entrance of the store or house. In this one, the snake is not the antagonist, but the protagonist. This snake represents the person's protection. Therefore the lion must not kill the snake. To do so is to kill the person's protection, leaving the person vunerable to bad luck. Instead the dancer investigates, then eventually he picks up the snake (like a mother picking up her cub) and returns it to its owner. After this is done, the lion may go after the greens and li-see. Centipede Formation (Ng Gung Cheng/Wu Gong Qing)
The Centipede green uses tangerines, oranges or pineapples for the body, red chili peppers for the legs and kumquat for the eyes. Kumquats represent gold because the pronunciations sound the same (gam/jin). To get the most out of our symbolization and wishes, most will build the centipede’s body out of oranges as this represents happiness, blessings, and good luck, while the kumquat will signify wealth. Pineapple is a homonym of prosperity arrives. The chili peppers (la jiao) represent a surplus of luck. Some have built the centipede cheng to outrageous proportions. Recently (2006) in Singapore a world record was set when 1300 oranges and 2600 chili peppers were used to build the centipede. According to a person at the event, several lions were used, but it couldn’t finish because in his words- all the aunties and uncles began taking the oranges and chili peppers. How it’s built and played is determined by the theme of the cheng. Most centipede cheng will be made of 15 to 18 oranges with 30 to 36 chili peppers. Some will be made with at least 21-23 oranges to with 42 to 46 chili peppers. The oranges are strung together. Using the stem of the pepper, it is inserted into each orange, one on each side. The tips of the chili pepper pointing to the rear. This is important because a pair of chili peppers will be installed in the orange representing the head pointing in the opposite direction to represent the poisonous fangs. The pair of kumquats will represent the eyes and are installed on the head. Ng Gung Cheng refers to centipede green; however gung cheng refers to scolopendra (giant) centipede cheng. One may ask, what is the difference? Playing the centipede green is like playing a combination of the snake and crab cheng. After the initial face to face confrontation, circling the centipede, and battle, the Lion jumps the centipede from behind, landing on the legs. The lion then blinds the centipede by taking the eyes one at a time and tossing them at or thru the door way. The fangs are then removed. This is where the differences come into play. At this point the lion may take the centipede and devour it starting from the head. After eating the oranges, some groups will just hang onto it and make a phrase, others toss it back out at the entranceway to the household or store. However, if this is Gung Cheng, then the feet must all be removed before the lion devours the centipede, otherwise the lion will die. This is because with the giant centipede can inject its poison thru its legs. So the safest thing to do is to remove the legs. After the Lion is finished dealing with the centipede it can move ahead and deal with the greens and hung pao. Scorpion
Formation (Hit Cheng/Xie Qing)
Depending on your school of thought and setup there are always different ways to play and setup a formation. The scorpion cheng is no different. One way is to use four Chinese Benches, a chair, 2 clay pots or bowls, and a Chinese wooden bucket (another wooden bench can be substituted for the chair). Two Benches will be used for the body and placed side. Under it will be the bucket and the cheng and hung pao inside the bucket. Sitting on top will be two bowls to represent the eyes. Out in front will be another two benches, but standing up and with the legs facing out, this will represent the claws. At the rear will be the chair to represent the stinger. Some will play this by having the Lion quickly jumping on and off the bench that represents the body and in that split second, kick out or grab one of the pots or even smashing it (all using the feet). The lion then moves to the other side to do the same to the other pot. The lion can also smash both pots simultaneously. This is to blind the scorpion. The Lion moves to the chair and the mounts it, lowers it onto its side and kicks it out. This signifies the stinger has been removed. The Lion head then jumps on one of the benches that represent the claws lowers it then kicks it out to the side. This is repeated with the other bench. Now the scorpion is declawed. Now the Lion can jump on the body. After toying with the scorpion, the Lion will split and kick out the benches as if signifying that the scorpion has been split open with the cheng inside or that the body has been tossed aside with the cheng underneath. Upon kicking out the benches, the Lion will land on the bucket and play the cheng and Hung Pao.
Another way to setup the formation requires the use of eight oranges for the body (made in 4X2 fashion). Three tangerines and a red chili pepper for the tail and stinger. Kumquats are used for the eyes and chopsticks or bamboo for the legs and claws. The oranges are strung together. A wire strong enough to support the tangerines together and keep them suspended above ground is also required. The chili pepper is stuck into the tangerine using its stem. In this cheng, the Lion will do the usual preliminaries like the other animal puzzles but then; he will kick the pepper to dislodge it from the tail, thus signifying the stinger has been removed. The Lion will then jump the on the scorpion’s legs and claws. Removing the kumquats and spitting it back to the entrance. The claws are then removed followed by the body being devoured and spit back out. After that the Lion will then proceed to the greens. There are many other ways that the scorpion can be set up. The body could be made up of a oblong pan like those used to make bread, there by placing the greens under the pan, much like the crab greens. Some will use chili peppers, bamboo or sugar cane stalk for the legs while using a lot more tangerines along with kumquats and certain greens. Spider Formation (Ji Cheng/Zhi Qing)
One of the words used for spider is Ji/Zhi which also sounds like one of the words used for happiness, blessings or good luck. It has sometimes been referred to as the happy insect. A familiar Chinese rebus is, “Happiness before one’s eyes (Zhi Zai Yan Qian), which is a theme that is sometimes used with a spider formation. The spider is also known as one of the five poisonous animals, the others being the snake, centipede, scorpion, and toad. As with the other poisonous animals, they represent something to be removed because in a sense the poison represents bad luck or misfortune that could in a sense kill their business or bring disaster to the family/organization.
One way that a spider cheng is set up is with the use of a pomelo and a pineapple for the body with 16 pieces of bamboo for the legs and two tangerines for the eyes. The greens and red packet containing the money are placed under the spider’s body. As with the other animal chengs the lion will circle the spider once, careful not to face it directly after the initial confrontation. The lion will toy and make like it is doing battle with the spider by approaching it three times before finally jumping on it from behind on the third approach, landing on the spiders legs to immobilize its prey. The lion then takes the tangerines one at a time, but in this case, does not rip it apart and spit it back out. Instead, he passes it back to the tail player to hold. Then the spider’s legs are taken so that it cannot escape. As with the tangerines, the tail player holds onto the bamboo pieces. As a final step the lion will use the bamboo and tangerines to spell out the character wong/wang or prosperity. The lion then takes the pomelo and the pineapple to give to the VIP. The presentation of the two represents the saying “To have (pomelo) prosperity arrive (pineapple).” After which the lion is free to take the greens and li-see. Of course the lion will spit the greens back out as it normally does to wish the person wealth before their business or house hold.
