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Jiangzhou Drum Music #1

I have seen many great cultural shows in China, this one is definitely the most unique! A show that presents classic Chinese ancient art and culture as an incredibly high energy drum show!! It’s not only a great showcase for the skill of the drummers, but also with impressive visual images with rich history behind it! Starting with a dozen girls in ancient warriors dress along with an elaborate headdress, each one with a huge drum; The Female Warriors of Yang Family has just begun! These women warriors are famous in Chinese history, and very real! Next it’s the heart beating drum, with the spirit of ancient Chinese women who are trying to fight, protecting their homeland and country.

This is from the real history of China’s Song Dynasty (960 – 1279 AD), when the unflinching loyalty and the remarkable bravery of the Yangs became legendary as they sacrificed themselves to defend their country from intruders. Not just all the men in the family, even all the women dressed out in uniforms and went up to the frontier to fight.

It’s a very popular story to be in the opera, movie or all sorts of the media, but this is definitely the most heart grabbing show, simply by the rhythm of the drum beating, the dance moves with the drum and the most impressive part is: you can get such a dramatic story simply through the drum! Of course this special drum performance started way back in Tang Dynasty (618 – 907AD), in Xin Jiang county (known as Jiang Zhou in ancient time) in Shanxi Province. At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty it was widely known as the “King of Qin” army front line battle music and it became the state music. During that period it was played to encourage the troops in battles. The Jiang Zhou Drum Music has been passed down for more than thousand years of Chinese history, preserving its original form but also ameliorating over time to become remarkable and popular percussion music. It has been recorded by the UNESCO in the “Representative list of the Intangible cultural heritage of humanity”!

They have a whole variety of shows that are based on Chinese culture and folklore, such as “The Mice get Married”, “Boatman of the Yellow River”, “The Rolling Walnut”, “Roll Call of Soldiers by the Qin Emperor”… Just to name a few. It’s definitely a show you shouldn’t miss while visiting Beijing on your Jia’s Dream Tour to China!