Hu Xuan Girl, Hu Xuan Girl. The heart responds to the strings, and the hands respond to the drums. With the sound of the strings and drums, the sleeves are lifted, and the snow drifts back and forth, swaying and dancing. "The exquisite dance style" Hu Xuan Dance "described in the Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi's poem" Hu Xuan Girl "is one of the most popular dances in the Tang Dynasty. What has been the development process of 'Hu Xuan Dance' for thousands of years? How did it come from the Western Regions to the Central Plains? How to witness the exchange and ethnic integration between the East and the West? Li Jinzeng, the director of Ningxia Museum, was interviewed and answered this question. The summary of the interview transcript is as follows: Reporter: How did the "Hu Xuan Dance" spread from the Western Regions to the Central Plains? Why did it become one of the most popular dances in the Tang Dynasty? Li Jinzeng: The Hu Xuan dance was first introduced to the Central Plains through the Silk Road from the Western Regions during the Northern Dynasties period. The Sogdians living in present-day Central Asia were a very famous trading nation, active on the Silk Road from the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Song Dynasty. They introduced some Western culture to the Central Plains region, and Hu Xuan dance is one of them. According to literature records, this dance requires rapid and continuous rotation, hence the name "Hu Xuan Dance". In the Tang Dynasty, people from ordinary people to high-ranking officials were fond of the Hu Xuan dance for various reasons. Firstly, Hu Xuan dance is suitable for both men and women, and in the early days, it was mostly solo and duet dance, without the need to organize a large band or dance troupe. It is flexible and easy to perform. Secondly, the vigorous and unrestrained movements of Hu Xuan dance are in line with the open and inclusive spirit of the Tang Dynasty. In the prosperous Tang Dynasty, people treated these foreign cultures with an open mind, and were willing to learn and practice any excellent and beautiful ones. This social trend is also an important reason for the popularity of hulun dance. In addition, the widespread dissemination and popularization of Hu Xuan dance also relied on the promotion of two "superstars" at that time - An Lushan and Yang Guifei. According to the biography of An Lushan in the Old Book of Tang, An Lushan was obese in his later years, weighing more than 300 pounds, and needed the assistance of guards to walk. However, when he danced the hulun dance in front of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, he was as light as the wind. Yang Yuhuan, the favored concubine of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, was also proficient in the Hu Xuan dance. In Bai Juyi's poem, it is written: "There is Taizhen Wailu Mountain in the middle, and the two of them are the most capable of Hu Xuan." Reporter: How does "Hu Xuan Dance" witness the exchange and ethnic integration between the East and the West? Li Jinzeng: The Zhou, Qin, Han, and Tang dynasties were prosperous periods of feudal society in China. During these periods, the capital of the Central Plains dynasties was located in the Guanzhong Plain, and the Ningxia region north of Longshan (now Liupanshan, Ningxia) was actually the northern gateway to the "capital" of the Zhou, Qin, Han, and Tang dynasties. During the Qin Dynasty, General Meng Tian began digging canals and reclaiming land in the Ningxia Plain. With the development and growth of military and civilian settlements, irrigated agriculture in the Ningxia Plain gradually flourished, becoming a gathering place for various ethnic groups in the surrounding areas. During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, a special management measure was adopted to maintain stability and consolidation in the northwest border area - the system of vassal states. During the Han Dynasty, five vassal states were established along the northwest border counties, each with a commander-in-chief appointed as the highest administrative leader for management. The system of vassal states allows ethnic minorities in the region to retain their original forms of social organization, production and lifestyle, as well as religious beliefs. This system has played a significant role in consolidating and developing stability in border areas, and is also conducive to cultural integration among various ethnic groups in the region. The official system of the Tang Dynasty also indicated that the Han people had a relatively friendly attitude towards the Hu people, and many Hu people held official positions during the Tang Dynasty. The people of the Tang Dynasty enjoyed wearing Hu costumes, listening to Hu music, eating Hu cakes, and dancing Hu dances. At the same time, many excellent cultures from the