Crab Formation
(Haai Cheng/Xie Qing)
With this Cheng the Greens and Hung Pao are placed under a large bowl, pan, Chinese bucket or something similar to represent the crabs body or shell. The shell which is called gaap/jia is also a reference to the imperial examinations in which a person placed 1st in the order of the exams. This is a blessing for prosperity thru status. The legs and claws were normally made of chopsticks or bamboo and the eyes were either oranges or tangerines. Like all animal puzzles, the lion and the crab face off only once, before the Lion circles the crab to investigate. Then using the same panache as you would with the snake, the Lion will retreat, jump forward, backward, stack, jump side to side, over, roll away, and etc, all the while displaying the many different emotions. Eventually the lion will jump the crab from behind. This time, only the head player needs to land on the crabs legs and claws. Then the eyes or orange/tangerines are removed one at a time, ripped apart and expelled back out or the oranges/tangerines may simply be tossed so that they roll into the store, household or to the person of honor (this act symbolically represents prosperity or good fortune rolling in). The claws are then removed by the head player. The legs can be simply kicked out by the Lion. At this point, the head player can use his feet to grab and toss the shell aside or for showmanship toss it in the air and grab it with the Lion’s mouth. This would be quite a feat as the player’s vision is limited and to show your hand(s) darting through the mouth for all to see is a sign of poor skill. If the lion gathers the legs and oranges or tangerines, he will make a word or saying with these parts, again all depends if there is a theme. In any event, the Lion can then go after the Cheng. Remember, when going after the greens itself, the Lion must always approach it three times as discussed earlier, before finally taking it on the third approach. In yet another formation a bucket or water basin is used filled with water and a live crab placed within it. The crab (usually a very large one) is covered with greens and plants with the hung pao sometimes sitting on top. If an inexperienced player tries to play it by taking the green and hung pao first, he is in for a rude awakening. In any case just as with a man made crab, the lion must play the real crab the same way. Dragon Formation (Lung Qing)
The
Lion begins by investigating as it circles around the dragon. After the
investigation the Lion goes to the front and bows three times to the dragon.
Of all the animal puzzles, this is the only time the Lion will go face to
face more than once. This is because
whenever a Lion meets another Lion or Dragon they always bow to one another
out of respect, even if it is a statue. Also, in the order of things, the
Dragon outranks the Lion thus the Lion must show its respect. The Lion then
plays the dragon as he would the other animal formations, eventually jumping
the dragon from behind and landing on the legs. The head player lands on the
front legs and the tail player lands on the hind legs. The eyes are then taken and thrown into the
door. Then the Lion kicks out the hands then legs (although it is not
necessary, it would look nice if the head and tail kick out one side at a
time simultaneously). The Lion backs
up (play big drum) and eats the tail (sam choy wan fei) and spits it out.
Next he takes the first twelve oranges. (This represents 1 year/ 12 months)
and gives them to whoever is around (preferably family, friends or members of
the temple). Then the next 12 twelve
oranges are taken (for the next 12 months/year), these are also given to
whoever is around. With the last 12 oranges,
only 4 are given away while the remaining 8 are eight are kept after they are
taken. Eight is considered a lucky number because the word for eight, ba,
rhymes with the word for “to proper” or “to attain wealth,” fa-there is a
saying, “ Sometimes
the dragon’s body and head will be made with pineapples (with the crown
removed); chili peppers are In yet another formation the Dragon is setup so that it is flying away from the store. The object is for the dragon to be turned around facing the store so that it will be flying into the store to bring the store luck and protection. This requires a few pieces being moved. As you can see knowing the theme, story and intent is very important to knowing how to go about solving the puzzle. Fish Formation
(Yu Qing) The
most common fish cheng is “Carp Leaping Over the Dragon’s Gate” (lei yu tiu lung
mun/li yu tiao long men). It is a metaphor for success in passing
the imperial examinations (prosperity thru status). According to legend, carp
swam up the This requires a water basin where the carp will be placed initially. The basin will be at the foot of the Chinese bench which represents the Dragon’s Gate. On the other side of the bench will be another water basin or some sort of fish tank which may be sitting atop a table. After the Lion investigates the Cheng, he will grab the live carp, this is where it will prove difficult, holding on to a live carp that will in all likely hood, be thrashing about, all this while manipulating the head. The lion must then jump on the bench, cross it and place the carp in the fish tank or the water basin. After the task is completed the Lion may then go after the greens.
Tortoise Formation (Gau Cheng/Gui Qing) Depending on how it is set up and its theme, the tortoise formation can be setup and considered an animal cheng or religious puzzle. The basic will make use of foods to make the shape of the tortoise and sometimes even the use of a real tortoise shell. Although one made of paper mache would not be out of the question. The legs are often made of won bok with the eyes made of kumquat and the head made of an orange or pomelo depending on the construction of the rest of the turtle. The Tortoise is one of the four celestial beasts and one of the four guardians of the four directions/quadrants (ssu ling). It also is a symbol of longevity and called the Black Knight and is said to protect against what may be called black magic. However, just as important is that the Luo Shu square, which is the essence of ba gua, is thought to have come from a giant tortoise. This variation of the Luo Shu square will be discussed in another section. As with all animal chengs, after circling, investigating and toying with the tortoise, the Lion jumps it from behind and lands on the turtle’s feet. After taking the eyes, the legs are kicked out. The orange is taken and played anyone of the many ways discussed earlier. The shell is kicked off and caught and given to the honoree. The lion then plays the greens and li-see. Miscellaneous It
should be noted that when doing any animal puzzle that is part of the zodiac
such as the snake and the dragon, or if part of the puzzle uses an animal
that is part of the zodiac and part of fung suei, that you take into account
the person you are doing the greens for. For example, if the person is born
in the year of the boar, one should not do a snake cheng. If the person is born in the year of the
dog, you should not do the dragon formation.
The same would apply if the person is born in the year of the Rat, you
should not do a formation that includes the use of a horse figurine or
symbol. The same would apply to a
Tiger figurine if a person is born in the year of the monkey. This is because
these animals are opposites and do not get along. Also, it is very popular in
Word Puzzles (Ji Cheng/Zi Cheng) It can be as simple as several oranges on the ground and the Lion
taking the oranges and splits each orange into four sections and removing the
skin so that he may use these sections to form a word (Chinese character) or
phrase that is appropriate to the occasion and the theme. At a birthday it could be the character for
long life (sau), weddings would be the character for double happiness (xi),
the general character for good luck/fortune is always okay, as is the various
words for prosperity (luk, wong, etc.) and the phrase Health Wealth and
Prosperity is always welcomed. Of course it can be more complicated such as several Chinese characters
that may be placed on the ground with chopsticks, bamboo, sugar cane,
oranges, tangerines, won bok, and green onions used to create the words. The
Lion must then complete the phrase or saying by using the sticks and oranges
to form the remaining characters of that phrase. He should use all of the sticks and
oranges, no more, no less. Once done
he may take the oranges and play it one of many ways. One would be to gather all the oranges and
give it to the person that requested the Lion dance. Another would be to take the oranges, rip
it apart and expel it out in the 3 directions in front of the entrance of the
business or residence. If there are 3
oranges used, the Lion can take the oranges and cut the skin into four
sections and peel the skin back to form a lotus (which symbolizes rebirth,
continuation, and fruition. The Lion can then place one on each side of the door
and give the third to the honoree. The
first two would be used to pay respect to heaven and earth, while the third
is for the honoree or man.
