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| The local government has set up relevant courses in primary, middle and high schools to better develop the art form and preserve it as a mass cultural activity. (Photo: china.org.cn) |
BEIJING, July 2 (Xinhuanet) -- The Taiping drum dance team from Beijing's Mentougou District won the first-place Golden Drum Award in a national contest June 21 held in Beijing's Daxing District.
The three-day contest was participated by 11 performing teams from ten provincial-level regions across the country, including Beijing, Shandong, Shanxi, Henan and Anhui.
The Taiping Drum Dance, which was named one of the first state-level intangible cultural heritages in 2006, is one of distinctive local flavor, with dynamic step and formation changes performed to a vibrant drum beat. The local government has set up relevant courses in primary, middle and high schools to better develop the art form and preserve it as a mass cultural activity.
The drum dance became popular in Beijing during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). It spread to Mentougou during the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), where it was embraced by villagers. Traditionally, people of all ages from the area can perform the dance.
The drum dance, whose name denotes "peace and tranquility" in Chinese, is most popular from the twelfth lunar month until the first lunar month the next year. During this period, people perform it in hoping that the new year will be peaceful and prosperous.
China's weekly story (2013 6.22-6.28)
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