During the Festival, Liu Huimin and his team are preparing for the show called “Datiehua” (打铁花). It is the traditional art for more than 1,000 years—since the Song Dynasty. As its name suggests, the traditional art was created by the way of making iron (铁). It was seen as a form of celebration. When villagers open a business or get married, they invite Liu and his team to celebrate the big activity and hope the show can bring them good luck.
For Liu and the villagers in Shanxi, Datiehua is one of the most popular Spring Festival shows, just like the Yangko dance, and drum beating.
According to Liu, they need to heat the iron for nearly 40 minutes before the show starts and the temperature must be higher than 1, 500℃.
When night falls, the show starts. Using a big long spoon, a man takes out the molten (熔化的) iron. Then he hits the spoon with a piece of wood. Bang! Bang! The red-hot molten iron becomes beautiful “stars”. These shining “stars” light up the night sky. In some ways, they can be more beautiful. People sit or stand to watch the show with happy smiles on their faces.
Behind the wonderful show, however, has great danger. The artists wear hats and sheepskin coats as protection, but accidents still happen. During a performance in Henan province, Liu’s hair and face got burnt.
“People ask me why I’m still doing it when it’s so dangerous. I tell them that I’m just happy to bring joy to people.” Liu explained.
【小题1】Why do villagers invite Liu to celebrate some activities?【小题2】What are the popular shows in Shanxi?
【小题3】How does the man create shining “stars” after taking out the molten iron?
【小题4】How do the artists protect themselves during the performance?
【小题5】Why does Liu continue to perform Datiehua?