“Peace
On Earth” (Tin Hsia Tai Ping) is a common phase
in any language. With this cheng, Eleven pieces of bamboo/chopsticks and
three oranges are needed. Two characters, tin (heaven) and hsia (beneath) are
placed before the lion to form the rebus for earth. Together, the 3 oranges
are placed with the hsia character (see drawing) with the hung pao under the
middle orange. The lion will circle each character in a figure eight fashion,
all the while investigating. There are four pieces that must be moved. Two
pieces of bamboo must be moved from the tin character to the hsia character
while one orange must be moved from what was the hsia character to what was
the tin character. The orange with the hung pao does not move, but the other
orange is moved horizontally opposite the orange with the hung pao. The two new
characters are now tai (grand/ ultimate) and ping (calm) thus forming the
rebus for peace and completing the phrase Peace on Earth. There are even harder ones which require the knowledge of
couplets. Meaning a phase or saying is
placed before the lion which then must create the matching phrase that goes
with it. It is akin to one person reciting one verse of a poem, and another
being able to complete the second verse of the poem. Usually each verse will
contain four Chinese characters. Sometimes a lion has to be careful of those who wish to trick the lion
dancer. It cannot be stressed enough how important it is to know the theme.
Sometimes word puzzles may be combined with other forms of chengs. One
popular method is to place 5 oranges on the ground; one will be placed in the
center, while the others will be placed at the four major compass points
(east, north, west and south) surrounding it. This is known as the five
directions cheng and is considered a religious cheng as this falls under Fung
Suei/feng shui which comes from Taoism. If the theme is prosperity forever
and ever, one has to be mindful of the amount of oranges. Do you have enough
to form the characters for the actual words or must you improvise to make the
saying. Remember the rule of word play, Chinese love using one word or its
physical representation to symbolize another word which represents their
desires. We’ll discuss more about this cheng later.
Story Puzzles (Historical/Legends/Myths) Kwan Kung slays 6 General at 5 Gates These puzzles usually tell about an event
based on myths, legends or history.
Many come from the popular novel Romance of the 3 Kingdoms which
occurred during the collapse of the Han Dynasty. One in particular is known as “Kwan Kung
slays 6 General at 5 Gates. This is in
relation to Kwan Yu when he was separated from his blood oath brothers, Liu
Bei and Zhang Fei. Cao-Cao (eventual ruler of the
Liu Bei Visits Kong Ming
Thrice There are two other popular stories from
the novel that have been played out by the Lion. One involves Liu Bei and his 3 visits to
Zhuge Liang (Chu Ko Leong/Leung), other wise known as the Sleeping Dragon and
considered one of the brightest minds in With this puzzle, a wooden bench is used to
represent a bridge. Three oranges may be
set before the bridge. On the other side is a table along with one of the following;
a dragon figurine, a feathered fan or the Chinese characters for the Sleeping Dragon.
Also placed upon the table are the greens, hung pao and two couplets.
The Lion will cross the bridge three times. If there are oranges, the dancer will
take one for each time the lion crosses the bridge and have the peels pulled back to
represent the lotus and places it on the table.
The meaning behind this is that each visit brings Liu Bei fruition toward his goal
of getting Zhuge Liang to serve him). Upon the third visit, the lion may bow three times
if a dragon figure is used(the lion should always bow to another lion, dragon or celestial
beast even one made of stone or clay out of respect). The reason the lion doesn’t bow on
the first two visits is that Kong Ming wasn’t home. The couplets are taken one at a time and given
to the VIP. The Dragon statue is then given to the
VIP if one was used. After all has been accomplished, the Lion goes after the greens and Hung
Pao. Zhang Fei Defends The other involves Zhang Fei, after a devastating
defeat the Shu forces were forced to leave the province with the Wei forces
in hot pursuit. At what is called the San
Ying Zhan Lu Bu (Three Heroes
In another version, three lions are used and they must be the Liu Bei,
Kwan Yu and Zhang Fei lions. The lions will circle the red lunar spear. First
being Zhang Fei. After Zhang Fei circles the spear three times, the Kwan Kung
lion joins in and they continue to circle another three times before the Liu
Bei lion joins in. After they encircle and go around another three times, the
spear is taken. Just as before the lions fall back after the greens are taken by
the Liu Bei lion, while a member performs a set form with the red lunar spear.
It should be noted that all four routines come from the novel. Historically the
first and forth stories are fictional and did not actually happen. Another
popular story told is called the 8 Immortals Crosses the Sea. It is based on the Religious Puzzles These may be the hardest puzzles to understand for Lion Dancers as they involve the understanding of religious philosophies and concepts which, like many other religions has different sects or teachings. The most prevalent is the concept of Taoism and Fung Suei/Feng Shui. They also can be done with a Hung mun aspect which today is not something that is known even for those who are hung mun. It is very important to know the theme of the puzzle as some may look similar to one another in setup, but played quite differently. Some of the puzzles that one may encounter are based on the five elements, the Lou Shu square, the ba gua, the four directions (also called the five directions by others) and even the popular 7 stars accompanies the moon. Five Elements (Wu Xing Qing)
With
each element there may be either be a tangerine or orange next to it (but not
always). Sometimes the cheng is presented in a circular pattern in no
particular order at all, other times it is. In any case, the Lion will
investigate the cheng by circling it in a clockwise fashion. As stated
earlier the goal is creation, generation and nurturing by going to each
element in a particular order. In other words, the element the lion is coming
from feeds and nurtures the next element to help it sustain itself or grow.
However, one cannot just start with any element, as there are two elements
that must be avoided at the start, they are fire and water. This is because
to start, the Lion must come from the outside and jump into the circle of the
elements. Since the Lion can't swim and if it jumps into the water element,
he will symbolically have drowned, symbolizing the Lion has died. For obvious
reasons, if the Lion jumps into the fire, he will be burned to death.
