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Description
The lion dance, including the Guangdong lion dances and Minnan lion dances, is one of the traditional physical activities in Taiwan. Sport is directly related to the composition of national identity. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the content of the national consciousness constructed by the official discourse of the lion dance in Taiwan from 1949 to the present. This study adopted a textual analysis method to collect newspaper reports on lion dances and the political ideology they embody. It was found that the "national consciousness" of the lion dance had different meanings in different contexts and was divided into three stages: (1) After the Nationalist government came to Taiwan in 1949, the Guangdong lion dance gradually became popular due to the anti-communist policy of restoring the country and promoting the "revival of Chinese culture"; (2) After lifting Martial law in 1987, Minnan lion dance was officially incorporated into Guangdong lion dance, whose rules are international. At this time, the official national consciousness moved toward "bringing Chinese culture closer to the world"; and (3) Recently, due to the government's gradual emphasis on Taiwanese subjectivity, the official discourse of lion dance has shifted toward "localization" and emphasis on the culture of the Minnan lion dance. Overall, the lion dance has become a tool for constructing national identity.
