Guzi Yangge (Shanghe Drum Yangge)

Drum yangge grew up along the Yellow River around Shanghe in Jinan, said to have taken shape over many centuries down to the Ming and Qing. It heads the 'three great yangge of Shandong' and is rooted in local farming and festival life.

The troupe is organized into five roles — umbrella-leader, drummers, stick-bearers, flower-women and clowns — moving between a 'march' and a 'field run', with clanging drums, shifting formations and vigorous, robust movement led by the men.

Grand and powerful, Shanghe drum yangge is an outstanding example of Han folk dance in the Yellow River basin, embodying the region's farming culture and communal spirit; its annual gatherings have run for decades.