Xianglong dance

People weave straws into the shape of a dragon. [Photo/Guangxi Daily]

Xianglong dance is a traditional folk dance that is widely found in Dafa village of Guilin's Pingle county in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

It was included on the list of intangible cultural heritages at the autonomous regional level in 2010.

People in the Yao ethnic group use straws to weave the shape of a dragon and insert burning joss sticks on the straw dragon to celebrate big festivals like the Spring Festival and Panwang Festival. They sing and dance holding the straw dragon, visit nearby residents, as well as pray for good weather for the crops and a great harvest in the future. 

"Xianglong dance was popular in Dafa for hundreds of years and was almost not passed down to younger generations. I brought it back to life in 2006 and made efforts to bring Xianglong dance to stages, adding more vitality and energy into this traditional culture," said Tao Zhenxi, an inheritor of autonomous regional level intangible cultural heritage item.

The Xianglong dance. [Photo/Guangxi Daily]

Kindergartens, primary schools, and middle schools in Dafa village have opened interest-oriented classes on ethnic group culture, such as Xianglong dance, enabling more children to learn more about local intangible cultural heritage items and become inheritors of Yao ethnic group customs. 

In recent years, Dafa village has been devoting continuous efforts to Yao ethnic culture inheritance, launching measures like establishing a theme museum.