Precarious lion dance preserves Miao heritage
Accompanied by the rhythm of gongs and drums on Monday, acrobatic lion dancers in colorful costumes attempt to climb the sloping sides of a precarious pyramid of people and wooden desks stacked six meters above the ground in a courtyard of Aizhai town in Xiangxi autonomous prefecture, Hunan province.
Some of the dancers move swiftly upward. Others stop to perform breathtaking athletic feats for the audience below.
The show is part of what's known as the One Hundred Lion Gathering, a tradition of Miao people from Chongqing and the provinces of Hunan, Guizhou and Hubei. It's part of the ongoing celebration of Chinese New Year.
The gathering — called baishihui — is an intangible cultural heritage that includes singing, martial arts and lion dancing, as people of the Miao ethnic group wish for a year of prosperity and a good harvest.
