In Shuiyang Village, Donghai Island, Zhanjiang, Guangdong, 29-year-old Yu Jinying and 10,693 little clay figurines danced a dance for 500 or 600 villagers, which is like an "autobiography".
Premiering on May 5, the subtitled "Ask the God", titled "Going Home and Dancing", is a ceremony that Yu Jinying has held in his heart for ten years, and it is also a gift for him to calm his nostalgia.
Yu Jinying was born in an ordinary family of fishermen in Shuiyang Village, Donghai Island. He skipped classes, dropped out of school, and fought. He was not a good boy since he was a child. At the age of 17, after dancing a few pieces of Michael Jackson on the stage of his hometown, his life turned to dancing, and he went up and down like never before.
After ten years of Beidrift and performances in more than 30 countries, he wanted to give himself an explanation and an explanation to his hometown.
In 2018, Yu Jinying left Tao Body Theater and established Eagle Theater. His creation has been continuous and gradually attracted attention.
Just like walking on a swaying wire rope, he is moving forward with a load and a debt. "Ask God" cost a lot of money, and there is no doubt that it once again left him heavily in debt.
Lonely and brave, without hesitation. It may be difficult for you to understand his madness and persistence, but you will admire his tenacity and courage.
In this utilitarian age where everything is about repayment, there are few people like him who are as impoverished as he is fighting for art with sincerity.

Performing on the stage, Yu Jinying dances in the sculpture

Performing on the stage, Yu Jinying walked to the altar Photo by Wu Yiwei

【Readme】
"One day, I'm going to do a dance for God"
The original intention of "Ask God" was that I once made a promise to God—one day, I would dance for God.
Many villages in Guangdong have a clan culture of worshiping and offering sacrifices to gods. Every village has a god, and each god has a different birthday. Every year on the twelfth day of the second lunar month, Shuiyang Village invites Lei Opera to sing to the gods, and the stage is a sacred place for the whole village to pray to gods and hold important ceremonies.
I used to be a gangster, fighting every day. When I was 17, I jumped on the stage during the halftime of the Thunder Opera and danced a few of Michael Jackson's dance segments, as if God showed me a way to dance and to be born again. Later, I mustered up the courage to walk out of the island and go north to pursue my dream.
My dad said, you spend ten years in Beijing, and you can't come back. For ten years, I want to give an explanation to myself, my hometown and my parents.
In the past ten years, I have performed in more than 30 countries with the troupe, and I am always thinking about it. Should I dance for my God on the stage of God? The stage was so old and facing demolition, my plans became urgent.
I have read a sentence: Don't live as an artist, live as a work of art. This sentence stimulates me, I want to turn myself into a sculpture, into a work of art.
The pattern of the stage design is derived from the fingerprint of my right thumb. Why fingerprints? Like a promise I made to my hometown, I'm going to come back and dance and do it in the oldest way - by mudra.
In my vision, "Ask the God" is like a microcosm of a person, carrying a person's life: I was born on the first high platform, broke the shell from the sphere (maternal body), learned to walk, learned to dance, on the second high platform Reborn from ashes, and finally came to the altar to burn incense and worship.
The fingerprint is spiral, and I pulled it out and enlarged it one after another. The high platform is a three-dimensional fingerprint, and the periphery of the high platform is a flat fingerprint. There are 10,693 dancing little clay figurines arranged along the fingerprint trajectory.
10,693 sculptures, simulating the traces of my life from birth to the premiere. On the day of the premiere, I was dancing at the scene, covered in mud, and it was the 10694th sculpture.
After I got the creative idea, I found the photographer Wu Yiwei and started the two-dimensional creation before the sculpture. He took more than 20,000 photos for me, and for more than half a year, he left a photographic footprint in Chengdu and Beijing.
At first we thought it would be over soon. Converting two-dimensional images into three-dimensional sculptures requires high requirements and many restrictions. We also have to choose actions that are good-looking and aesthetically acceptable. The final sculptures have more than 10,000 shapes, in any posture, lying down, twisted, tilted, upside down... Each one has a number, representing an ID card.
The sculptures were made in Jiujiang, using clay and home soil. Nowadays, many sculptures are made by machines. I chose the oldest method, and each one is kneaded by the most simple and traditional hand. At the beginning, there were 20 sculpture artists. Because the progress was slow and time was tight, we gradually added more people, and the number was almost 100.
Last August, when I returned to Shuiyang Village, I started the first version of the stage experiment on a barren field by the sea.
The fields belong to the family. They have not been cultivated for a long time and are overgrown with weeds. On the first day, my family and I had just cleared the grass, when the typhoon came, it flooded, and all the ducks ran in to swim. After the water was drained, the cows were driven into the fields, where they stepped out of the sticky, soft soil needed for the stage. It wasn't enough, my dad and I also went to the ground and stomped on it with our feet tossing and turning.
The soil represents my root, the mother that gave birth to me, no matter how far I go, I will come back. I fantasize about seeing my shadow in the dirt. Therefore, the materials for this creation are all the soil of my hometown, which has exhausted more than 300 tons.
Part of the soil comes from the collapsed rammed earth houses on the island, some of which belong to the landlord's house, with a history of more than 90 years. Everyone said, you can demolish the landlord's house. I was reluctant, it was too precious, and I only took part of the remnant walls and broken bricks and smashed them for use.
The four-meter-eight high platform was built by myself, welding iron pipes, iron sheets, and then smearing with soil. Each sculpture corresponds to a cave-like base, which my dad and I also hand-made out of clay, and we made about 12,000 of them.
I was so absorbed that I sometimes even forgot to eat lunch. Under the big sun, I felt the savage vitality explode and release.
After several months, the experiment was finally completed with difficulty. In March, I went back to the stage and did it all over again from scratch, following the seaside experiment and the same dimensions. Hu Jing and Han Chengpu in the regiment also traveled south from Beijing to join me.

