山下文化驿站丨中国浙江丨木伏建筑展演工作室

以“板凳龙灯”为起点

Inspired by the Bench Dragon Lantern

坐落于浙江省永康市毛千山脚的山下村，古称“适游”，自古山清水秀，文化丰厚，人才辈出，宋末著名学者胡长孺即诞生于此。然而，随着现代化的推进，省道穿村而过，许多老建筑被拆除，新式民居拔地而起，传统村落的独特风貌逐渐消失，许多非物质文化也随着经济形态的演进而消散。

Located at the foot of Maoqian Mountain in Yongkang, Zhejiang Province, China, Shanxia (山下, Mountain-foot) Village, is historically known as “Shiyou (Travel-friendly)”. The village has long been celebrated for its picturesque landscapes, rich culture, and its history of producing notable figures, including the renowned scholar Hu Changru from the late Song Dynasty (13th c.). However, with the advent of modernization, a provincial road now cuts through the village, many historical buildings have been demolished, and modern-style residences have sprung up, gradually erasing the unique cham of this traditional village. Alongside these physical transformations, many forms of intangible cultural heritage have also faded with changes in economic structures.

▼日常下的建筑与村庄，The building and the village in an everyday setting ©陈曦工作室

尽管如此，一项传统民俗“板凳龙灯”在山下村依然得以传承。这项充满活力的活动已有上百年的历史，每年正月十七都会在山下村如期举行，被认为是永康规模最大、最具特色的“板凳龙”仪式表演，五万永康市民集聚于此。板凳龙与中国南方“添丁上灯”的习俗有关，龙身由每家每户派出一节板凳组合而成，家庭男子成家后又不断添上板凳。村民们肩扛板凳，生动模仿龙盘旋、游动、腾跃的姿态，相互竞技。龙是掌管行云降雨的天神，村民们通过这种仪式，祈求来年风调雨顺、家宅平安。这一仪式也成为每年凝聚村庄力量的重要时刻。

Despite these challenges, one folk custom, the Bench Dragon Lantern, continues thriving in Shanxia Village. This vibrant activity, with a history spanning over centuries, is held annually on the seventeenth day of the first lunar month. It is considered the largest and most distinctive Bench Dragon ritual performance in the city of Yongkang, attracting about fifty thousand spectators from across the city. The Bench Dragon is associated with the southern Chinese custom of “adding sons and lighting lanterns”: the dragon’s body is formed by benches contributed by each household, with more benches continually added as sons marry and start their own families. Villagers shoulder the benches and vividly mimic the dragon’s coiling, swimming, and leaping motions, competing with one another. As dragons are seen as celestial beings that control rain, this ritual is a way for villagers to pray for favorable weather and household safety in the coming year. The ceremony also serves as an annual moment of unity and strength for the village.

▼板凳龙仪式表演前奏（自建筑二层室内观望），Prelude to the Bench Dragon ritual performance (View from indoors on the second floor) ©陈曦工作室

▼板凳龙仪式表演前奏，Prelude to the Bench Dragon ritual performance ©陈曦工作室

▼板凳龙仪式表演前奏，Prelude to the Bench Dragon ritual performance ©陈曦工作室

▼板凳龙仪式表演启幕，Opening of the Bench Dragon ritual performance  ©陈曦工作室