Hydrangea lantern dance, a folk dance art, has appeared in many parts of the country, but Guanzhuang hydrangea lantern dance in Zhua Town, Qihe County, is unique in the folk dance world with its unique shape and difficult skills, and is famous in one area. Tracing its footsteps, Guanzhuang hydrangea lantern dance can be said to have a long history. According to legend, more than 300 years ago, after suffering from war and displacement, the working people ushered in the "Kangxi and Qianlong prosperity". In order to celebrate this relatively stable life, after the Spring Festival every year, the simple and kind villagers organized themselves to play with lanterns on the 15th day of the first lunar month to express their strong desire to pray for good weather and a stable life. Guanzhuang hydrangea lantern dance was born at that time. The hydrangea lantern is composed of eight circles of different sizes. Eight small circles are tied into a small ball, pasted with wool paper, painted with white powder, and painted with colorful colors to become a colorful ball. The ball is equipped with a rotor (for inserting candles), and eight large circles form a large ball. The small ball is suspended in the middle so that it can rotate freely in the large ball. Then the circle of the large ball is wrapped with colored paper strips and decorated with paper flowers. A vivid, exquisitely made, and colorful hydrangea lantern is made. It is indeed not something that a skilled craftsman can do. Performing hydrangea lantern dance requires the actors to be agile. Because running quickly consumes a lot of physical energy, most of them are young people in their twenties. The actors are composed of eight young people, each holding a hydrangea lantern in both hands. They dance vigorously, full of youth and vitality, and express people's joy and love for life vividly. At first, the routines of dancing lanterns were relatively simple, and the actors only performed "single and double scissors" and "string flowers". Later, in the imperial examination, Guanzhuang produced "literary scholars" and "military scholars". Under their guidance, the routines of dancing lanterns were greatly developed and enriched. First, the hydrangea lanterns were arranged into words such as "peace in the world" and "the best in the world". This not only enriched the content of the hydrangea lanterns, but also made it easier for the actors to take a break while running. Later, the routines of the lantern dance were mixed with martial arts movements such as "kicking feet", "sweeping crotch legs", and "kites turning over", and the routine of "four-door fighting" was added. The costumes were all martial arts costumes, with hero buns on the head, hero belts around the waist, and black boots on the feet, which were majestic and full of masculinity. The music accompaniment was suona, and the gongs and drums were mainly based on the tunes of "General's Order" and "Prepare Horse Order", which enhanced its cheerful and festive atmosphere. Folk art is mostly for self-entertainment. This form of self-entertainment also gives it a strong local flavor and simple rural style. It is in this way that the hydrangea lantern dance ignited the enthusiasm of the entire village. Entering the twelfth lunar month, the villagers of Guanzhuang Village organized themselves spontaneously. Those who like to play with lanterns ran around, bought props, and made special candles. Everyone contributed money and effort, and began to prepare for the lanterns. Everything was ready, and the young people in the village who danced with lanterns gathered together and rehearsed on the school playground. Before the official performance, the playground was already full of old people and children watching. After the tenth day of the first lunar month, the hydrangea lantern dance was finally pulled out in everyone's eager anticipation, and the performance lasted until about the twentieth day of the first lunar month. You see, when night falls and the moon is in the sky, the sonorous and powerful gongs and drums, the high and distant suona sounds, and the crackling firecrackers merge into a majestic symphony. The hydrangea lanterns with candles were dancing in the colorful fireworks, sometimes like flowing clouds and water, sometimes like shooting stars chasing the moon, with vigorous, agile and lively dances, and the atmosphere was warm, unrestrained and exciting. No matter how the lantern dancers performed, the candles in the hydrangeas were always facing upwards, and the candlelight was not extinguished, which made people applaud. People from all over the country came to the sound of suona and gongs and drums, and the streets and alleys were crowded with people, and the noise was extraordinary. What a scene of prosperity and joy! No wonder an old man in the countryside once sincerely exclaimed: Who dances in the air with a hydrangea, this dance should be in heaven! As time went by, from the founding of New China to the reform and opening up, Guanzhuang hydrangea lantern dance has been improved and improved for a long time, and has become more perfect, with a growing influence and continuous performances. In the 1950s after liberation, the hydrangea lantern dance disappeared from the vision of Guanzhuang people for a period of time. After the "1" was smashed, it became active again. In 1985, a Xinhua News Agency reporter came to Qihe for an interview and captured a series of eternal moments with a camera. The whole scene was recorded by the joint folk art filming team of the Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and the Liaoning Provincial Department of Culture and included in the "National Folk Dance Encyclopedia" as a precious material for permanent preservation. In 1997, Hong Kong returned to the motherland. In order to celebrate this event, the villagers danced the hydrangea lanterns in an especially wonderful way, forming the words "97 Return". Over the years, Guanzhuang's hydrangea lantern dance has won praises such as "a unique folk art" and "a rare folk art treasure" for its unique shape. The spring breeze has blown across the land under our feet, just like the spring spirit sprouting in the bleakness. The rural cultural activities in Zhu'a Town are booming. Guanzhuang hydrangea lanterns, a wonderful flower rooted in the fertile soil of folk art, will bloom with more charming colors and will dance out of Qihe, Dezhou, and the whole country with a brand new style. (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.) (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.)