Experiment by the sea, overlooking the stage design pattern

Experimenting at the seaside, Yu Jinying and his father squeeze the base

Experimenting at the seaside, Yu Jinying was photographed rehearsing

Experimenting at the seaside, Yu Jinying's movements are very similar to sheep

"Me and 10,693 sculptures, experienced a journey of rebirth"
The exhibition before the performance lasted for more than 40 days. Grandpa, grandma, uncle, auntie, the old principal, the blind uncle, the owner of roast pigs, the owner of the canteen, the young people playing mahjong... The villagers came to watch every day. They had never seen such a dance, and were frightened.
After the pedestal was arranged, the old principal asked, what are these circles for? They are good for planting rice and planting trees. After the high platform was set up, the roast pig boss said that this furnace is a bit fierce, and it can roast pigs, roast goose, and roast ducks. Hundreds of them were baked in one oven; after the sculptures were placed, the children said, "Brother Ying, we have learned your dance moves. There are so many different dances that we can't learn them for a long time... All kinds of incomprehensible, novel and interesting sounds. .
Set-up and transportation are expensive. The sculpture was delivered on April 27, packed with 120 boxes, and used 4 large trucks to travel thousands of miles from Jiujiang. The box was placed outdoors, covered with a cloth, but the rain still seeped in, and the mushrooms were full length. The villagers sighed, the loss is huge, sell the mushrooms for tens of thousands, or take them back and fry them.
The worst thing is the wind and rain. The base was washed many times by the rain, cracked and then repaired, and so on. At the beginning, the film was also covered, which was of little use. I also thought about building an iron shed, but it was difficult to achieve. The space in the middle was too large, and it cost tens of thousands to build. Moreover, if the sculpture is inside, once the iron shed is blown down by the strong wind and crushed by the stagnant water, the sculpture may be completely destroyed. We give up and leave it directly to God.
Two days before the performance, a heavy rain washed away the base and the sculptures fell to the ground. This process is like the Tang monks fetching scriptures from the west, ninety-nine-eighty-one difficult, and the last difficulty is crossing the river, losing the scriptures, and soaking in water. We were very nervous at first, but then our mentality slowed down, so let's take it as a kind of baptism before the performance.
The performance started at 5:05 in the evening on May 5 and ended at 6:45, and the sky was still bright. This day is ordained by God.
The performance time is 100 minutes. I was very nervous that day. Before that, instead of skipping 100 minutes from start to finish, I made a bold decision to dedicate the first time to my hometown and my hometown gods.
I don't know if I can jump off. Many people worry, are you sure you want to be so extreme and crazy? A few days before the show, I had been coughing, had a low-grade fever, and took medicine. In order to archive the images, the documentary team followed the shooting every day, but it had to be at noon, when the sun was at its strongest and the sun was at its most positive, and there could be no shadows. The high temperature of 30 degrees every day, I couldn't stand it, and I was exhausted.
When I perform, I feel a power in me. There were too many unknowns at the scene, and I prepared for the worst, possibly jumping to the end and falling down. Strangely, I would get tired after dancing for 20 minutes during rehearsal, and I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t expect that I wasn’t tired at all that day.
My 10,693 sculptures and I have experienced a journey of being born in the earth and burning in the fire, and then reborn.
The 10693 sculptures are the past me, and the current me is the 10694 sculpture. On the second high platform, I danced and rolled in the quagmire, covered in mud, burned by fire and reborn.
Around the high platform was a circle of fire, burning for 5 minutes. Wires are buried under the high platform, and the ignition is remotely controlled. The first experiment was very dangerous. The fuel was added too hard and the fire was so high that I almost got burned and jumped down quickly. After several tests, kerosene, gasoline, diesel, alcohol, firewood, and finally gasoline was chosen for fire protection.
The mud was dry, sticking to the body, heavy, and I was like a mud figurine, bound.
Finally, I walked to the altar and burned an incense for the god. A ceremony that had been in my heart for ten years ended. At that moment, I was released and burst into tears.
At the end of the performance, I took a shower in front of everyone, as if I was back when I was a kid, taking a shower directly on the side of the road. It's the familiar, homey, watery taste I have.
There are about 2,000 people in Shuiyang Village. There were about 500 or 600 people that day, and there were only limited seats to watch.
In the past, the economy was underdeveloped and the transportation was inconvenient. Many older generation passed away without leaving this island. It is a pity. There were many old people who were hobbled that day. They said, you can skip dinner, but you must not miss the show. A grandmother in her 90s who knew my grandmother who passed away also came over. They are very happy, they have never seen such a performance in their life.
There were a lot of kids jumping around. I want to open up their perspective and let them see art, be it curiosity or guesswork. I hope they have a passion for the world and bravely come out of this island in the future. This is my wish and my original intention.

