Guangdong Piaoche originated in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties and belongs to one of the forms of social fire performance art. It is still an important art form in the Pearl River Delta region and is one of the folk arts of Guangfu. Piao Se “is a colloquial term in Guangdong, which means to detach from the ground and fully display the beauty of soaring in the sky; Color “(originally meaning decoration) is a carefully crafted and clever disguise. Piao Se is an ancient folk art that integrates drama, magic, acrobatics, music, and dance.
Piao Se is a group of people pushing a beautifully decorated color palette, on which fixed poses of character images are arranged. There are various names in different regions, such as Piaoshe, Gaoge, Caiqing, Gaogao, Caijia, Zha Storytelling, etc. Performers stand on a small stage known as a “color cabinet” and showcase fragments of folk legends or mythological stories in a parade. The magic lies in the fact that the actors stand tall through carefully disguised steel branches, supported by invisible color memes, and use clever mechanical principles to create a “floating” effect.
There are different theories about the origin of Piaoshe’s history. One theory suggests that it originated in the late Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, when the government banned the performance of Cantonese opera and folk artists changed to parade in Cantonese opera style. Later, it gradually developed into types such as “horse color”, “water color”, and “Piaoshe”, and the portrait style also evolved from clay sculpture to real person performance. Another theory suggests that it originated in Qianwu Town, Doumen, Zhuhai during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, and went through two stages: “color transformation” and “color plate”.
Shawan Floating Color
Shawan Piao Se is a traditional folk art activity that is performed and toured during the New Year season. In the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, there was already a prototype, mainly during the annual “Northern Emperor’s Birthday” sacrificial activities on the third day of the first lunar month, carrying figures related to the Northern Emperor for parades.
During temple ceremonies, wandering artists from all over Guangdong dress up as opera characters and perform, known as “Sai Se” or “Colorful”. In the mid Qing Dynasty, influenced by the “color” art in the Central Plains, the “water color” and “horse color” in the areas of Yuangang and Shiqiao in Panyu were transmitted to Shawan.
Shawan Floating Color uses a color cabinet as a display stage, with 4 to 8 people carrying the cabinet. On the cabinet stands a costume child aged 8 to 10, also known as a “screen”, and on the screen stand one to two costume children around 2 years old, also known as “floating”. Piao Se is an organic combination of the appearance, posture, clothing, and props of “screen” and “Piao” to form a shape that expresses a story, legend, opera, and cultural content.
There are over 200 traditional color palettes available in Shawan Piao. In addition to creating new board colors that reflect real life, such as “embracing the Seven Heroes”, “bringing glory to the country”, “soaring green clouds”, etc., 72 board colors have also been excavated and sorted out.
Among them, those who love their country and punish traitors include “loyalty and devotion to the country”, “protecting the country and protecting the people”, “playing the pipa on horseback”, etc. Those who eliminate tyranny and help the weak and poor include “Three Tuned Bana”, “Flying Sword Subduing Demons”, “causing chaos in the East China Sea”, etc. Those who resist rule and oppression include “Nezha causing chaos in the sea”, “causing chaos in the Heavenly Palace”, etc; Those who resist feudal ethics, pursue a beautiful marriage, and yearn for a free and beautiful life include “Daiyu Burying Flowers”, “Water Soaking Jinshan”, “Liu Yi Passing on Books”, “Yellow Orioles Startling Dreams”, etc; Praising the prosperity of the country and the peace of the people, there are songs such as “Mei Kai Er Du”, “Bamboo Returns Peace”, “Qiao Song Crosses Crane”, etc.
