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From above, dozens of dancers in a ring on the ball court, a stack of gold paper at the centre

National ICH Ⅲ-8 · third batch, 2011 (extension)

Jiazi Yingge

Jiazi town, Lufeng, Shanwei. Not by tempo but by column: the righteous banner, the dancing, the short plays, the great flag. Shi Qian opens the line.

4 columnsbanner · dancing · plays · great flag

16righteous banner

54dancing, 13 of them on gongs and drums

107ceiling for the whole line

drumstickface paintingformationfront sectionrear sectionslow tempomedium tempofast tempogong-and-drum band

Dozens on a ball court in a ring, laying out the formation

Opening before the temple at night, the line spreading out

At night under the red arch, the white-shirted team walking through, paper all over the ground

At night under a red arch, the white-shirted team walking through

One line out of the temple gate: the banner in front, the dance in the middle, the plays at the back. One street, one rite.

1 · Four columns

Banner, dance, plays, great flag

The line is organised by column, not by tempo.

Two painted dancers raising sticks in the opening before the temple gate, the lintel and stone carving to one side

Front

Banner, 16

Banners up, opening the way, walking first. The team’s name and the township are on the cloth; as they pass, the eye goes to the banner first.

Two files facing each other, gongs and drums set between them

Middle

Dancers, 54

Thirteen of them on gongs and drums. This column splits again in two: 24 in painted faces at the front, 12 behind in warrior roles carrying small bell drums.

Dozens dancing together on the square before the temple, faces painted, sticks up

Back

Short plays · the great flag

Plays and the carried flag together; the whole line is capped at 107. The rear section is not an afterpiece but a passage of its own.

2 · Opening and moves

Shi Qian comes out first

The opening sequence is on the Jiazi project page; neither of the other two routes describes it the same way.

Shi Qiangold flowers in the hair, a red silk warrior’s cap, a silver snake dancing in the hand

turning a somersaultone to the side, then sitting cross-legged on the ground

the war-horse stancerising from the ground to lead the line

Li Kuithirty-six follow

centipede stepthe feet keep the centipede step

threading the dragonformation figure

paring strikea move

crouching strikea move

interleaving strikea move

small bell drumgear of the rear twelve, not issued to the whole line

54 · 41 · 36three numbers that do not agree, set side by side as they stand

—the material does not explain it and this page will not make it add up

The last five names appear only on the Jiazi project page. The Puning and Chaoyang pages checked here carry no such names, and nothing is inferred about similar moves elsewhere.

3 · Dress and practice

Red trousers, wrapped legs, bells

You hear the bells before you see the men.

Before the temple, three dancers with large cymbals, black shirts, yellow sashes, red trousers — Black shirts, yellow sashes, red trousers. The cymbals close and the sound arrives before the dancers do.

Drawn up in file on the ground, banners at the front — Drawn up in file with banners in front. The five-colour leg wraps and bell-strapped sandals show only up close.

Night practice: a row kneeling and striking sticks — Night practice: the same stick work, learned on the ball court first, costumes afterwards.

The rear twelve wear warrior faces and carry small bell drums — the gear of that column, not issued to the whole line.

4 · Striking and the street

Once the sticks meet, the men rise

All three come from the Jiazi team’s own account.

The back of the white T-shirts reads Jiazi Yingge; the line walks forward over red paper — The back of the white T-shirts reads “Jiazi Yingge”, and the line walks forward over red paper.

Lanterns all over the temple front, two dancers striking beneath them, people on both sides holding up phones — Lanterns hung all over the temple front, two dancers striking sticks beneath them.

On the basketball court several dancers raise both sticks overhead, the fence lined with onlookers — A basketball court for a rehearsal room, several dancers raising both sticks overhead.

Firecracker paper all over the street, left by the god parade; this route’s gear is the small bell drum and the cymbals.

5 · Close reading

Eleven notes

Dates, the rear section, the counts — each one checkable.

The list

Yingge (Jiazi Yingge), Ⅲ-8, third batch 2011 (extension item).

Protection unit

Jiazi Town Cultural Station, Lufeng.

opening drum

Before the temple, the day is fixed by the council of the Yuandi ancestral temple; the notice gives the Gregorian and lunar dates side by side, and the drum starts at half past seven.

the run-out

The passage before the line sets off for the performance ground.

Return to the temple

Back to the temple when it is over.

Three occasions

The Lantern Festival, the Dragon Boat races and the Mid-Autumn moon viewing all require it.

Rear section, one

Short plays: “Bodhidharma Brings Guanyin Over”, “Father and Daughter Meet”, “Two Bamboo Sticks”, “Two Oars”.

Rear section, two

Comic turns: “Stealing the Piglet”, “The Foolish Son-in-Law in the Hall”, “Husband Carries Wife”.

the flower-drum couple

Two flower-drum women climb on the flower-drum man’s shoulders, twirling small sticks in both hands as the line goes round.

Dress

Red trousers all round, five-colour leg wraps, sandals with small bells; the bells sound with every step.

The counts

54, 41 and 36 all come from one report and the project page; the material does not explain them, so they are set side by side and not forced to agree.

6 · Scenes

One temple, two grounds

The day of going out is fixed by the Yuandi ancestral temple council.

A ring on the ground before the temple, onlookers all round

Before the templeThe opening drum, the setting out and the return all begin and end here; the dates are written in Gregorian and lunar side by side.

The square before the temple at night, dozens spreading out to dance

The squareLights on at night, dozens spreading out, half the ground full of people.

This route has no published team count;Volume 6, Teams Jiazi takes a single line.

Last

Three things not yet settled

All three lack primary material.

One

54, 41, 36. How many actually dance: two ways of counting in the same material.

Two

The spacing and interchange of the four columns. The source only gives the order, not the gaps or how the columns swap.

Three

What can be compared with the other two routes. Three different rulers do not measure the same point, and the comparative material is still scattered.

Elsewhere · exits

Look elsewhere

Chaoyang Yingge Puning Yingge The three traditions compared Volume 5 · When it is danced Volume 9 · Glossary

Sources

Sources	Type
Yingge (Jiazi Yingge)China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network / Digital Museum of China ICHNo publication date on the item page; third batch, 2011 (extension item)	National list entry
Publication of the revised protection units for national ICH representative itemsDepartment of Intangible Cultural Heritage, Ministry of Culture and Tourism2019-12-05	Ministry release
Shanwei Daily report on Jiazi Yingge Shanwei Daily2017-10-15	report
Opening-drum notice of the Yuandi ancestral temple, with this site’s own record This site2026 occasions	Recorded here
Yingge images (Wikimedia Commons)Wikimedia Commons; photographers credited in captionsRetrieved 2026-10	Openly licensed images

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Last revised: 25 October 2026