1. Introduction Tiangang Gonggu, also known as Tianjing Gonggu, is a form of folk gong and drum music that has long been active in the middle and lower reaches of the Huaihe River and the shores of Hongze Lake. It originated in the area of Tiangang Lake (now Tiangang Lake Township, Sihong County) in Sihong County, Jiangsu Province, and is mainly distributed in Sihong County, Xuyi County, Jiangsu Province, Bengbu City, Wuhe County, Anhui Province, etc. Tiangang Gonggu has a long history. After being passed down from generation to generation by gong and drum artists, nearly 10 fixed tunes such as "Long Luopian", "Xiaowufan", "Xiaoqidian", and "Mantangluo" have been formed. It is famous inside and outside the province for its cheerful and lively rhythm, enthusiastic and unrestrained playing style, sonorous and exciting melody, and magnificent formation. 2. Historical Origin Tiangang Gonggu was originally named Tianjing Gonggu. In the 1980s, because its birthplace Wangji Commune, Sihong County, Jiangsu Province, was renamed Tiangang Lake Township, in order to highlight the regional culture, Tianjing Gonggu was renamed Tiangang Gonggu. Tiangang gongs and drums have a long history. It is said that before the Ming Dynasty, gongs and drums were popular in the southwest of Sihong County, Jiangsu Province, bordering Anhui. Its origin and formation are recorded in the "Sihong Hezhi" compiled during the Guangxu period. During the period of disputes among princes, it was mainly used to boost morale and strengthen the military. In 1368, Zhu Yuanzhang, whose ancestral home was Sizhou (now Sihong), proclaimed himself emperor and established the Ming Dynasty. In his long-term military practice of overthrowing the Mongols, he fully realized the important role of gongs and drums in the traditional battles between the two armies. Relying on his memory, he mentioned the gongs and drums of Tianjing many times in the court. When the prefect of Sizhou heard about it, he brought the carefully trained Tianjing gongs and drums team to meet the emperor. After watching it, Zhu Yuanzhang was very pleased and praised: "Fengyang has flower drums, and Tianjing has gongs and drums." Since then, under the active advocacy of the prefect of Sizhou, Tianjing gongs and drums have developed rapidly and have been widely spread in Xuyi, Wuhe, Anhui, Fengyang and other surrounding areas adjacent to Tiangang Lake in Sihong. In the late Qing Dynasty, folk artists represented by Zhang Wenkui, Wu Xiayou, He Jiafeng, etc., based on the inheritance of traditional Tianjing gongs and drums, conducted new explorations and reorganized them, thus forming the unique gongs and drums (qupai) and performance rules of Tiangang gongs and drums. In the early years of the Republic of China, the masses along the middle and lower reaches of the Huaihe River and the current northern Jiangsu and northern Anhui would hold gongs and drums and social fire activities in the first month of each year. After the founding of New China, a new generation of Tiangang gongs and drums artists represented by Lv Guohou and Wu Congjin made Tiangang gongs and drums integrate the advantages of the south and the north, forming the characteristics of the Huai (River) and Bian (River), making Tiangang gongs and drums more perfect from qupai to playing methods. Since the 1980s, a large number of new successors and business backbones such as Wu Changluan and Wang Yunyan have emerged in Tiangang gongs and drums, which have continuously enriched and developed Tiangang gongs and drums, and its team has continued to grow. Tiangang gongs and drums are popular in many townships (towns) in Sihong County, such as Tianganghu Township, Sihe Township, and Fengshan Township. Some villages have formed a popular situation of "every village has gongs and drums, and every family has a team member". It has participated in national competitions such as the Sixth National Art Festival and the First Chinese Folk Art Festival, and has achieved good results. In 2002, it was included in the local teaching materials for primary and secondary school students. CCTV, People's Daily, Xinhua Daily and other mainstream media have made special reports. Not long ago, it won the gold medal in the 27th Longtan Temple Fair in Beijing. Under the guidance and active support of the provincial, municipal and county cultural authorities, it has played an active role in enriching the cultural life of the masses and promoting local economic and social development, and has been rejuvenated with new vitality. From 2006 to 