Original Text
In the region of Jinan Prefecture, there existed a custom: when someone in a common household fell ill, they would seek divination within the inner chambers, inviting an old sorceress to strike a single-sided iron-ring drum and dance with a swaying motion, which was called 'spirit-jumping.' This practice was especially prevalent in the capital. Virtuous young wives often performed the dance themselves. In the main hall, a platter of meat and a basin of wine were set upon the altar, while great candles blazed within the room, making it as bright as day. The dancing woman wore a short kilt, lifted one foot, and performed the 'Shangyang Dance.' Two others grasped her arms, supporting her from left and right. She muttered endlessly, like singing or chanting, with words now many, now few, uneven and unrhythmic, yet drawn out in a long cadence. Several drums within the chamber beat wildly, their sound like thunder, a booming 'peng-peng' that deafened the ears. Her mouth opened and closed amid the drumming, her words barely discernible. Then she lowered her head, cast sidelong glances, and stood only with support, for without it she would collapse. Suddenly, she stretched her neck and leaped upward with force, rising a foot or more above the ground. The other women in the room looked at each other with solemn awe and said, 'The ancestors have come to eat!' Then, with a single breath, they extinguished the candles, plunging the chamber into utter darkness. The people, terrified, held their breath in the blackness, daring not speak a word, for even if they spoke, none could hear amid the drum's chaos. After about the time it takes to eat a meal, they heard the woman shout out the pet names of her father-in-law, mother-in-law, husband, and sister-in-law, and then they all lit the candles together, bowing to inquire of good or ill fortune.
Upon looking, they saw that the wine vessels, basins, and plates were all empty. They then gazed upon the face of the spirit-summoning woman to discern her joy or anger. Everyone reverently asked questions one by one, and each inquiry received an answer. Among them, one person secretly harbored disbelief, and the spirit already knew of it. The spirit-summoning woman then pointed out, "That person sneered at me, which is great disrespect, and I shall strip off your trousers." The man looked down and found himself already naked, and he went outside to retrieve his trousers from the treetops.
The Manchu women were especially devout in their shamanic dances, and for even the slightest hesitation over trivial matters, they would invariably resort to divination through dance. When performing the dance, they would dress themselves with solemn formality, mount false tigers and false horses, brandish long weapons, and dance upon the bed, a practice called "Dancing the Tiger Spirit." The false horses and false tigers appeared fierce and savage, and the dancers' voices were deep and coarse. The spirits they invoked were sometimes Guan Yu, sometimes Zhang Fei, sometimes Zhao Xuantan, each with a different name and title. The atmosphere was stern and severe, filled with a chilling yin aura, especially frightening. If any man dared to peek through a hole in the window paper, he would be struck on his cap by a long weapon thrust through the window and pulled into the room. Within the household, the mother-in-law, daughter-in-law, elder and younger sisters, all pressed close together in a single row, with minds free of stray thoughts, stood upright and watched the dance with unwavering attention.
Commentary
This is a prose piece recording the folk custom of spirit-dancing. It is written in an ancient and vivid style, with language that is archaic and difficult to grasp. Dan Minglun commented: "It is as profound and classical as the ancient 'Book of Documents,' as magnificent and extraordinary as the 'Winter Official' and 'Artificers' Record' chapters; reading it over and over, its beauty is inexhaustible, one simply cannot bear to put it down."
Regarding spirit-jumping, it likely originated from Tibetan Buddhism and began to spread into the northern interior during the Yuan dynasty. The "Yuan Dian Zhang New Collection: Ministry of Punishments: Prohibition of Assemblies" states: "In the great streets of Dadu, there are many ruffians and spirit-jumping sorceresses who gather by night and disperse by dawn; this ministry issues an order to prohibit such activities." In Ming dynasty Zhao Nanxing's "Laughing Praises," the eighteenth entry notes: "In the north, men who practice spirit-jumping are called Duan Gong." With the Manchu entry through the passes, this practice further flourished in the north. Although "Spirit-Jumping" describes the customs of spirit-jumping in three places—Jinan, the capital, and Manchuria—the text is very measured in its detail and omission, revealing the author's deep research into folk customs.