Symbolically ominous either way to the person requesting the lion dance. The
best place for the Lion to start would be with either the wood element or the
earth element. For this discussion, lets us begin with Earth. Looking
at the picture, the head player will mount the concrete block containing the
Chinese character for Earth (土), the lion can take the tangerine or orange and
do one of two things. Tearing it apart and spiting it back A deviation of this green as mentioned earlier is the use of a piece of metal, a piece of wood, a mound of dirt, a burning candle (or something similar that won’t have its flame blown out by the wind), and a basin filled with water and coins at the bottom of the basin. The greens (a head of lettuce), along with two tangerines (instead of just one) and the Hung Pao in the meantime, are afloat and atop the water. The other elements will still contain only one tangerine. Obviously since the water element also contains the cheng, it needs to be played last. That means that after investigating the puzzle the first element that the lion will start with must be the wood element. This is so that the fifth and final element that the lion visits will be the water element. As was done previously the lion will take the tangerine or orange associated with each element and play it one of the two ways. When the Lion finally gets to the water element, the lion then approaches the basin of water and fishes out some coins. After a series of gathering up coins, the lion takes a mouthful of water and then blows it out in a spray (for sanitary purposes it is advisable that the player uses some device such as a turkey baster to accomplish this task). The lettuce sometimes is torn and expelled but, in this case it is not. It is left in the pan with the two tangerines. After the hung pao is taken, the lion takes the basin holding the lettuce and tangerines, and empties the water in front of the door. The lion then presents the basin with the head of lettuce and the pair of tangerines to the person who is responsible for setting up the formation. The two tangerines, sometimes called Gwat/Guht in Cantonese or Zhi in Mandarin (there are several different words used to identify it), symbolize good luck and auspiciousness. Pouring the water before the front door is called Lin-men. Combined with the two tangerines it forms the rebus, Sheng-xi lin-men, double happiness visits the household. This is because the term Sheng-xi, double happiness, contains two Zhi characters. The presentation of the head of lettuce is called Sheng-cai ta-hsien, presenting great riches and wealth. Some may ask, what does it mean, if the lion performs the cheng in the wrong order. For example, if the lion goes from water to fire, obviously the fire will be destroyed which is not what we want as this would be akin to wishing chaos and destruction for the person requesting the lion dance. The other bad combinations would be fire to metal, metal to wood, wood to earth and earth to water. Of course in Feng Shui these combinations are used to also control the other elements when that element is too strong for certain people, but for the purpose of lion dancing it is ususally something to be avoided for the most part. Five Directions
(Ng Heung Cheng/Wu Xiang Qing)
In any case, to understand this puzzle the dancer should also understand that everything is based on nature and harmony. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west, while spring is associated with the east and the west is associated with autumn/fall. Spring is when the crops are planted and autumn is when they are harvested. In other words, the tangerine that is placed in the east should be played first, followed by the tangerine located in the south. Next on the list would be the tangerine representing the west and finally the tangerine in the north. As one can see, spring is followed by summer, followed by autumn and closes with winter.
Prosperity In the
Four Seasons A simpler form is to replace the pomelo with another tangerine (or orange) and simply scoop up each of them in the proper order. The lion then being full, goes to sleep, during this time, each fruit is sectioned off into four pieces and the skin peeled off. The lion then takes the pieces and forms a Chinese word such as wang (prosperity) on a plate. The peels are expelled as the lion reawakens and the plate is then presented by the lion to the person that requested the lion dance. As mentioned there are many variations to this setup some similar to others. An example is the use of objects that represent the five elements that also represent the five directions and the four seasons. A piece of wood represents the east, fire represents the south, metal represents the west, water represents the north, and a mound of dirt representing the earth is placed in the middle, buried under the dirt is a tangerine and the greens with li see or hung pao. (
Again there are many ways that this cheng can be set up. Sometimes it may be set up with a certain amount of oranges or tangerines in the shape of the Tortoise shell with won bok for the legs, head of lettuce for the head (with the hung pao under the head of lettuce) and kumquats for the eyes. The primary principle is to recreate the numbers in the proper sequences. It should be so that no matter which three sequence of numbers you add (vertically, horizontally or diagonally), it will add up to 15. This of course is done using the Chinese characters for each of the numbers (1 to 9). If it is set up properly, there should be just enough tangerines or oranges to accomplish this. Although at other times it may seem one has extra oranges or tangerines, creating the trigram patterns for earth and heaven may also be required and/or the offering of a whole tangerine or orange to important people. To begin, the Lion circles the tortoise, investigating and sizing up the situation. After approaching the Tortoise twice and backing off in both instances from behind, the lion then jumps on the legs of the tortoise. The head player landing on the front legs while the tail player lands on the hind legs. The first thing taken are the eyes, which are then spat out towards or thru the doorway. This represents prosperity (kumquat sounds similar to gold in cantonese) coming thru the door. Then the legs are kicked out, one side at a time. The lion backs up and begins to collect the oranges or tangerines, starting from the tail and working his way up towards the head. At this point the lion may proceed several different ways in creating the numbers. One is to scope up just enough oranges to create the number that is currently being written. These will be passed back to the tail who will be responsible for creating the numbers
If the lion decides to scoop all the fruits at once, he may also have the lion go to sleep, where upon both the head player and the tail player begins cutting each orange into four sections and peels off the skin from each orange. They both will be responsible for creating the numbers in Chinese. Of course, one could also create the numbers while the other sections and peels the fruit. The only problem with having the lion go to sleep is that there may be a lull in the performance. After all this is accomplished the lion still has one more step, he then takes the greens or head of lettuce and li-see and expels the shredded greens back towards the buildings entrance, again, as mentioned before, this is to represent wealth coming before or thru the door. Sam Sing-Three
Stars
What the lion will do next depends on the performer and the theme. He can tear the fruit apart and expel it at the entrance of the place of blessing or person. They can toss it to the appropriate person being blessed. Or simply roll the fruit to the person. The meaning is all the same as what was discussed in previous puzzles.
