The Qiang folk Malong Lantern Dance is said to have originated in the Han Dynasty, and evolved from the religious activity of "dancing Malong Lanterns to pray for good weather and peace". The Qiang people made Malong into five colors: blue, green, black, white, and yellow, which respectively represent the five sections of the dragon body that are scattered on the earth, and also represent the five dragon kings in the southeast, northwest, and center. Lantern artists use materials to tie the horse body, without the horse legs, leaving a hole in the middle of the horse body, so that one person can pass through it. The surface of the horse body is painted in color to show good luck. Every year on the fifth day of the first lunar month, the people who play Malong Lanterns are all strong men. At night, they rely on lanterns and torches to climb mountains, cross rivers, walk on small roads, and go around the courtyards, "greeting the New Year" without missing a single household. In some large courtyards in rural areas, in order to welcome the lantern players, incense and candles are generally lit. After the lanterns are played, several families together bring out white steamed buns, sweet fermented glutinous rice, white wine, cold dishes, etc. to entertain the lantern players. Most residents will hand over good cigarettes and give a "red envelope" with a few yuan, dozens of yuan, or even hundreds of yuan in it as a "wedding money" as a reward. The Malong lantern is to pray for good weather, good harvest, peace and good fortune. Because it is lively and auspicious, it is welcomed by every household. There are two types of Malong dances, one is the single-stool dragon and the other is the nine-section dragon (nine benches connected). When dancing Malong, it follows the prescribed routines and the drum beats to perform various tricks in a regular and rhythmic manner. The movements of the bench dragon dance include "two dragons fighting for pearls", "yellow dragon wearing flowers", "two dragons playing in the water", "golden cicada escaping from its shell", and "yellow dragon coiling". The gongs and drums of the "lantern" are thick and bright, with a strong sense of rhythm; the dance is rough and beautiful, and very humorous. First, the small horse gong sounded: "Dang, dang, dang, dang", followed by the cymbals, and the big gongs and drums were beaten together, which was very lively. Amid the sound of gongs and drums, the "runners" tease and run around the garden; the unruly "horses" gradually follow the "runners" and start to change their moves, wearing "five plum blossoms", running "chain traps", and lining up to "greet the New Year" for the host. While "greeting the New Year", they have to "break the formation". Things like "donkey crossing the plank bridge", "asking the donkey to push the mill", "taking water from the snowy mountain", etc. are all difficult moves. The players must have both wisdom and physical strength to break the "formation" and make the guests and hosts happy. When one person plays, he holds the front and back legs with both hands. When two people play, one person holds the front two legs and the other holds the back two legs. When three people play, the first two people each hold one leg with their side hands, and the last person holds both legs with both hands. When dancing, they follow the prescribed routines and dance various patterns in a regular and rhythmic manner to the beat of the drums. There are multi-stool dragons, which are composed of five to eleven people, each holding a stool. The first person represents the dragon head, the second person represents the dragon tail, and the rest represent the dragon body. Two people hold up a pearl to lead the dragon forward, and several people coordinate their actions, following each other step by step, rising and falling, and swinging back and forth. Sometimes, a dragon from head to tail is connected by more than 80 benches, and the benches are connected by a wooden stick. One person holds each wooden stick, and each bench is tied with a lantern (replacing the dragon body). The lanterns are painted with the patterns of flowers, trees, birds, etc. that the owner likes. Since each lantern is painted according to his own preferences, the patterns of more than 80 lanterns are different, and even five or six dragons walking together cannot find the same pattern. The lantern is performed by two people. During the performance, an unmarried woman passes through the hole, and steps left and right, forward and backward to the rhythm of the music and the singing of the people who sing along. The steps are like the steps of models on the T-stage. The people who sing along usually hold a big red lantern in their hands and sing while walking. The content is mainly to wish the host family to get rich and prosperous, and for their descendants to be prosperous and win the first place in the imperial examination. Information source: Mianyang Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center Information source: Mianyang Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center