2009, Tiangang Gongs and Drums were approved by the Suqian Municipal People's Government and the Jiangsu Provincial People's Government as a list of intangible cultural heritage protection projects, and have been applied for the national intangible cultural heritage list. 3. Performance characteristics Tiangang Gongs and Drums have fixed tunes, strong musicality, and the score is 2/4 beats. It is smooth and pleasant to the ears. Each tune is a beautiful song. In terms of performance, it can also be accompanied by orchestral accompaniment. The phrases are mostly echoed, one leading and one buckling, one question and one answer, just like a duet love song. The main tunes are: long gong piece, small five-part, small seven-point, Phoenix 0 head, eighteen-part, full gong, wild goose falling on the beach, - knock teeth, etc. Tiangang gongs and drums are mainly performed in a centralized formation, with more or less actors, as many as a hundred, as few as twenty or thirty. During the performance, there are 12 battle flags on both sides of the venue, and the flag bearers can intersperse performances and dance while playing; when dancing, the instrument (cymbal) can rotate left and right, up and down, and circle, and the scene is changeable. Its playing method is unique, often using jumping, jumping, rolling, sleeping, etc. to complete the content of the tune performance, with leading, echoing and other performance techniques, from loose to tight, sparse and dense, both clear and smooth, and exciting and majestic; when appearing, the personnel raise their heads, stride, open their arms, roar alternately, and end cleanly and neatly. The main works include: "Arhat Circling", "Golden Rooster Stands Alone", "Chaotian Music", etc. 4. Performance Instruments The Tiangang Gong and Drum Performance Props include the general flag and the battle flag (several). The big flag is a Tai Chi diagram embracing the four characters "Tiangang Gong and Drum" on a yellow background with green borders. The Tai Chi diagram embraces the yin and yang of heaven and earth, and symbolizes prosperity, good weather, and universal celebration. The main musical instruments are: big drum, medium drum, small shoulder drum; big sieve gong, big gong, small gong, dog bite gong; big cymbals and small cymbals. The diameter of the mouth of the big drum is 1.75-2 meters; the diameter of the medium drum is 60-80 centimeters; the diameter of the small shoulder drum is 18-20 centimeters. The costumes of Tiangang gong and drum performers are mainly yellow, white and red, imitating ancient costumes, and they are like "heavenly drums" and "thunder gods". They have red and yellow thunder god hats, shawls at the back, and nine shining gold beads inlaid on the top of the head, just like "Nine Heavens Yingyuan Thunder Sound Universal Transformation Heavenly Lord", wearing cloud shoes. 5. Inheritance Status The inheritance of Tiangang gong and drum is mainly based on master-apprentice inheritance. There is no historical data on the inheritance status before Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty. The main representative inheritors during the Qianlong and Jiaqing periods were: Zhang Wenkui, Wu Xiayou, Wang Qihou and other folk gong and drum artists; during the Xianfeng period, there were: He Jiafeng, Wu Changbi, Pan Daozhi and other famous folk gong and drum artists; in the 21st year of the Republic of China, there appeared gong and drum artists such as Lv Guohou and Wu Congjin, which continued to be passed down until the 1990s; then, a new generation of Tiangang gong and drum artists represented by Wu Changluan and Wang Yunyan inherited and developed this folk gong and drum music to a wider area. Wu Changluan, male, 60 years old, from Sihe Township, Sihong County, Jiangsu Province, retired teacher, folk artist, proficient in Tiangang gong and drum music and playing methods, and can compose, direct and perform. Participated in the establishment of the Tiangang Lake Gong and Drum Team, serving as an instructor and team leader. In 2001, he established the Tiangang Gong and Drum Wu Family Gong and Drum Art Troupe in Sihe Township and is currently the head of the troupe. In 2007, he was awarded the title of Folk Art Star by the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Culture. Wang Yunyan, male, 45 years old, from Tiangang Lake Township, Sihong County, Jiangsu Province, a gong and drum player, has been engaged in Tiangang Gong and Drum performances for many years, and is currently the head of the Tiangang Lake Gong and Drum Art Troupe.