The final thing that the dancer can do of course is make an auspicious Chinese character appropriate for the occasion. In all likely hood though, the person may need to use the peels also. After all this is done the dancer will take the cheng and perform the symbolic gesture of tearing and expelling the greens toward the entrance of the place or person. Seven Stars
Romancing the Moon This
puzzle is in relation to the seven stars that make up the big dipper. Chinese
revere the seven stars for several reasons, one of which is because it points
the way to the Polaris star, also known as the north star. It is believed
that because of its position and brightness this star has special powers, that
it is the gate of life. The most common way that this cheng is set up is with
seven objects (either tangerines, oranges, teacups, bowls, or teapots) in a
circular pattern surrounding either a big bowl or a wooden basin that is
overturned. The seven objects represent the stars, while the middle bowl
symbolizes the moon. The lion basically wants to get to the moon, so he uses the seven stars, to traverse the heavens to reach it. Before he does this though, the lion must as always investigate the cheng. Just as the seven star stepping pattern has several versions, so does the order of taking the orange/tangerine. The first step is common though, you take the closest orange on the left. After that is where it differs, one has the lion continuing in a clock wise circle, moving from orange to orange. The second method has the lion taking the fruits similar to the above but taking every other fruit until all the fruits are taken. The final method has the lion moving from the first object on the left to the first object on the right, continuing to each fruit in a left, right, left order till all the objects that represented the stars have been dealt with. . Some will rip each orange apart and expel it, others will toss the fruit whole to the proprietor, and some will others will make the lotus flower configuration. Another thing that must be noted is that the lion should approach each of the stars with a different method. After these are done, the lion will approach and take the greens and li-see. The first method used was if the lion was stepping in the shape of the dipper. The second and third method is representative of the lion jumping in zig zag pattern on the dipper, alternating left to right. If one were to watch a Taoist priest during a lion blessing, one may also see these same stepping patterns. With teapots the lion will step on the teapots, moving from one to the other in a clockwise pattern, till they have all been traversed. The head then mounts atop the water basin and plays the green
Pa Kua Cheng/Ba
Gua Qing This is probably one of the more elusive chengs to describe. Even those who have knowledge of this puzzle hesitate to explain it because of numerous perspectives. This puzzle like others can be played with different aspects. One being Hung Mun (hong men), the other being Fung Suei (Feng Shui). With hung mun, only those who are a part of this secret society may understand these chengs. For the ones set to Fung Suei, it can be a matter of what branch or school of fung suei the person adheres to. Let us look at the Pa Kua or Ba gua (Eight Trigram) cheng using hung mun. Unless one is part of this secret society, one will probably not understand what is going on or what the lion is supposed to do. Even if a person is part of this secret society they may not know. During the Ching Dynasty this puzzle probably served as a way to send messages to others as each Kua or Gua had multiple meanings attached to it. Looking at the Tui (Dui) trigram (the one that is represented by a broken line at the top followed by two solid lines), we find that it represents the Lake, it’s color is white, its season is Autumn, its element is metal, and represents the youngest daughter in the family, it sits in the west and the celestial beast-tiger guards this quadrant. Add to the fact that there are 7 other Trigrams one could see how a message could be conveyed. This could be done by having the lion select trigrams in a certain order, for example the first to tell what, the second who, the third when, the forth where and so forth. One
version of the puzzle that is considered Hung mun is referenced in Dr.
William Hu’s book “Chinese Lion Dance Explained.” The puzzle could be set up
using bamboo poles to create the eight trigrams. There are two types of
trigrams; one is known as the pre-heaven or primordial Pa Kua, the other
being post Heaven Pa Kua. The first one described in Dr. Hu’s book, uses the
pre heaven Pa Kua. This is where each Kua is facing its opposite number thus
creating balance and harmony. Heaven also known as father is opposite Earth
known as mother (yang and yin). The mountain extends from the earth while the
The
Cheng sits in the middle of the Pa Kua with the li-see. After the lion does
his investigation, it starts at the bottom The symbolic nature of this pa kua is that everything is balanced, perfect. Nothing moves or changes. However, the universe is in a constant change of flux, thus the post heaven pa kua. To the anti-Ching rebels, the primordial pa kua represents the time before the Manchurians conquered the Chinese. To when the Ming dynasty or more specifically, Chinese ruled themselves, when everything was perfect, balanced. Today some may still use this cheng to signify that they are hung mun. Although, it may also be a way to express one’s wish for harmony and balance.
Another
aspect that a pa kua cheng is created on, is based on fung suei. Some are
played based on the building to get the most out of it for its occupants. Yet this is one of the many topics fung suei
masters cannot agree on. There are at least three versions. The first version
is that the current period is to be used no matter when the house was built.
The second version is that the completion date is to determine the period
star at the center. The third version is that the move-in date of the
occupants is the deciding factor. In yet another adaptation using fung suei, the
puzzle is based on a particular individual, but even this is dependent on the
branch of feng suei that one follows. For purposes of this discussion, we
will use the eight mansions school that employs the later heaven pa kua. The
first thing that should be done is to calculate the gua of the person; this
is done by knowing that person’s birthday. From this, one will get what is
known as the four pillars in which there are four auspicious gates or gua and
four inauspicious gates. The
auspicious gates are called Sheng qi (Life/Birth), Tian Yu (heavenly doctor),
Yan Nian (longevity), and Fu Wei (rest), while the inauspicious gates are Jue
Ming (exhausted fate), Wu Gui (five ghosts), Liu Sha (Six Killings), and Huo
Hai (mishap). The problem here is that while Sheng Qi, Fu Wei, Jue Meng and
Huo Hai are recognized as the strongest and weakest of there pillars, the
same cannot be said of the others.
Contemporary Puzzles These puzzles are similar to word puzzles but with a twist, they will use objects that sound similar to other words to represent words that can be verbs, adjectives or nouns so that they may form a rebus of a Chinese saying or quote. In other instances this may also include an action by the lion with the object to complete the rebus. Money Rolls In (Qian Gun Yu Qing)
Vast Good Fortune Arrive Before Your Eyes (Hung Fuk Zai Dou
Jin Yan/Hong Fu Zai Dao Qian Yan)
Wu
Fu Lin Men (Five Blessings Before the Gate) This cheng refers to the five blessings of Long Life, Wealth, Health, Love of Virtue and Natural Death. There are many ways that this routine can be set up with different props. One of the simplest involves 10 oranges and a picture of the Chinese Character fu/fuk (good fortune, happiness, luck or blessings). The character will be placed right side up in reference to the person requesting the lion dance. The oranges will be placed in pairs with three pairs placed outside the door and the remaining two pairs placed inside the house. The lion investigate the cheng before doing a pao si (lion investigates) for each pair of oranges. The lion will approach each pair of oranges three times before taking them. Once inside the house with all the oranges taken, the lion will then examine the fuk character. The will then take the character to turn it upside down in reference to the owner of the shop/home. The lion will then take five of the 10 oranges and place one on each corner of the fu/fuk character with the fifth placed in the middle. The symbolic nature is that the lion is bringing the 5 blessings into the home. By turning the fuk character upside down, it is symbolizes that the blessings have arrived because the word inverted/upside down sounds similar to the word for arrive and the 5 oranges signifies the number five. It should be noted that one of the words used for orange sounds like the word for happiness, blessings and good luck. Water
Greens(Suei Cheng/Shui Qing) Hai-ti
hsun-pao-qing (Undersea search for treasures) These are greens based on the use of water. Usually they are placed in a pan or wooden bucket. The simplest one is the same as that described and used with the five element cheng. Placed upon a stool are a pan of water with coins, a pair or tangerines and a head of lettuce. After the initial pao si (lion investigates) The lion then approaches the basin of water and fishes out some coins (in some cases the lion will toss out the coins before the entrance of the house or store. After a series of gathering up coins, the lion takes a mouthful of water and then blows it out in a spray (some will use the beard of the lion to accomplish this task, making as if the lion is lapping water). The lettuce is left in the pan with the two tangerines. After the hung pao is taken, the lion takes the basin holding the lettuce and tangerines, and empties the water in front of the door. The lion then presents the basin with the head of lettuce and the pair of tangerines to the person who is responsible for setting up the formation. The two tangerines, sometimes called Gwat/Guht in Cantonese or Zhi in Mandarin (there are several different words used to identify it), symbolize good luck and auspiciousness. Pouring the water before the front door is called Lin-men. Combined with the two tangerines it forms the rebus, Sheng-xi lin-men, double happiness visits the household. This is because the term Sheng-xi, double happiness, contains two Zhi characters. The presentation of the head of lettuce is called Sheng-cai ta-hsien, presenting great riches and wealth. On the door way is a head of lettuce with the hung pao.
