There are only 54 students at Nanguang Elementary School in Yunlin County’s Sihhu Township and the school’s resources are limited. Still, this year the school’s hardworking students won first place in the double Taiwanese lion group at the Hakka open-mouthed lion folk sports championship at the national Heritage Cup. This is very encouraging, in particular for children from a remote area.
The Nanguang lion dance troupe was established nine years ago, and because it is a small school in a remote area, there is quite a small number of students, while the lion dance is an activity that requires a large number of people: The number of dancers, drummers, flag bearers and reserve team members comes to at least 16. Nanguang school principal Huang Jui-chang says that in total there are only 38 students in the third to sixth grades in the whole school, which creates a problem when you want to organize a team.
Fortunately, former students and local people all support the idea of passing on the local zhentou, or performance troupe, to the next generation. Former students looking around found that the Cathay Charity Foundation was willing to make a donation, and the Yunlin District Fishermen’s Association helped with the training costs. The ability to overcome the difficulties in organizing a team has been a motivation for the teachers and students in their training. The children have been practicing every day on the beach in the searing sun, and even when they are covered in sweat they don’t complain that they are tired.
Photo: Chen Tsan-kun, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者陳燦坤
(Liberty Times, translated by Perry Svensson)
只有五十四名學童的四湖鄉南光國小雖學生少、資源有限,但學童刻苦練習,獲今年全國「傳承盃」客家開口獅民俗體育錦標賽台灣獅雙獅組第一名,對偏鄉孩子,特別有激勵作用。
南光舞獅隊成立九年多,因是偏鄉小校,學生相當少,舞獅又是人手需求很大的運動,舞獅、鑼鼓手、旗手及接替隊員至少需十六人,南光校長黃瑞璋坦言,全校三至六年級也才卅八名學童,連組隊都是難題。
幸好,校友與地方都支持傳承地方陣頭,校友奔走找到國泰人壽慈善基金會捐款,雲林區漁會也補助訓練經費。如此克難的組隊方式,也成為師生更勤奮練習的動力。每天,孩子們頂著海邊豔陽反覆練習,滿頭大汗也不喊累。
(自由時報記者陳燦坤)
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