Chinese Lion Dance Art in Ho Chi Minh City on the List of National Intangible Cultural Heritage

Lion and Dragon Art Performance to celebrate the Inauguration Ceremony of the new construction of Ton Duc Thang Museum on the morning of January 3, 2025

Lion and Dragon Dance is a typical performing art form of the Chinese in Ho Chi Minh City. It is not only a beautiful performance of Lion, Lion or Dragon Dance but also has spiritual meaning and reflects the cultural and spiritual life of the Chinese community.

Lion Dance has its origins in legends and spiritual beliefs, representing a combination of performing arts and folk beliefs.

It conveys the message of luck and protection. The Lion Dance contributes to building trust and cohesion in the Chinese community in Ho Chi Minh City.

The heritage of the Lion Dance Art of Ho Chi Minh City is the Chinese community in all districts, towns and cities in Ho Chi Minh City. Among them, the oldest and most famous from the past until today are the Chinese communities in District 5, District 6 and District 11.

According to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ho Chi Minh City, the Lion Dance is a typical cultural activity of the Chinese community when they migrated to live in Saigon, with the wish to be sheltered and protected in life.

Lion and Dragon dance performances are often associated with festivals such as Tet Nguyen Tieu, Tet Nguyen Dan, Mid-Autumn Festival,... and also appear in groundbreaking and opening ceremonies to pray for luck, prosperity, and smooth work.

Lion Dance also helps create jobs for people, contributes to creating material wealth, stabilizing and developing the city's economy . Besides, it also helps balance the needs of cultural and spiritual activities, solving the needs of entertainment and community activities that people in modern society cannot lack.

From another perspective, the Lion Dance also has many humane elements. Many Lion Dance troupes have gathered homeless, homeless or disadvantaged children, creating jobs, to limit their falling into social evils or the risk of breaking the law, contributing to stabilizing social order...

The art of Lion Dance is practiced by the Chinese community in Ho Chi Minh City and passed down from generation to generation. In addition, not only the Chinese but also many people (including Kinh, Khmer, Cham, etc.) who are passionate about this performing art also study and practice it.

With the establishment of the Ho Chi Minh City Lion Dance Federation, the Lion Dance movement has been restored and strongly developed throughout districts, counties and cities in Ho Chi Minh City.

Thus, up to now, Ho Chi Minh City has 4 national intangible cultural heritages: Nghinh Ong Festival - Can Gio, Nguyen Tieu Festival of Chinese people in District 5, Khai Ha - Cau An Festival at Lang Duc Ta Quan Le Van Duyet and Lion Dance Art of Chinese people in Ho Chi Minh City.

Along with that, the art of Southern amateur music - a unique folk art form of 21 provinces and cities in the South (including Ho Chi Minh City) has also been recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Sharing with Van Hoa , Mr. Hoang Nghi - Head of Cultural Heritage Management Department (Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ho Chi Minh City) said that the ceremony to receive the Certificate of Intangible Cultural Heritage "Chinese Lion Dance Art in Ho Chi Minh City" is expected to take place right after the Lantern Festival in 2025.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/van-hoa/nghe-thuat-lan-su-rong-cua-nguoi-hoa-o-tphcm-vao-danh-muc-di-san-van-hoa-phi-vat-the-quoc-gia-117785.html