Under the doorway on the threshold is a bucket of water with a head of
lettuce and another hung pao. The lion will investigate the cheng in the
bucket, the player will pretend to try and gather the cheng in the bucket
several times only to be angered and frustrated. Eventually the lion notices
the Cheng hanging from the doorway. The lion is hesitant, but eventually
grabs the head of lettuce and li-see. Tearing apart the lettuce, the head
player will then expel the lettuce before the doorway. The head of lettuce
hanging from the doorway is the moon. The bucket of water, the Greens Under the Bridge (Qiao Di Qing) Two tables are set wide apart with two chairs or stools tables at each far end. A sturdy plank is then securely placed to span the space between the two tables which represents a planked bridge. Under the bridge is a pan of water with
Routines & Other Chengs Rui-Shih Ying-Ho Hsin-Niang (The auspicious lion welcomes
the new bride)
This routine is performed at Weddings after the lion takes the cheng. This is an auspicious dance where the lion presents three gifts or symbolic wishes for the new bride. The first is called Dragon’s eye or Lung Yen (Long-An), the second is a dried black seaweed that is known as Fat-choy (Fa-cai) and third are some long dried bean curd sticks called Fu-chu. These items are symbolic with special significance and meaning thru homonyms and word play. Dragon’s eye or Lung Yen is a round fruit (similar to lychee) with a seed in the middle, which is called Kuei-yuan, an archaic pronunciation, sounds like Kuei-Jen, an illustrious person. The Symbolic meaning is that the seed bears fruit and becomes an illustrious person; in other words, may the bride would give birth to illustrious children. The dried black seaweed called Fat-Choy is a homonym for Fat-choy, to become wealthy and prosperous. The dried bean curd sticks, because of the length signify longevity and the name Fu-chu sounds like the term Fu-tsu, to be rich and affluent.
There is another routine that could be used for a wedding. It involves referencing an old art motif that involves two mandarin ducks and a lotus flower. How elaborate one wishes to make the routine is up to the parties involved. One such was would use a blue piece of cloth to represent a river or lake, two tables and a plank to represent the bridge. A pair of ducks is placed in the animated river, but apart from one another. Nearby a make shift tree where an orange is hung. The Lion will do the normal bows to the couple. Then the dancer must inspect the set up. The lion upon recognizing what it must do, tries to go gather the mandarin ducks. He is afraid however, of the water, after testing the water and seeing that it is to deep, the lion then realizes he can get the ducks from the bridge and then moves to mount the bridge. This is where the lion show off their panache in getting the ducks. Once the mandarin ducks are retrieved. They are placed on the bridal table, side by side, and facing one another in front of the couple. The lion then looks around and sees the orange on the tree. The dancer must then fetch the orange and create a lotus flower out of the orange and place it with the mandarin ducks. After this is completed the lion may then go after then greens and li-see. The motif represents Long, Harmonious Marriage Blessed with Many Children. This is because Mandarin ducks live in pairs and are known to mate for life and are a symbol of marital happiness and harmony. A lotus flower can blossom and bear fruit simultaneously. The word for “lotus” and “continuous” sound similar (lian). Lotus seeds are called lian zi, the word for seed also sounds like the word for child expressing a strong connotation for children. This is similar to using a Chinese proverb to create a cheng except in this case it is using an old Chinese art motif. Shih-tzu kuo-san-shan (The lion
crosses over the mountains)
Although today, many teams have replaced them with metal poles that are known as jongs which can reach heights as much as 10 feet high which makes them spectacular to view and seem more death defying. However the use of traditional equipment require just as much skill if not more, because the equipment is dynamic and not static. Meaning they can tip, slide and move if the dancers move and land incorrectly. In any case, the lion does most of his performance on the mountain, searching for the cheng. Eventually the lion realizes the greens is on the other side and crosses over to the other side to obtain it, but not before displaying some panache and acrobatic and physical skills and coordination. As with other greens, the mountain represents an obstacle that man must cross over to get to his goal. The goal is represented by the cheng or vegetable with or without oranges/tangerines that represent wealth, prosperity, good fortune and happiness. Obviously, the higher or the taller the mountain, the more electrifying the routine seems. Also the taller the mountain that the lion must overcome the better the luck, because it means that the lion is skilled and strong and therefore so is its ability to expel bad fortune and bring big luck. Shih-tzu shang-lou-tai (The
lion ascends into the heights)
In any event, the lion will find the cheng on the edge or ledge of the mountain top. Again it is about showmanship and acrobatics and physical skill. Sometimes however the cheng may be in between a caveat or crevice, where the head can’t fit in. Remember to show one’s hand coming thru the mouth to obtain the cheng is a sign of poor lion dance skill. So instead of the lion head player being thrown down the side of the cliff and firmly in the grasp of the tail player, the lion must use his wits or rather his feet to scoop it up and catch the cheng. This is of course after several attempts and the lion showing frustration. Once obtain the lion climbs down the mountain. Many of today’s competitions are based on this format with the use of jongs along with wooden bridges that break, wire ropes that represents wire bridges, and gaps of 6 to 7 feet between poles. The themes for these performances are known as “Ascending the Mountains In Search of the Flower of Immortality.” Shih-tzu ch’u-tung (Lion
emerges from the cave)
This routine is basically about man coming out into the world. About leaving the safe confines of our homes, our town, our state, or even our country to find our wishes and dreams. How we make attempts, only to withdraw before finally mustering the courage to go out and seize the day to realize our dreams. The lion starts off sleeping, it slowly awakens, cleaning and stretching several times before finally getting up (much like humans who wake up and hit the snooze button on their alarm clock, all the while trying to get up out of bed). The lion will stretch, scratch its back, attempt to go out only to withdraw because of its fear of what awaits him, attempts to go out again but finds the sunlight too bright. Eventually the lion will come out of its cave. As mentioned a cheng can be set up with this routine and is usually placed outside the cave. Zhi-shih-Drunken Lion
This routine is one that is very entertaining and easily understood by the common person. The Lion, as it explores his domain, happens upon a jar of Heavenly Wine. The lion shows various emotions as he investigates his finding. He uses all his senses of sight, hearing and smell in trying to ingratiating his curiosity of his new found treasure. Taking his treasure to an area where he feels safe, the Lion decides to wet his curiosity by using his last sense-taste. He finds the taste to his liking and decides to partake more of it until he becomes inebriated. The lion tries to stand and move about, only to waver, wobble and fall awkwardly many times. Eventually the lion becomes tired and falls asleep, but even in his sleep the lion shows his drunkenness, until finally sober the lion wakes up. Sometimes a cheng will be placed under the jar of wine and is found only after the lion has drunk the heavenly wine. Shih-tzu kun-ch’iu (The lion