Performing on the stage, Yu Jinying dances on the high stage

Performing on the stage, Yu Jinying was "reborn from ashes" on the high platform

Each sculpture is different

Each sculpture is numbered

"The whole village was laughing, saying I ran home and played in the mud"
No madness, no survival, I understand this sentence now. A lot of people think I'm crazy, but I'm actually very rational, very calm, I know exactly what I'm doing and what I'm expressing.
If I don't do it, I will regret it for the rest of my life, and regret it for the rest of my life. I am ready to pay whatever the price is. If this is the last time I dance, I think it's worth it. If the worst result is acceptable, I will try.
I just came back to be secret, secretly hiding by the sea to do experiments. The whole village was laughing, saying that I couldn’t get along outside, and I ran home to play in the mud, which was useless. And the police came to ask questions in the middle of the night, and I said that I went back to the village to create the work.
The people in the village are too unfamiliar with me, and my image is easily misunderstood. When I returned to the village in 2016, I had a tattoo, but I still had a short head. The villagers thought I was just released.
I have been a jerk since I was a child, and my life was defined by the villagers early in the morning. After I was introduced to dance at the age of 17, I went all the way from Zhanjiang Art School to Beijing to study, and I was almost out of touch with the village. They didn't know that I was dancing or that I went to over thirty countries. The family never speaks in the village.
This time, my family kept it a secret for me, under a lot of pressure. They cried so many times that I found out secretly.
There are various voices in the village, some people praise you, some people are jealous of you, report you, and look down on you. My mother was a little angry and went to explain it to others. I came back in return for my hometown, but what I got was ridicule. They were afraid of my disappointment and didn't want to come back. I said, don't explain, those who understand will always understand, those who don't will never understand.
My mom is 55 and my dad is 56. Since August last year, they have followed me through the whole process, stepping on the mud, pinching the base, and setting the stage. In the first month, the experiment failed and was overturned. My dad and I also came up with a plan, how to start from scratch.
My dad is a fisherman. He helps me at the construction site during the day, and goes out to fish at night. My mom sells it. Sometimes I only sleep two or three hours a day. A friend came to take pictures and said that your parents are skinny and skinny and can't be any thinner. I was worried and scolded them angrily. For a while, in order to hurry, I worked for five days in a row, from five in the morning to one in the morning, and they also accompany me to work overtime. They see me being so desperate and persistent, and they feel sorry for me.
The money invested is a huge amount of money. How many people work hard all their lives and can't make so much money. Many people ridiculed that the money can go back to their hometown to build a luxury villa.
The money was raised by friends, and Hu Jing and Han Chengpu in the group also took the money for the class. Some things just cost money and can't be saved. I have given up. Friends say, if you don't do it, we will all feel sorry. They gave me courage without turning back.
In the beginning, I lied to my parents that the project didn't make much money. The family is not rich, I know there is no way to give a penny of support. Then one day I couldn't stand it anymore.
Knowing that I was short of money, my parents gave me all the money I earned from selling fish, except for grocery shopping. I didn’t want it, so they secretly replaced the QR code for the payment with mine, ten yuan, twenty yuan, and I was very puzzled when I saw the receipt of money, and I didn’t know until I asked. At that moment, I was speechless. When you have more money, you can have one thousand a day, and if you have less money, you can have three or four hundred.
For a while, people were worried about my state. My usual emotions are happy and positive, but when I stay in the yard alone, they can feel my anxiety, and I dare not release it to them, I have to bear it myself.
Difficulties in particular can exercise people's mentality, and I am relieved of many things. I don't complain, it's useless to complain, I can only find a way to solve it as soon as possible. I may have inherited my dad's way of life.
On May 3, I hung up the huge poster. After seeing the introduction of the performance and seeing me going to so many places, the villagers got to know me again, and their attitudes changed. They gave me the thumbs up, but I didn't feel accomplished. Because I've been causing trouble for my family.
I am very fortunate to live on such a small island, where my parents gave me so much trust and so much freedom. They don't understand art, and they don't have any hope of making it big, they just support me unconditionally with their actions.
After the show, I finally saw their smiles. Some villagers said, if you were my child, I would not allow you to do this, and I would not play with you in the mud. They all thought my parents were great.
Not only my family, but also many friends help me. I told the documentary filmmaker who filmed me for four years that I was crazy about everything I did. Whenever I encountered a problem, someone would always step up and solve it with me. I was about to fall, but I would never fall.

