Located in the south of Linfen City, Yicheng County has been a vital proponent of connecting Shaanxi and Gansu to the west and Henan and Hebei to the east in the past. Yicheng Huagu has a long history. Its history has been recorded on the tablet of the Yang Family's ancestral hall in Yicheng: “Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty settled in Chang’an City, the people are happy from the bottom of their hearts, may we celebrate the lantern festival every year, the country is at peace and the people are in harmony, let’s perform Huagu to celebrate the new year.” These words were inscribed on the first lunar month, 3rd Zhenguan Year of the Tang Dynasty. According to the Volume of Relatives of the Royal Families in the County Annals of Yicheng, “Queen Mother Li returned to Yicheng to visit her relatives and granted a reward of 3,000 Liang of silver to the Huagu troupe during the Wanli Period of the Ming Dynasty.” This shows that Yicheng Huagu existed before the Wanli Period of the Ming Dynasty. Since the Qing Dynasty, Yincheng Huagu has been a traditional performance for the people in Yicheng to celebrate the harvest and worship their ancestors, which is described by the saying “Huagu is heard everywhere from east to west, from south to north in the city.”
Yicheng Huagu features bold and unconstraint movements, brisk rhythm, passion and simple style. It is primarily performed in processions or squares as well as on a stage. It adopted simple musical instruments, including the Huagu, Dasu Gong (also called “Beihua Gong” or “Big Gong”), Dai Gong (also called”Dou Gong” or “Yin Gong”), small battle drum (generally called “Jiuguzi”), etc. Its tunes include “Wu Liushui”, “Hua Liushu” and “Wu Chui”, etc., and the aria consists of local folk songs, with choruses led by a Huagu drummer and female Miaozi.
Yicheng Huagu, has been passed down from generation to generation while remaining fresh and vibrant. It is closely connected to people’s daily lives today. It has provided modern people with a historical understanding of social changes and a historical context of the ancient Yicheng. In addition, it is an important subject of research of music and folk customs. Exploring, sorting out and protecting Yicheng Huagu play a positive role in the diversification of folk dances.
