top of page
The origin of the Northern Lion (北狮) has not been clearly traced. However, one of the most popular myths states that during the Han Dynasty, lions that resemble the Northern Lion became royal entertainment for the Kings and Queens. With time, the art was introduced to the general folk people and it was particularly popular in the Hebei (河北) province, in the city of Bao Ding (保定县).
The first batch of this lion head was brought to Singapore by Mr. Wei Yuan Feng (魏元峰先生) in 1934 from Hebei and later on the troupe was officially created in 1947. It went through several transformations and innovations after it reached Singapore. Eventually, Chin Woo association settled with a golden face due to its pleasing aesthetics and since then the name of the lion has been officially referred to as Golden Lion in Singapore.
NORTHERN
LION
NORTHERN
LION
DISTINCTIVE FEATURES
LION HEAD
The lion head has been through quite a lot of change throughout the years. At first, when it was brought to Singapore the head was made using clay which resulted in it being too heavy for fast and quick lion movements. Therefore, Mr. Wei and Mr. Fang Wen Chang transformed the lion into one which is significantly lighter, as it was made out of a bamboo frame. Later on, when the association invited Mr. He Soon to coach, his background with Southern Lion dance influenced the change of color to the lion head. Some colors included red and black which has significance in the traditional Southern Lion head representing characters from the Three Kingdom. On the red-faced lion which was no longer in use, there was a Wang ‘王’ character on the lion’s forehead. This indicated the win that was attained by the troupe in the 1960s through a National Level competition held in Singapore.
As time passed, people preferred the golden faced lion with a brighter and more approachable appearance, hence resulting in the name Golden Lion given to these lions. Furthermore, they replaced the forehead with two different colored ribbons to indicate gender differences between the lions. Male lions would be indicated with a green ribbon, whereas the female lions would be indicated with a red ribbon. These lions were performed respectively by Chin Woo’s male and female lion dance troupes. Since the merge between the two associations, this gendered difference is no longer strictly enforced.
LION BODY/TAIL
Furthermore, the inner workings of the golden lion are very different from a southern lion. Firstly, the body of the northern lion is made of abacus and the material itself tangles very easily. So, before the performance dancers have to prepare the lion by untangling each layer giving it a “fluffy” look. In addition, the body of the lion is separated from the head of the lion. The body would require both the dancers to be tied together through the one-piece costumes they put on, this pair cannot be separated until the end of the performance.
DRUMMING
The Peking Opera influenced musical accompaniment is a unique feature of Chin Woo's Golden Lion as we see today. Prior to the sixties, Chin Woo Association invited Mr. Chiang Wei Lin and Mr. He Soon (from Hok San) on separate occasions to coach their lion dance troupe. During the sixties, Mr. Liu Fu Shan transformed Chin Woo's Golden Lion by infusing the use of instruments such as the gong, Chinese cymbal, Chinese drums, and suona. At the same time, Mr. Liu also introduced new footwork to the lion making it truly distinctive in the Singapore lion dance scene.
PERFORMANCE
Video: Chin Woo Athletic Association Northern Lion Performance
g
A
L
L
E
R
Y
bottom of page