Yingge, the mallet dance
A stick in each hand, struck in time to gongs and drums, the dancers painted as the heroes of Liangshan; national heritage Ⅲ-8 since 2006.
Pronunciation yīng gē｜Craft and performance｜One entry in the Chaoshan glossary
What it means
A folk dance found across Chaoshan and parts of eastern Guangdong. Each dancer holds a wooden stick in each hand and strikes them in time with gongs and drums, face painted, feet advancing in ranks.
“Yingge” is the general name; Puning, Chaoyang and Jiazi each have their own line, differing in tempo, stick technique and formation. The three accounts come from each project’s own documentation and are not on the same footing — they cannot be flattened into one scheme.
When you see it
First-month processions, temple fairs and celebrations. It entered the first national list of intangible heritage in 2006 as number Ⅲ-8; Puning and Chaoyang were in that first batch, and Jiazi yingge was added in 2011 as an extension — three projects under one number, each listed separately.
Words easily confused
Yingge is a dance, Chaozhou opera is theatre. A yingge troupe often moves with the palanquin as part of a procession, but it is also a performance in its own right.
Custom in Chaoshan villages; this page describes only, and neither endorses superstition nor prescribes behaviour.
Read next: Yingge dance: stick technique, face paint and formation.
Same group: ying lao ye, the long banners, Chaozhou opera.
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Last revised: 3 November 2026