plays with a ball)
To make this routine more entertaining, the performer can make it more interactive by involving the audience. Hsiao-fo hsi-shih (The merry
monk teases the lion) The dai tou fut (big headed Buddha) is needed for this skit. In essence, the monk finds the lion sleeping. The monk also spots a cheng (or something to the performers choosing). He begins to disturb the lion by teasing and tickling the lion then running to hide before the lion awakes to scratch and look around. Seeing nothing, the lion goes back to sleep. This goes on several more time before the lion catches the monk in the act, in anger, begins to chase the monk. Eventually the lion catches the monk, who diverts the attention to the cheng. The monk will then guide and encourage the lion in its pursuit of the cheng. The key to this performance as always is the interaction of the performers with one another and the audience and how they tell their tale. Much like a story teller or a comedian it is all in the delivery. Kung Fu Chengs These are puzzles that require kung fu skills like the one discussed in Zhang Fei at Chang Ban. Another may have the Cheng in large earthen jars which the lion cannot reach because the head is to big (remember, the player cannot stick has hand outside the mouth to grab the greens and li-see). So the dancer must smash the jar open with his fists or feet. There are many that still have not been mentioned, these are just some of the chengs that can be seen. Some obviously are more complicated and complex not just mentally but physically, while others are just variations and combinations of others. As one can see, it requires the knowledge of language, proverbs, stories, kung fu skills, Chinese customs and religious philosophies. It is however, an art that is somewhat coming to past as the younger generations begin to have less and less an understanding of the symbolic meanings and other cultural aspects required for such a show because they are more interested in flashy moves. This is not just the Lion dancers but the people who set up such chengs. To summarize, what has been written here, is in no way meant to be taken as absolute. There are many views, beliefs and aspects that effect how one interprets the puzzles. What is written here is merely to give the reader a better understanding and appreciation of this aspect of lion dancing. If you know of a special cheng and wish to share the story, procedure and symbolic meanings behind it, please feel free to contact me at: supertechwlee@worldnet.att.net Choy Cheng/Cai Qing-The Act of Picking the Greens © Copyright 2006 William Y.K. Lee |
There
is another school of thought in playing the Scorpion. The above is played
with the premise that you should blind the animal first as they do with the
crab, snake, and centipede.
For
the Chinese rebus, “Happiness before
one’s eyes (Zhi Zai Yan Qian).” The lion takes four of the bamboo pieces
and makes a square. The rest of the bamboo pieces (12 in all) will be used to
make a circular shape around the square; all this is to be done by the tail
player. In the mean time the lion can playfully toss the tangerines to the
person(s). The lion will then roll away as this will complete the phrase.
That is because the spider represents the character zhi or happiness. The
bamboo pieces are representative of old Chinese coins, which had a square
hole in the middle known as an eye or yan. Chinese coins are called qian
which sounds like the word for before. The lion will then take the pineapple
and pomelo to present it to the proprietor. After which the lion will then go
after the cheng. 
“Gam Lung 
One
of the most commonly known puzzles that fall into this category is the one based
on the Five Elements. Although they may be set up differently using different
objects to represent each of the 5 elements, the concept in solving it is the
same. In this puzzle, it is about nurturing or creation. One way
of setting up this puzzle is to have 5 banners or red square papers with one
of the elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water) written on each, using
its Chinese character. As each element also has its own color(s), (red
for fire, green for wood, yellow for earth, black for water, and white for
metal), each of the five banners can also be made of one of these colors to
represent each of the elements. Another way is to use objects such as a
burning a candle for fire, a mound of dirt for earth, a glass of water for
water, a piece of wood for wood, and a piece of metal for metal. In yet
another way is to use a picture, or figurine of the animals that are also
associated with these elements, the green dragon, the red phoenix, the white
tiger, the black tortoise, and the yellow qilin or yellow dragon.
out toward the entrance of the store/house symbolizes prosperity (or
happiness, blessings, and good luck) “coming before one’s place” if it lands
at the entrance or “comes thru the door”, if it lands inside one’s place. It
all depends on which dialect of Chinese and which of the two fruits one uses.
The other thing the lion can do is to peel the skin back, but not off and
open the tangerine/orange itself to symbolize the lotus and fruition and
place it back with the element The red paper is removed and placed face down
a top the cinder block (under the tangerine or orange if it is made into a
flower). These steps are repeated each time the lion stops at an element and
signifies the Lion’s attempt to unlock the gate to the cheng. The next
element would be metal (
This
cheng is also known as Ssu chi k’ai hua ch’ing (Ever-blossoming flowers)
formation. To setup this formation, a large pomelo (You) is placed on the
ground (to represent the center or fifth direction) with four tangerines
surrounding the pomelo. The tangerines are placed in each of the four
directions, North, East, South, and West which also represents the four
seasons, Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn (Fall) respectively. Also placed
in the center would be a head of lettuce and a Hung-pao. After investigating
the cheng, the performer must recognize the four directions and their
corresponding seasons; he must play them in their proper order. In every
case, the tangerines are peeled to symbolize the lotus.
After
all the tangerines have been cut open and peeled back to resemble the lotus,
they are left in the same position as found. The performer then cuts open the
large Pomelo in the same manner. The head of lettuce is then scooped up in
the lion’s mouth along with the Hung-pao. The Hung-pao is pocketed and kept
while the lettuce is torn apart and expelled by the lion. This is
auspiciously called xiang cai ta fa which is a play of words. The term
xiang-cai, meaning lettuce, is a homonym for xiang-cai to gain wealth/prosperity
and the term Ta-fa means to sprout or great expansion. After this is
completed, the lion presents all the peeled fruits to the person who is
responsible for setting up the formation. This last act of leaving the opened
peels like opened blossoms on the ground and presenting the fruits is termed
K’ai-hua chieh-kuo, symbolizing “after the blossoming”, there is fruition –in
other words your wishes become reality. The other meaning of course is that
the person has continuous wealth/prosperity. This is because the tangerine is
called gam/guhm in Cantonese and the word for gold sounds the same. The
assumption is that if you have gold, you have wealth and if you have wealth,
you have prosperity. The lotus flower is called lin/lian and sounds like the
word for continuous.