Performing on the stage, Yu Jinying and Han Chengpu set up the stage

Performing on the stage, everyone helps build the stage

Performing on the stage, village children crowd around the stage

Performing on the stage, Yu Jinying's father received flowers

"I will rationally restrain my desires and no longer be so self-willed"
The base has broken several times and is completely broken and cannot be recycled. A heavy rain washed them away. They came from the soil and went back to the soil.
I built a simple shed to temporarily shelter the sculpture from the wind and rain. The massive creation exhausted all our savings, so we decided to create a blind box and sell 1000 sculptures. The reality is very skinny, so far only a few dozen have been sold. Many ideas are very good, and the results are the worst, which I accept.
We have a large number of images, documents and documentaries related to creation. We look forward to seeing the sculptures go to theaters, art galleries, and museums at home and abroad for document exhibitions and interactive exhibitions.
"Ask God" freezes my 10,694 days of life. It is fluid and continuous. Maybe in another 30 years, I will do it again.
I have a lot of creative ideas. Sometimes I go to bed at eleven o'clock, but I feel that I don't really fall asleep until three or four o'clock, my mind keeps spinning, and I fantasize about various dance scenes. Many works are half-created, and when they are about to ask for money, they don’t dare to do it again.
I will continue to make big works, but I will rationally restrain my desires, and I will no longer be so self-willed, and I will no longer let my friends and team carry too much burden for me. Hope someone invests or commissions creations.
This year, I was selected by the Chinese Dancers Association's "Training Youth Program" to create a "Ocean", 5 dancers, 30 minutes, which will premiere at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in the second half of the year. I grew up by the sea. When I was young, I went to the sea with my brother to catch fish every day. I wanted to use my limbs to express the fish, shrimp, and crabs in the sea. to the other side of the sea.
Looking back, I found that the environment I grew up in and the memories related to my hometown from childhood are the inspiration and source of nutrients for many of my works. From "The Divine Comedy" to "Ask the God" to "The Sea", all of them have something to do with their hometown.
"The Divine Comedy" and "Ask the God" are more related to God. Since I was a child, I have worshipped God, offered sacrifices to God, asked God, and asked God. God is part of my life. I worshipped God even before I could speak. The most common sentence I said was: everything is going well and I am healthy.
When I created "Ask God", I got to know my hometown again and found a lot of valuable creative materials. Luckily, I found the most important foundation and medium of artist expression.
There is a dragon dance in Donghai Island, which is an intangible cultural heritage. More than 100 people form a dragon to dance, run into the sea, and then run to the beach. Unfortunately, this traditional culture is slowly weakening. Maybe next, I will also be a dragon man. I'm the only boy on the island who learns to dance. Many people say, if you don't do it, who will do it?