Tujia Baishou Dance

The Baishou ('hand-waving') dance is one of the most emblematic collective dances of the Tujia people, arising from the rituals and working life of their ancestors and found across the Tujia areas of Hunan, Hubei, Chongqing and Guizhou. In the Zhangjiajie area it is recognized as provincial-level (provincial/municipal) intangible cultural heritage.

People dance in a circle, waving their arms, bending their knees and turning to the beat of drums, the movements miming farming, hunting and daily labor in an orderly, rhythmic way that serves both ritual and celebration.

As provincial-level ICH, the Baishou dance gathers up the Tujia people's historical memory, agrarian belief and communal feeling, and is an important expression of Tujia cultural identity and community cohesion.

At folk festivals and cultural performances in the Tujia areas of Zhangjiajie, visitors can often watch — and even join — this collective circle dance.