The Dragon Dance of the Miao Nationality in Western Hunan was born in the Miao classical sacrificial ceremony. It is one of the Miao dances owned by the more than 7 million Miao people in my country. In the early days, the Dragon Dance was a ritual in which the Miao people invited wizards to pray for blessings, asking the dragon god to protect the area from peace, a good harvest, and to prevent insects and disasters. Nowadays, the Miao people dance the Dragon Dance every October and February, or when they are building a building or holding a wedding. The Miao people in Western Hunan regard the dragon as a symbol of good luck, happiness, and prosperity. The custom of "Dragon Dance" has been passed down from generation to generation in the Miao area of Western Hunan. People believe that "Dragon Dance" can eliminate diseases and disasters, ensure longevity, good weather, and a good harvest. Therefore, every October after autumn and February before the busy spring farming production, or when they are building a building or holding a wedding, the "Dragon Dance" is held. The Dragon Master (Miao Laosi) leads the dragon male and female dragons and the Miao instrumental music, as well as men and women holding various colored flags, to dance the beautiful Miao dance, namely the Dragon Dance. In 2008, the Xiangxi Miao Dragon Dance was included in the second batch of intangible cultural heritage list of Hunan Province. When did the Miao Dragon Dance originate? Because the Miao people have no written language, there is no historical record. In 1940, R. Chunsheng and Rui Yifu from the Institute of Linguistics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences recorded in the "Report on the Investigation of the Miao Nationality in Xiangxi" (published by the Commercial Press in 1947): "The Miao people wish to have a dragon dance in order to prosper their family. The period is between September and November. After the date is set, the dragon dance will be held one or half a month before. People in the village often go to the host's house at night to play gongs and drums, blow trumpets, suona, etc., and they will stop when the night is dark. The day before the dragon dance, someone must be asked to go to the aunt's house to report the news. The host personally invites the Miao witch to come home, and invites all the relatives in the village to help. Do it in advance There are three types of rice cakes: thunder cakes, dragon cakes, and guest cakes. A rice dragon must be made. There are seven piles of thunder cakes, with three large, medium, and small ones in each pile, stacked in layers and placed on the table outside the door. Five piles of dragon cakes are placed on the table in the main room. A rice dragon is placed on top of the dragon cakes, and three peaches made of rice cake are placed on the dragon's body. On the main day, after midnight, the dragon chain begins. In the morning, the host prepares a tea tray with two bowls of wine and two Feng'er, leads the villagers, beats gongs and drums, and goes to the main road to welcome the mother's uncle. The host saluted the uncle three times, and the uncle drank the two bowls of wine on the tea tray, and came to the host's house with the greeter. . After lunch, the brothers-in-law and uncles of the host's family went to receive the dragon. The brothers-in-law wore silver crowns, brocade dresses, and sat in sedan chairs; the uncles wore black gauze hats, robes, and rode horses. Those who went together also had to dress up, and pregnant women were forbidden to go. The men who helped played drums and set off firecrackers. Led by a wizard, the team stopped at a three-way intersection three or four miles away from the village, and the wizard called the dragon. After the call, the music exploded, and they walked all the way back to the outside of the village. The host and the men in the family each took incense and paper, and came to greet them, led by a wizard at home. After receiving the dragon, the two asked each other questions, The men of the host family pay their respects to the uncle three times, and the wizard rings the bell to lead people into the house, and plays music and sets off firecrackers. The uncle and the rest of the relatives go back. Later, a small pit is dug on the ground of the main house, and a bowl of cinnabar water is placed in it. It is covered with a rock board, and a large stone egg is placed on the rock board. This is called the dragon room. The wizard rings the bell and chants a spell, and the men and women of the host family walk around the small pit three times, and then set off firecrackers for fun, and then cover it with soil; only the top of the dragon room is exposed outside the soil as a mark. "The Miao ethnic group's dragon dance myth legend says: There are 48 virtuous dragons in the Miao area, and the people have good weather and good harvests every year, and the livestock are prosperous. When the emperor knew about it, he was unwilling to let the Miao people live a good life, so he sent troops to the Miao area and drove away the virtuous dragons. From then on, the people in the Miao area suffered from disasters and lived in hardship. Therefore, "Dragon Relay" is performed in February and October, and the graceful dragon dance is performed to express the Miao people's respect and joy for the dragon. The second theory: In the past, the ancestors of the Miao people had three brothers, and the three of them went out to learn skills. The third brother was smart and clever. He learned to play the bamboo suona and was very skilled. One day, he walked over the bridge playing the bamboo suona, and the pleasant sound of the suona reached the Dragon Palace under the water. After the Dragon King heard it, he invited the third brother to the Dragon Palace, where the third brother played all kinds of tunes for the Dragon King to enjoy. The Dragon King was deeply moved and praised him highly. In order to thank the third brother, he presented his beloved treasure bottle (actually the third daughter of the Dragon King) to the third brother. The third brother got the treasure bottle and loved it as his life, and never left it. After a long time of contact with the third brother, the treasure bottle knew that the third brother was loyal and kind, and had superb skills, so he showed his true form and married the third brother. The third brother and the Dragon King's daughter loved and lived in harmony, the man farmed and the woman wove, and lived a happy life. In order to pursue a better life, future generations did not forget the third brother and the treasure bottle, and they would "relay the dragon" every year and dance the dragon dance to pray for happiness and good luck. Because the Dragon King likes to play the suona, the dragon dance must be accompanied by the suona, and later other accompaniment instruments were added. Basic characteristics of the Miao dragon dance The dragon dance is one of the most popular representative dances among the Miao people. When dancing, it is usually a group dance of eight people (or more people), and the dancers are beautiful young men and women (mostly from the same ethnic group and clan). The dance on the way is soft and graceful, pious and generous, and the basic steps are mostly walking in a semicircle, like a winding dragon, with smooth lines. After receiving the dragon, the mood is enthusiastic and unrestrained. The dancers open the green cloth umbrellas, which are connected to each other, and the umbrellas rise and fall. The formation changes like a dragon leaping and a tiger leaping, giving the feeling of a living dragon riding the fog. The umbrella stands up, indicating that there will be rain when the dragon comes, and the weather is good. The umbrella is held horizontally on the left and right sides and rotates, like a virtuous dragon slowly swimming towards the host's house, unstoppable and beautiful. At this time, the steps are small steps, running and jumping, and are brisk and lively. The characteristic of the dragon dance is to simulate the image of the dragon and express the character of the dragon. In the eyes of the Miao people, the dragon is gentle, cute, beautiful and virtuous. The dragon dance includes the dragon turning over, showing its claws, passing through flowers, jumping through the gate, grabbing treasure, protecting treasure, entering the gate, closing the gate, etc. The dragon passing through flowers and the dragon rising and falling are particularly beautiful, realistic and vivid, and are very popular. The Miao people love, respect, honor and protect dragons for generations because they regard dragons as a symbol of happiness and auspiciousness, which can realize their wishes for a better life. In 2008, the Xiangxi Miao dragon dance was identified as a project in the second batch of intangible cultural heritage list of Hunan Province.