Weishan county in southwest China's Yunnan province is a centre of exceptional ethnic folk art and primitive simplicity. Dage, a song and dance performance accompanied by a reed pipe, is pleasing to the eye and the ear. Dage has been added to Yunnan's list of intangible cultural heritage.
Dage incorporates singing, dancing, instrumental music, folk literature and traditional costumes. It is a tradition of the Yi ethnic people of Weishan county. The folk art originated in a primitive era, to celebrate good hunting. Later, Dage was adopted for performance at weddings, festivals, harvests, and temple fairs.
There is a new Dage craze in the Weishan county. Over 100,000 people are living inheritors of the traditional art. There are Dage performing teams in every village of the county.
Dage was named to the second list of state-level intangible cultural heritage, as a traditional dance form. The list announced at the end of January has 564 elements, covering ten categories. Included are folk literature, traditional music, traditional dance, and folk opera.
(CCTV March 12, 2008)