Yongji carrying ice is a folk activity of the Han nationality with a long history. It originated and spread in Changwang Village, 35 kilometers southwest of Yongji City. It is an original ecological Han folk dance in the form of a ceremonial procession. Because of its unique performance form and long history, it is deeply loved by local people. Carrying ice is commonly known as "bright fat". It is a folk activity held in Changwang Village, Yongji City, Shanxi Province during the Spring Festival. In the cold and freezing environment, naked men, wearing only a pair of red shorts, carry a large ice block about two inches thick on their backs, constantly changing formations and performing. There are two local sayings about the origin of this custom. One is: According to legend, during the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty, when the Taiping Army led by Hong Xiuquan marched north to attack Pujindu, Xia Xinyou, the general of the Qing Dynasty who defended the city, ordered the demolition of thousands of houses and erected a wooden city wall. The wooden city wall was covered with oil. When the Taiping Army attacked the city, the Qing army set fire to the wooden city wall, and the Taiping Army could not break through it. Xiang Fulu, a general of the Taiping Army, was from Changwang Village. He proposed that everyone go down to the Yellow River to cut ice, and then carry ice to extinguish the fire and break the city. It was a great success. After Xiang Fulu retired from the army, he organized the people in the village to recreate the scene of carrying ice at that time, showing the bravery and fearlessness of the peasant uprising army. Another story is: the Taiping Army in the Northern Expedition encountered danger, with the Qing army's fire dragon array blocking in front and the pursuers approaching behind. In this critical situation, Xiang Fulu, a villager of Changwang Village, volunteered to lead 200 elite soldiers, disguised as sheep, and threw ice into the fire array, opening a path for the Taiping Army in the Northern Expedition. In order to commemorate the feat of the peasant uprising army, the "carrying ice" activity is held around the fifteenth day of the first lunar month every year. At first, an ice ring was put on the neck, standing tall in the sound of gongs and drums, showing the spirit of not fearing the severe cold. Later, it developed into carrying a guillotine, and later it developed into walking around the village naked with large pieces of ice on their backs. Before the ice-carrying activity begins, there is a small episode, which is called "playing with the community fire" by the local people. Early in the morning, a group of 10-year-old Huanghe children, arranged by adults, beat gongs and drums, held roosters, and went to the doorsteps of the "community fire heads" to play, in order to urge the "community fire heads" to lead everyone to play with the "community fire". After the fun of the community fire, you will see a team led by a big man carrying a big wooden sandalwood flag, followed by five or six teams. The larger team has a gun team, a dragon and tiger brand, a flower-carrying gong and drum team, and ice-carrying hands behind the big wooden sandalwood flag. At the end is an exquisite sedan chair, and the people sitting in the sedan chair are very majestic. These community fire teams gathered in an open space at the entrance of the village to form a large community fire team, and began to parade through the streets and alleys to perform. The leader carried a big wooden sandalwood flag on his shoulder and a shining big guillotine on his back, looking majestic and unstoppable. After more than an hour of marching, the ice carriers finally reached the "other side" of victory and threw the ice on their bodies heavily on the ground, indicating the success of "carrying ice through the fire wall". The whole process usually lasts three or four hours. The team formed a formation of Bagua formation, stepped on the drums, constantly changed formations and performed. The main performances of "carrying ice" include going down the river, breaking ice, crawling forward, and being invulnerable to swords and guns. "Going down the river" means raising both hands, bending legs, and jumping left and right; "breaking ice" means dancing up and down diagonally left and right, alternating left and right bow steps, and other movements similar to farmers hoeing the fields; "crawling forward" means supporting the ground with one hand and "poking" with the right hand, which is similar to animals crawling; "invulnerable to swords and guns" is the pace during the march, with the head held high and the chest puffed out, and the right hand "poking the gong", and the movements are in unison with the steps under the feet. The accompaniment instrument of the whole activity, "the gong and drum with flowers on the back", is unique. It is both an accompaniment instrument and a prop in the hands of the performers. The locals call it "pie gong". A branch is tied to the waist of the "gong" hand, bent from the back of the head to the top of the head and stretched to the front of the face. The big gong is hung on the branch, which is decorated with handicraft flowers and a round mirror. The "gong hand" grabs the edge of the gong with his left hand and "pie" the hammer with his right hand, "pie" and "knock" up and down. The accompaniment instrument of a group of performance teams consists of four gongs and one drum, and the drum beats are called "four drum beats". Carrying ice is welcomed by the local people and has been spontaneously inherited by people. It has become a representative custom activity during the Spring Festival. In the words of the people of Changwang Village, "beating gongs and drums and carrying ice once a year will definitely bring a good harvest this year." The activity of carrying ice is not too difficult in terms of acting, but it is carried out in the coldest time of the year. It is a severe test of men's physique, strength, resistance to cold and willpower. Every household in Changwang Village has to send someone to participate, some carrying ice, or the sharpest weapon in the house, such as a guillotine, a machete, etc., to show their prowess in the biting cold. By participating in this activity, people are encouraged to have the courage and determination to overcome difficulties in any harsh environment.