In the areas between central China's Hunan and Hubei provinces live the Tujia people, an ethnic group with a population of 8 million. Over 4,300 years ago, their forefathers, the Ba people roamed the land and created the sophisticated Ba culture, traces of which can still be found in the Tujia people's Bashan dance.
Singing and dancing is an inseparable part of the social life of the Tujia people, who draw inspiration from their ageless history and scenic natural environment. Bashan dance was created in the 1970s in Changyang City, Hubei Province, based on Tujia people's folk music and dance.
Bashan dance is composed of four sections poetically named "willows in the wind", "moon hidden behind clouds", "magpie chirping in the tree", and "phoenixes paying homage to the sun". Shaking and swinging is the essence of Bashan dance.
With its modern style and primitive touch, Bashan dance has gained immense popularity among Tujia communities, even spreading to surrounding areas.
(CCTV.com August 26, 2003)
