Qilin Dance (Zhangmutou Qilin Dance)

Zhangmutou is the only Hakka town in Dongguan, and the qilin dance was brought south by Hakka migrants from the north in the late Ming and early Qing, with a lineage of more than four hundred and fifty years, sitting at the heart of Dongguan Hakka custom. The Zhangmutou qilin dance entered the third national ICH list under traditional dance.

In performance a young man works the qilin's head while a boy works its tail, dancing to gong, drum and suona in two parts: the first shows the qilin as a mythical beast in animal-like movement, the second uses dance to depict the qilin descending to bless the world and bring good fortune, the routines rich and the rhythm bright.

The Zhangmutou qilin dance carries the migration memory, clan rites and folk-dance art of Dongguan's Hakka people, an important sample for studying Hakka culture and the making of Lingnan folk dance, with a cultural role of binding and affirming Hakka community identity.

Qilin dance is regularly performed in Zhangmutou town during festivals.