Song and Dance of the Peoples · 13 entries · 7 regions
Circle dances, antiphonal singing and instruments that belong to particular peoples rather than to the country as a whole. Most of these rings open up for a visitor.
13 of these, grouped by region. The first line of each entry says whether you can take part or only watch; the last column gives the hours, the cost where there is one, and how much Chinese it takes. Or see all seven kinds.
2 entries
North China (华北)
| What | Where | When and what it takes |
|---|---|---|
| You can join inMongolian Song & Dance (Andai Dance/Khoomei/Long Song) (蒙古族歌舞（安代舞/呼麦/长调）)Andai dance is done in a ring with silk in the hand, the steps simple enough to copy. Khoomei throat singing and the long song come from the same evening, and the campfire version expects you to stand up. | Inner Mongolia | All year, evening performances and steppe campfires 80 to 300 yuan at a theatre No Chinese needed |
| WatchingMorin Khuur (Horse-Head Fiddle) Music (马头琴音乐)The horse-head fiddle is carved with a horse at the top of the neck and can imitate one. A thousand years old, and the sound Mongolians reach for when they describe the grassland. | Inner Mongolia | All year, evening performances and steppe campfires 80 to 300 yuan at a theatre No Chinese needed |
2 entries
Northeast China (东北)
| What | Where | When and what it takes |
|---|---|---|
| WatchingNortheast Errenzhuan (Song-and-Dance Duet) (东北二人转)Errenzhuan is a two-hander, man and woman, fans and handkerchiefs, singing and dancing and telling jokes at high volume. About three hundred years old, and still the northeast’s own form. | Jilin | All year, 7:30 to 10pm 50 to 380 yuan Some Chinese helps |
| You can join inYanbian Korean Ethnic Song & Dance (延边朝鲜族歌舞)Yanbian is recorded as the largest Korean community in China, and the evening squares in Yanji fill with drum, fan and hoop dances in Korean dress. Costume can be hired if you want to try the steps. | Jilin | All year, evenings and holidays Free on the square; costume hire about 100 yuan No Chinese needed |
1 entry
East China (华东)
| What | Where | When and what it takes |
|---|---|---|
| WatchingQuanzhou Intangible Heritage Street Performance (泉州非遗街头展演—拍胸舞/火鼎公婆/青狮)Heritage performance out in the open on West Street in Quanzhou, close enough to photograph and to be drawn into. | Fujian | Wednesday and Friday at 7:30pm; daily over the holidays Free No Chinese needed |
3 entries
Central China (华中)
| What | Where | When and what it takes |
|---|---|---|
| WatchingMaogusi Dance (茅古斯舞)Dancers wrap themselves in straw, go barefoot and cover their faces, with a straw plait standing up from the hat. It reenacts hunting, farming and marriage, and is described as the oldest surviving Tujia performance. | Hunan | Sheba festival days and the sixth day of the sixth lunar month Free Needs the local dialect |
| WatchingMiao Drum & Dragon-Receiving Dance (苗族苗鼓与接龙舞)Miao drumming danced at the drum, and the dragon-receiving dance that belongs to the older ritual side of the same festivals. | Hunan | The Miao autumn festival and other festival days Free No Chinese needed |
| You can join inTujia Hand-Waving Dance (土家族摆手舞)Tujia hand-waving dance is done in a ring, the movements copying ploughing, hunting and blessing. Bronze bells and mountain songs behind it. The big version pulls in dozens of villages at once. | Hunan | Daily shows at Furong town; the Sheba festival in the sixth lunar month Free in the villages No Chinese needed |
3 entries
South China (华南)
| What | Where | When and what it takes |
|---|---|---|
| WatchingFoshan Lion Dance (佛山醒狮观赏与体验)The southern lion is danced by two people inside one costume, and Foshan is where the style is from. The hall on Xiqiao hill lets visitors try the basic movements in its training room. | Guangdong | Daily at the ancestral temple; parades and contests at New Year and Dragon Boat Temple ticket; contests usually free No Chinese needed |
| You can join inDong Grand Song & Lusheng Dance (侗族大歌与芦笙踩堂)Dong grand song is sung in parts without a conductor or accompaniment, and UNESCO lists it. The lusheng dance that goes with it is danced in a ring, and the ring takes visitors. | Guangxi | Festivals, the Dong new year, and when guests arrive Free to watch; some sessions charge No Chinese needed |
| You can join inLi Bamboo Dance Daichai Dance (黎族竹竿舞（打柴舞）)Bamboo poles held in pairs and clapped open and shut on the beat while dancers step between them. National heritage, several hundred years old, and originally a funeral rite. A groom is expected to get through it. | Hainan | At its fullest during the Li third-month festival; daily shows at the tourist parks Park ticket; the audience round is free No Chinese needed |
1 entry
Southwest China (西南)
| What | Where | When and what it takes |
|---|---|---|
| You can join inTibetan Guozhuang Dance (藏族锅庄舞)Guozhuang means circle song and dance: a ring of people, men and women, stepping and turning as they sing. It is the Tibetan equivalent of the square dance, and the ring opens for anyone. | Tibet | All year, evenings, festivals and weddings Free No Chinese needed |
1 entry
Northwest China (西北)
| What | Where | When and what it takes |
|---|---|---|
| You can join inUyghur Meshrep (Song & Dance Gathering) (维吾尔族麦西热甫)Meshrep is the Uyghur gathering that holds the music, the dancing, the joking and the rules of behaviour together, and UNESCO lists it within the muqam. Being pulled into the circle is the normal outcome. | Xinjiang | All year, evenings, festivals and weddings Free at the bazaar; village gatherings free No Chinese needed |
Being There on the Right Evening
Most of this costs nothing and needs no booking. What it needs is being in the right district at half past six rather than in a restaurant across town. Tell our local team which city and which week, and they will say what is on and where people actually go.