Korean-Ethnic Nongak (Farmers' Dance)

Korean-ethnic nongak is a grand comprehensive folk art blending music, dance and song, born of farm labour with ancient ritual elements, made up of mask dance, small-drum dance, long-drum dance and the spinning-hat dance, led by the beat of gongs and drums. It entered the first national ICH list in 2006, declared by the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture of Jilin.

Its core "spinning-hat dance" has the dancer wear a hat with long ribbons, driving them through the air with neck movements while performing leaps, spins and hoop-dives; further sections include small-drum, long-drum and mask dances, the whole performance sometimes lasting hours, the rhythm bright and exuberant.

Nongak is the most common folk art at Korean-ethnic seasonal rites and festivals, carrying the farming faith and collective aesthetics of the Korean people. In 2009 Chinese Korean-ethnic nongak was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, an outstanding example of minority ICH in China.

Nongak is often performed at the Chinese Korean-Ethnic Folk Park, the Yanbian Museum and Korean-ethnic festivals throughout Yanji.