Central Plains, such as silk, tea, porcelain, etc., were also transmitted to the West through the Silk Road, which had a wide impact on the development of Western society and the enrichment of cultural life. Based on these reasons, the Ningxia region, located on the border of the Central Plains dynasties, in the transitional zone between agriculture and animal husbandry, and an important node of the Silk Road, has become a frequent area of communication, exchange, and integration between agricultural and nomadic peoples, as well as between Chinese civilization and Western civilization. Many Hu people have settled and lived here, and Hu spiral dance has also been introduced to the Central Plains, becoming a manifestation of cultural exchange and mutual learning between Eastern and Western civilizations. Reporter: Why is the "Hu Xuanwu Stone Carving Tomb Gate" known as an important physical evidence of cultural exchange between the East and the West on the Silk Road? Li Jinzeng: As a manifestation of cultural exchange between the East and the West, Hu Xuan dance appears many times in ancient literature, especially in poetry. Tang Dynasty poets such as Li Duan, Bai Juyi, and Yuan Zhen all had wonderful and detailed descriptions of Hu Xuanwu in their poetry, but for a long time, archaeologists have not found any traces of Hu Xuanwu in archaeological objects. In 1985, the stone carved tomb gate of Hu Xuanwu was unearthed from the Tang tomb of Yuzi Liang in Subujing Township, Yanchi County, Ningxia. On the tomb gate, there are depictions of Hu people dancing in Hu costumes. According to the epitaph, the tomb owner lived during the reign of Empress Wu Zetian and had the surname He. The surname He is one of the nine surnames of Zhaowu, proving that the tomb owner was a Sogdian from Central Asia. Based on the epitaph records and the image depictions on the tomb door, we can trace the entire process of this Hu tomb owner settling and living in the Central Plains through the Silk Road from his ancestral homeland in the Western Regions. He naturally became a typical representative of cultural exchange on the Silk Road. The stone carved tomb gate of Hu Xuanwu was the first archaeological object confirmed to depict Hu Xuanwu, which is of great significance for studying cultural exchanges between the East and the West. But in fact, with the help of the image recorded on the stone carved tomb door of Hu Xuanwu, we have found the image of Hu Xuanwu in some previously excavated archaeological objects, such as Dunhuang murals and Hu tombs in Shanxi. Reporter: Over the past thousand years, what has been the development process of "Hu Xuan Dance"? Are there any dance elements still inherited today? Li Jinzeng: According to historical records, from the Northern Dynasties to the Tang Dynasty, Hu Xuan dance was a solo or duet dance that could be performed by both men and women. There are also some subtle differences among them. The dance performed by men is called the "Hu Teng Dance", with vertical and horizontal jumps, strong and vigorous; The dance performed by women is called the 'Hu Xuan dance', which is gentle and light. In the Song Dynasty, the form of Hu Xuan dance underwent significant changes, evolving from solo and duet dance to collective dance. But after the Song Dynasty, archaeologists never found a detailed description of Hu Xuanwu in literature again. There is a speculation that the Hu Xuan dance has been integrated into the local folk dance. At present, archaeologists are unable to trace the exact evolution trajectory of the Hu Xuan dance, but according to literature and poetry descriptions, the dance movements of the Hu Xuan dance are similar to ethnic dances in Xinjiang and Central Asia today, both containing elements of rapid rotation. As a dance that was once particularly popular, the elements of Hu Xuan dance are likely to have penetrated into the folk and integrated into today's ethnic dance. Interviewee Profile: Li Jinzeng graduated from the Archaeology Department of Peking University in 1985. He has served as the Deputy Director of the Ningxia Cultural Relics Bureau and the Director of the Institute of Archaeology. He is currently the Director of the Ningxia Museum and a Second level Researcher, enjoying special allowances from the State Council. He is a distinguished professor at Tianjin University and a visiting professor at the Nevada Institute of Mountain Archaeology in the United States. He is also a member of the Chinese Archaeological Society, the Cultural Relics Society, and the Museum Association. He is an expert in major decision-making consulting for the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region government, an expert in political participation and deliberation for the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Political Consultative Conference, and. (Looking into the New Era)