Daliufen Village is located in Taitou Town, Jinghai district, 40 kilometers from the center of Tianjin with convenient transportation. In October 2009, Daliufen Village Pole Climbing was named a "Tianjin Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Project" and in 2021, it was selected as the fifth batch of national intangible cultural heritage projects.
Pole climbing is a traditional sport and acrobatic performance with thrilling and spectacular viewing value. It was common in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region in the past, but now only a few live practitioners remain. Daliufen Village Pole Climbing is the only active collective inheritor of this tradition in Tianjin.
The practice originated in the eighth year of the Qianlong period in the Qing Dynasty, with a six-generation pedigree. The sixth-generation inheritor, Li Yuequan, was named a "representative inheritor" in 2011. He led the group to win many awards and trained multiple actors to become the backbone and successor of the tradition while restoring the pole-climbing skills.
Pole climbing is a high-risk aerial performance, with the "dragon pole" as its core prop, consisting of a high pole, pole base, iron ring, and iron core. The performers climb barefooted and use their hands and feet to reach various parts of the pole, ring, and core to form different poses and shapes. There were 108 stylized movements in history, and now nearly 70% have been restored. The most thrilling movement is performing "falling meteors" at the top of the pole. There are more than 70 sets of movements, such as "kicking ducks," "rolling donkeys," "saints taking off their clothes," and "swallows watching the sea," each with its unique charm. During performances, the sound of big drums and gongs enhances the atmosphere.
The group usually practices in the square outside the clubhouse. When there are events such as festivals, temple fairs, competitions, exhibitions, and cultural exchanges, the group is temporarily organized with 60-70 members. During festivals, almost all the male youths in the village participate, creating a lively and festive atmosphere.
The group has a long history and broad public participation. Its moral values, such as teamwork, mutual love, respect, care for public property, and law-abiding, have influenced the local residents.
As the only original ecological old pole-climbing group in Tianjin, the project spans historical time and space, and has gained praise and achievements in various contemporary activities. This indicates that it has universal practical significance and research value in terms of its inherent cultural, artistic appreciation, and humanistic standards.