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Text and photo by Bai Yuxia
In Chinese culture, drum symbolizes spirit and dance embodies strength. Historical records indicate that the earliest form of drum created by Chinese ancestors is the earthen drum made by clay, which represents the beginning of dance traditions of agricultural culture. Drum plays an important role in folk dance of ethnic Han people. north China's drum dance is usually a collective dance featuring a vigorous and grand scale with varied formations. Shaanxi Province
in northwest China is well known for its diversified forms of drum dance, such as Ansai waist drum dance, Pucheng running drum dance, Luochuan bie gu drum dance, winding dragon drum dance and Xianyang ox-drawn drum dance.
Anshai waist drum dance. This large-scale folk dance can date back more than 2000 years. It features vigorous movements, representing northern Shaanxi people's characters of honest, plainness and valor. Ansai waist drum dance takes its name form its birthplace, Ansai County is located in northern Shaanxi Province, in the middle of the Loess Plateau. In 1996, Ansai County was proclaimed by the Ministry of Culture as "China's Hometown of Drum Dance". On May 20, 2006, Ansai waist drum dance was included in the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
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