Chaocheng Nanguan Bamboo Horse Dragon Dance – Treasure of Shen County’s Intangible Cultural Heritage

LIAOCHENG, China, Jan. 6, 2025 /Xinhua-AsiaNet/–

Chaocheng, a town in Shen County, Liaocheng City, Shandong Province, is steeped in a rich cultural heritage that spans generations. One of its cultural gems is the Chaocheng Nanguan Bamboo Horse Dragon Dance, a traditional folk dance that has become an integral part of local life. With its vibrant and diverse forms of expression, it enriches the spiritual and cultural lives of urban and rural residents, earning the affection of the local people.

What sets the Chaocheng Nanguan Bamboo Horse Dragon Dance apart is its fusion of dragon and horse elements. The performance features a wide range of dynamic and colorful routines, such as the Soaring Dragon, the Success-Bringing Horse, the Green Dragon Emerging from the Cave, Galloping Steeds, and the Head-and-Tail Wrapping Sequence.

Guo Xianzhu, the sixth-generation inheritor of the Chaocheng Nanguan Bamboo Horse Dragon Dance, has continued to innovate while preserving its traditional forms. By building on existing routines, he has created a performance style that is both historically authentic and uniquely his own.

The Chaocheng Nanguan Bamboo Horse Dragon Dance is of great significance in the preservation of traditional culture and the enrichment of folk dance forms. In 2016, it was included in the county-level intangible cultural heritage list; in 2018, it earned a place on the city-level intangible cultural heritage list; in 2020, it was featured in the Cultural Liaocheng Series publication, Cultural Legacy and Remembrance; and in 2019, Guo Xianzhu was named a representative inheritor of the city’s intangible cultural heritage.