It
is believed that the I Qing, Ba Gua, and Feng Shui evolved from this legend.
A giant Tortoise was found, with numbers on its back segmented into 3 rows by
3 columns. For a total of nine sections. Remember the tortoise also
represents long life and protection. By solving and accomplishing this
puzzle, it is granting the person requesting the lion dance, these blessings
as well as the usual wishes for prosperity.
in
Chinese. During this time the head player may entertain the crowd, if there
are extra oranges by tossing each to important people. For example if it is
being done for a family home and there are eight family members (Two sets of
grandparents, the parents and two children), the lion may toss the extra
fruits to each member or if it is a business, the CEO, Chairman, President,
VP, Secretary and Treasurer. Taking his time and not just tossing it readily.
It may tease the members in several cases by pretending to toss the fruit,
but holding back, before actually tossing the fruit. This is done for several
purposes; one is to wish happiness, good luck, blessings, and prosperity to
the recipient.
This
is one of the simpler puzzles. It is based on the three star gods Fuk Luk Sau
(Fu Lu Shou)-better known as the Gods of Health Wealth and Prosperity. These
three stars can be found in the constellation of Orion and is commonly known
as Orion’s belt. Usually it is three oranges or tangerines placed on the
ground in a triangular shape. After investigating the cheng by going around
it, the lion will take the fruit that is at the top of the triangle first and
will continue in a clock fashion, taking the second, followed by the third
and final tangerine or orange. Others have been known to take the one on the right
and move in clockwise fashion. There are several reasons for taking the one
at the top first though, it is said to represent the god of longevity who is
the oldest and also because the other two were humans who were later diefied
later.
at the Kun (earth) trigram. Traveling counterclockwise, the lion makes his
way to the top and stops at the Qian (Heaven) trigram. The Lion travels back
down to the bottom right trigram known as Gen then proceeding to its opposite
number the trigram known as Dui. Next stop will be the Kan Trigram, after
stopping there; he travels and stops at the Li trigram. The lion finishes by
visiting the last pair of trigrams known as Xun and Zhen.
Another
pa kua cheng with hung mun ties, uses the post heaven version. In this one,
the lion will travel in, around, and out of the trigrams rather than just
around the outside of the trigram. It will start on the left side of the Qian
or Heaven trigram as this is the most yang or positive of the trigrams and
represents the life gate. Traveling in a counter clockwise direction, the
dancer must avoid the Kun or earth trigram. This gua is the most yin or
negative and represents the death gate.
destruction.
Perhaps the symbolic meaning is the destruction of the Ching to restore the
Ming. This puzzle might still be used today by those who are
This
cheng features a shallow round wooden bucket with the picture of an old
Chinese coin on both sides of the bucket. Under the bucket is the cheng and
hung pao. The clue to solving this puzzle is in the theme. After the lion
circles the cheng, it will approach the bucket several (three) times, all the
while displaying the various emotions of scared, cautiousness, anger, and
curiosity before jumping on the rim a third time. From here, the lion can
keep it simple or show off its skill and panache. The lion will flip the
bucket on its side and roll it into the business or home by pushing it along
with its legs or head. However, a group with higher skills may do a stack or
two with the tail player placing a foot or jumping completely on the rim of
the bucket with the head player in one of the various stacking formations.
The tail player may then rotate on the bucket 360 degrees before jumping off
and placing the head player on the bucket.
This
one features Five Bats, one of which is red (made of wood, plastic or
rubber), a red cord or ribbon and two coins. The Lion as always will
investigate the puzzle, circling it in a clockwise fashion, all the while
checking each puzzle, showing various emotions. The Lion will then take the
red cord and tie the two coins together, leaving a loop at the top so that it
may eventually be used for hanging while the other end is left open. Alone,
the two coins tied together represent wealth. The lion then examines the five
bats once again before choosing the red bat and tying it to the open end
upside down. The lion then either presents it to the owner or hangs it for
the owner in a prescribed place. The red bat represents vast good fortune
because red is hung or hong and sounds similar to the word for vast. The bat,
called fuk or fu sounds like the word for good fortune. Hanging or tying the
bat upside down, the word for upside down is dou or dao and sounds like the
word for arrive. Old Chinese coins or money, are known as jin or qian and
sounds similar to the word for “before.” The center of the coin is called
yan, or eyelet/eye, so having two coins will give you eyes. Thus this will
give you the rebus Vast Good Fortune Arrives Before Your Eyes when the puzzle
is complete. These puzzles tend to use Chinese proverbs or sayings, some old
and some not so old to create a cheng.
the
cheng and li-see. The lion on a leisurely stroll approaches a body of water
and tries to negotiate its crossing. However, he cannot place his feet firmly
onto it due to the coldness of the water and its fluid nature. Since he is
unable to swim across, the lion is drawn back and angered. His thoughts are
to attack the water hoping it will then let him cross over. he discovers a
bridge whereby he may cross over. However, he is most cautious and
suspicious. After a series of acts which display this caution, the lion is
emboldened and ascends the chair or stool and climbs onto the table.
Something in the water seems to catch his attention and he becomes greatly
excited. It is the cheng in the river. The lion will attempt to get the
greens twice, each time failing to reach the cheng. Finally the lion will be
lowered using a method that is suitable to allow the head player to capture
the greens.
The
use of large wooden basins, large flower pots, Chinese Chairs (benches), and
tables are what usually make up this cheng or routine. The equipments are
stacked atop one another in which the lion will climb atop from one side to
scale to the peak and emerge from the other side.
This
is similar to the Lion crosses over the mountains. The difference is in the
ideal it represents. The lion must climb high up the mountain to find the
greens or cheng. It represents so to speak, man climbing up the ladder no
matter how high and dangerous it is to achieve his goals. However, if he is
not careful he may slip and fall if he takes a misstep, yet there are many
times that one must take chances if one wants to reach their dreams. That the
ladder may have gaps or be to steep between steps or that something may be in
the way.
Traditionally
the cave was set up with two spears. Today more elaborate parts are used to
create the cave. Originally a routine, a cheng can be added if it is so
desired.
This
routine is simply a lion playing with a ball that he finds. He basically
amuses himself with the ball, performing various tricks. Much like a cat with
a spool of yarn or a dog with a rubber ball.You are visitor
