Henan: Da Tie Hua & Kaifeng Iron Pagoda, Sep 2024

By Beatrice Wong
December 18, 2024
11:00 am
No Comments

The folk art of Da Tie Hua (打鐵花) translates to “beat the iron flower” and involves splashing molten metal to create sparkling streaks of light to simulate fireworks. The technique was discovered by ancient craftsmen during the process of casting utensils in the Northern Song Dynasty and flourished in the Ming and QIng Dynasties. Kaifeng beating iron flowers is renowned as one of the top 10 folk arts in the Yellow River Basin. During the performance, a 6-meter high double-layered flower shed is set up in an open area with firecrackers and fireworks tied to a tall central pole. Next to it, a puddling furnace is set up to melt the iron. The performers use long iron spoons to scoop the hot molten iron and throw it into the air with force causing the molten iron to splash in the air which cools it rapidly to form countless sparks. Some of the iron flowers can reach 10 meters high. The temperature around the shed can reach over 1000 degrees! The iron flowers are then ignited with fireworks and firecrackers. This folk art can be traced back to the Warring States Period when farmers celebrated the harvest believing that the iron flowers could drive away evil and usher in a new bountiful season. Later, many craftsmen also adopted ths tradition before they opened the doors for business in the new year. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the art of beating the iron flower expanded to all celebrations such as weddings, religious holidays, graduations etc. This festive folk art has been included into the second batch of China’s national intangible cultural heritage representative list. I went to Wansui Mountain Martial Arts City (万岁山武侠城) theme park in Kaifeng for the nightly iron flower performance which I highly recommend.

Wansui Mountain Martial Arts City (万岁山武侠城) theme park in Kaifeng

Wansui Mountain Martial Arts City (万岁山武侠城) theme park in Kaifeng

Da Tie Hua performance at the Wansui Mountain Martial Arts City (万岁山武侠城) theme park in Kaifeng

Da Tie Hua performance at the Wansui Mountain Martial Arts City (万岁山武侠城) theme park in Kaifeng

Da Tie Hua performance at the Wansui Mountain Martial Arts City (万岁山武侠城) theme park in Kaifeng

The Huo Hu 火壺 or fire pot performance is another one of the Chinese national intangible cultural heritages. Charcoal that has been burned at a temperature of over 800 degrees is placed into the iron pots on both sides of the performer. As the performer shakes the iron pots up and down, sparks fly up bathing the performer in a sea of fire.

During my short visit to Kaifeng, I only had time to visit one other sight and I chose the 13-storied octagonal Kaifeng Iron Pagoda. The Iron Pagoda was built in 1049 by Emperor Renzong during the Song Dynasty (960-1279) as a replacemet for the first wooden pagoda which was burnt down after being struck by lightning. Don’t be misled by its name, the pagoda is not made of iron but completely of glazed bricks colored to resemble iron. Although built of bricks, the pagoda follows the design of wooden pagodas where apertures, tenons, gouges, and slots on the bricks are precisely made to be joined securely using the the traditional method of dougong. The beauty of dougong is the pieces are designed to fit together without the use of glue or fasteners. The outer and inner walls are closely connected forming an earthquake-resistant structure. These glazed bricks are engraved by patterns of flowers, lions, mythical creatures, and buddhas and bodhisattvas.