A dazou drum dance on May 10, 1988 [Photo by Lin Musen]

Dazou drum dance was formerly known as che gu nong and was popular in the coastal areas of southern Fujian province. During the reign of Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), some fishermen from southern Fujian migrated to Ruoshan Island in Shitang town, Wenling, and introduced che gu nong to Liruo village, Shitang town. The movements of this dance were rough but intriguing. The dancers, who moved to music, were all men dressed as women. The dance was permeated with local elements. In the 1950s, it gradually declined and was later renamed dazou drum in 1979 when items of cultural heritage were being classified. In June 2008, dazou drum dance was included in China's second representative list of the intangible cultural heritage.