9 . Flower-drum dancing is a traditional Chinese folk performance. It is popular across the county especially in places such as Fengyang in Anhui, Guangshan in Henan, and Haian in Jiangsu.
The Haian flower-drum dance dates back to more than 400 years ago. It became popular in the areas of the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The art form was used to show the peaceful lives of local fisherwomen. It is still popular with local people, known for its lively movements and gentle music. In 2007, the Haian flower-drum dance was included in the list of art forms that make up Jiangsu's provincial intangible (非物质的) cultural heritage.
Yang Peijie, 71, is an inheritor (传承) of the Haian flower-drum dance. He has been performing the dance for more than 50 years. "It has become a part of my life," he said.
In the 1960s, Yang joined an art troupe (艺术团) and started to learn the dance from older artists. At that time, people could only learn it in this way. There were no textbooks. Worrying the art may become lost, Yang spent five years studying the history of the dance and recorded its movements in detail. He visited almost all the local artists and wrote a book about the subject in the 1980s.
According to Yang, the dance movements are easy to learn and understand as they come from everyday life. "For example, there is a movement called fengbailiu (风摆柳)，it means you twist (扭动) your body like the wind blowing the willow trees (柳树). ’’
Nowadays, Yang focuses on promoting the dance among all age groups, especially the young. He set up a team to work on this. The team members visit about eight schools each year to teach students. It has been added to break-time exercises in many local schools. "To make it easier for kids to learn, we break down difficult movements into several simple ones," Yang said. They also go to communities and parks to teach older people. "It's my responsibility to pass down the art. I don't want to see it get lost in my lifetime," Yang said.
1. What do we know about the Haian flower-drum dance?
| A．It was linked to the lives of local fishermen. |
| B．It is famous for its light movements and music. |
| C．It was included in the intangible cultural heritage list in 2007. |
| D．It originated in the areas of the Yangtze River in the Ming Dynasty. |
2. What did Yang do to keep the art alive?
| A．He put down what is relevant to it in the 1980s. |
| B．He consulted the local government about its history. |
| C．He wrote down the local artists' dance moves in detail. |
| D．He joined an art troupe to learn the dance from older artists. |
3. What does the last paragraph mainly talk about?
| A．Yang's love for flower-drum dance. |
| B．The ways Yang teaches flower-drum dance. |
| C．Difficulties in promoting flower-drum dance. |
| D．Yang's attempts to popularize flower-drum dance. |
4. Which of the following can be a suitable title of this passage?
| A．Promoting a fork art | B．Keeping the drum beat |
| C．Continuing to perform a dance | D．Learning to twist your body |
