Baling pole: It is a percussion instrument of the Zhuang ethnic group. It is a unique folk instrument and originated from labor tools and daily life. Often used as accompaniment for Zhuang folk dances. It is widely distributed in all regions of the country and is mainly used in primitive agriculture. It is rarely used in modern agriculture.
Mostly made of moso bamboo, they come in different lengths, usually about 160 centimeters long, narrower at both ends and wider in the middle.
Pole dance is popular in Duan and Mashan on the banks of the Hongshui River in Guangxi and Baise and Bama in western Guangxi. During the Spring Festival, men, women, and children of the Zhuang ethnic group happily dance the pole dance. The dancers work in pairs, each holding a pole, and gather around a bench or a wooden trough for pounding rice. They beat, sing, and dance while using the pole. The two ends collide with each other or tap on the bench, making a harmonious sound with complex rhythms, varied dance postures, and a rich flavor of life.
The Zhuang people have a long history and culture, and folk dances are popular. In the murals on the Huashan cliff in Ningming, Guangxi, there are dance scenes of the Luoyue tribe, the ancestors of the ancient Zhuang people more than 2,000 years ago. Liu Xun of the Tang Dynasty recorded the Chungtang dance in "Lingbiao Luyi": "There is a Chungtang in Guangnan, which uses thick wood as a trough. There are about ten pestles on both sides of the trough. Men and women stand between them to pound rice grains and knock the trough. The strings are all played off-beat, and the sound of the groove is like a drum, which can be heard for miles." It vividly depicts the mass entertainment activities of the Zhuang people to celebrate the New Year and wish for a good harvest. Later, because the pestle was heavy and heavy, a pole was used instead, which was called the pole dance. In Zhuang language, it was called Dalulie or Gulang. The Zhuang people's shoulder pole is not only a labor tool for shoulder carrying, but also a rhythm instrument for the shoulder pole dance.
Production method: It is made of hardwood or half-cut moso bamboo. The length varies from person to person. It is generally 160 cm to 200 cm long. It is narrower at both ends and wider in the middle. The surface is flat and smooth. When playing, dozens or dozens of people can perform at the same time, in groups of two, and each group has a long bench or a rectangular wooden box placed on the ground. Each performer holds a pole and gathers around a bench or long box. According to a certain rhythm, they beat, sing and dance while hitting each other, hitting the ground, and tapping the bench or rectangular wooden box with both ends of the pole. Various playing methods are often intertwined, emitting harmonious sounds of "dong dong, da da". The rhythm is complex, rich and changeable, the dance postures are vigorous and graceful, and full of rich flavor of life. At the same time, it also shows the diligent, brave, optimistic and bold character of the Zhuang people. Every Spring Festival, harvest or festive day, Zhuang villages, men, women and children will happily dance the pole dance. During the breaks in field work, they also enjoy dancing on the edges of the fields.