An elderly artisan keeps alive an ethnic dance listed as provincial intangible cultural heritage

Dong Xinglin was born in a remote village in Enshi Tujia and Miao autonomous prefecture in Hubei province. Last year, the elderly artisan set up a 25-person professional troupe in Xuan'en township in the prefecture to promote Xuan'en Shuashua, a Hubei provincial intangible cultural heritage. The art is the traditional Tujia ethnic dance, which dates back to the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) and enjoys wide popularity in Tujia settlements in Enshi. Dong, 78, is the fourth generation of his family to carry on the tradition. After years of performances in villages, the elderly artisan has moved to town to pass down the ethnic cultural trove to more people.

(China Daily European Weekly 04/04/2014 page4)