Children dressed in gorgeous costumes are suspended high in the air, skillfully standing on a banana leaf, or drifting in a small boat in the lake. The performers are calm and composed, freely swaying in the crowd's cheers. This is not an acrobatic performance, but the ongoing highlight of the Taiping Qingjiao Festival, the "Floating Colors Parade". The Tai Ping Qing Jiao is a traditional festival held by residents of Cheung Chau, Hong Kong every year on the birthday of Buddha on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month. It has a history of over a hundred years and was included in the third batch of national intangible cultural heritage list in 2011. This year's Cheung Chau Bun Festival was held from May 2nd to 6th, with the "Floating Scenery Parade" held on May 5th, attracting tens of thousands of people to flock to Cheung Chau for viewing. Joy and excitement pervade this small island, which is only about an hour's boat ride away from Hong Kong Island. The art of "graceful" and "floating color parade" originated from the custom of residents dressing up as gods to go on tours and drive away ghosts and gods in the past. Nowadays, it has evolved into small actors dressing up as gods or ancient and modern figures as "color cores", standing on a 2-meter-high "color stem" iron bracket and "floating in the air", following a movable small stage called the "color cabinet" and interacting with the parade team with the audience. The reporter arrived at Cheung Chau Island and the distinctive floating colors were neatly displayed on the second floor of the Cheung Chau North Community. Floating color master Li Zhiwei was inspecting the four floating colors he was responsible for making. At 1:30 pm on the same day, accompanied by the sound of drums and gongs, 22 parade teams set off from the Beidi Temple Amusement Park. Small actors dressed in themed costumes waved and distributed candies to the citizens watching from the sidelines. This year's parade not only featured traditional cultural themes, but also floating colors with popular topics such as the 15th National Games, which attracted cheers from the audience. The magical child Nezha of Huohonglian, wielding a pointed gun and stepping on a wind and fire wheel, roams the mountain path. Ao Bing, dressed in white and victorious over snow, holds an ice hammer and interacts with tourists by clapping. The floating colors inspired by the animated movie "Nezha's Demonic Child Roars in the Sea" became the "top stream" of the scene as soon as they appeared, and the audience on both sides reached out their hands hoping to have intimate contact with the young actors. Ms. Zhou, a passenger from Tianjin, often interacts enthusiastically with the parade team, describing the two-hour tour as a gathering of folk customs. This is the first time watching a parade that combines local cultural colors and folk art. Each floating color showcases traditional culture to the fullest, and you can feel that the entire residents of Cheung Chau Island are contributing to this parade. Li Zhiwei, who is 60 years old this year, has been engaged in floating color production for more than 30 years. It is reported that producing a floating color takes about three to four months, and a series of processes such as conceptualizing the theme and overall structure, designing the "color stem", arranging the "color cabinet", and selecting the "color core" are required to achieve a performance. Li Zhiwei stated that he started preparing for the parade float color in February this year and completed production in April. The theme of floating colors varies from year to year, and the intricacy and innovation of the characters paraded each year have become the focus of attention for many people. This year's Nezha themed floating colors were created by Li Zhiwei. He said that when choosing the floating color theme, he prefers to extract it from traditional Chinese cultural stories, hoping to convey Chinese cultural characteristics to more people through the Nezha themed floating color. Years of accumulation have enabled Li Zhiwei to master the manufacturing techniques of floating colors. The "color stem" he forged has a precise concept, moderate thickness, and a center of gravity. The audience stood on both sides of the crowded alleyway to "observe the colors", which were close to the floating colors. In order to enhance the expressive power of the "Nezha" floating colors, Li Zhiwei repeatedly tested and decided to use children's bicycles to modify them into "wind and fire wheels", making the entire design more dynamic. Elegance is the essence of floating colors, and the role of "color memes" cannot be underestimated. Li Zhiwei said that the "color meme" is a load-bearing iron bracket with small seats above to ensure the comfort of children; Set foot pedals to help children stand firm. A good "color meme" shape not only needs to match the theme and support the weight of the performer, but also needs to be cleverly connected to disguise it invisibly, making the performer appear to be soaring in the air and creating a "floating" effect. The colorful parades held in many cities in mainland China have also brought him a lot of inspiration for his creations. The floating color parade design in mainland China is ahead of its time and has richer layers. After seeing it, I also recorded it and continuously improved it based on the actual situation of Cheung Chau to create a more unique style of 'color memes', bringing new experiences to the audience, "he said. Another highlight of the "Color Core" heritage parade is the "Color Core" played by children. Li Zhiwei introduced that the young actor who played the role of "Se Xin" is about 1.1 meters tall and weighs no more than 18 kilograms. In order to achieve the effect of "floating", in addition to conventional requirements such as age, weight, and height, young actors need to be bold, not afraid of heights, and have a natural expression. Due to the direct impact of performers' costumes and facial expressions on the overall effect of the event, the selection process is generally carried out by masters such as Li Zhiwei who personally select from kindergartens and interest classes in Changzhou. Five year old Xu Xinyu has participated in the parade for the third time this year. Inspired by horse racing, she participated in the "non-stop" floating color parade. Two "color core" actors walked up and down in the "color cabinet" in the form of seesaws, symbolizing the intense horse racing scene. On the day of the parade, Xu Xinyu, riding on a horse, had handsome movements and rich expressions. Xu Xinyu's grandfather, Chen Jingzhu, told reporters that the residents of Changzhou seem to have reached a consensus that participating in the "Floating Scenery Parade" is something that every Changzhou person will definitely do in their lifetime. My daughter was also a touring actress when she was young, and now her granddaughter is very interested in this activity, looking forward to playing different roles every year. ”Chen Jingzhu said that the annual Tai Ping Qing Jiao is a platform for more people to understand Cheung Chau. Only when residents actively participate can this folk activity go further. I think I will keep doing it until I can't do it anymore. If one day I have difficulty moving and my hands and feet are not agile, I will also sit here to guide everyone and contribute my efforts to the inheritance of this folk art. ”Li Zhiwei said. (New Society)