The Miao long drum dance is an artistic expression of the Miao (Hai Pa) compatriots living in Yunwu Mountain in Guiding celebrating the harvest and peace. It is mainly distributed in Yunwu Town, Changming Town, Yanshan Town, Houchangbao Township and Duliu Township in the southwest of Guiding. There are many ethnic groups living in Guiding County. The Miao people are one of the main ethnic minorities and have reproduced and lived on this land. They have a long history and many branches. Among them, the Hai Pa Miao generally live in high mountains, semi-high mountains and deep mountain valleys. There are water in the villages, rich water resources, dense forests and beautiful mountains and rivers. The Hai Pa Miao is a branch of the Miao people. According to legend, this branch came from the sea and got its name from the seashells in their clothing. The long drum dance of recording events with songs, blowing sheng and beating drums was developed by this ethnic group in the long-term agricultural production life. Liu Yun's "Lingnan Luyi" in the Tang Dynasty recorded: "The Miao Man King feasted Han officials in front of the hundred flowers, set up dance drums and played sheng." Counting from the time when "Binhua County was built in Daping in the first year of Kaihuang in the Sui Dynasty (581 AD), when "the barbarian chief played the drums and sheng music", the long drum dance has a history of more than a thousand years and is a cultural relic of the Miao people in the Tang Dynasty. The long drum dance is an important part of the most lively and solemn sacrificial activity of the Haipa Miao people, "Niu Dachang". The time of "Niu Dachang" is stipulated by the ancestors as "a small sacrifice every six years, a medium sacrifice every thirteen years, and a large sacrifice every sixty years". The ceremony of Niu Dachang is divided into three parts: stepping on the field, bullfighting, and ancestor worship. The first two parts are mainly reed dance, and the ancestor worship is mainly played with bronze drums and long drums. There are two different forms of long drum dance according to the different content of the activities. In "stepping on the field" and "bullfighting", the performance form is mainly reed dance, and bronze drums and long drums only play the role of accompaniment. During the performance, two to six handsome unmarried young men of the Miao ethnic group are selected to lead the way with the sheng, and a group of girls dressed in fancy clothes, two or more in a group, form multiple rows, follow behind, and walk in a circle clockwise. The more girls follow, the more promising the Lusheng player is considered. The following girls constantly change their dance moves according to the changes in the Lusheng music and the instructions of the leading dancer who plays the sheng. The female dancers "step side by side", with their heels raised, the center of gravity falling on the forefoot, the ankles exerting force, the knees slightly bent, and the elastic and resilient up and down flickering, accompanied by the five fingers crossing each other to shake hands, the forearms leaning against each other or holding each other's forearms, the natural up and down swinging, and the upper body shaking back and forth. The Lusheng player's movements are mainly the changes in the leg steps, which are steady and simple. Another feature of this Lusheng dance is that the Lusheng music and the dancer's dance steps are in perfect harmony, but they are not synchronized with the long drum beats of the bronze drum, so the drum beats are only used to set off the atmosphere and are not the rhythm of the dance. During the "ancestor worship", this dance is performed mainly with bronze drums and long drums, without the accompaniment of reed pipes. During the performance, the drummers never leave the bronze drums and long drums. There are few dance movements, but the drum beats vary greatly, with a total of 19 types. In addition, the long drum is also used in Haipa Miao funerals, and its drum beats change with specific scenes, from slow to fast, from fast to slow, from strong to weak, from weak to strong, sometimes high-pitched, unrestrained like a thousand horses galloping, exciting, and sometimes low-pitched, like crying, miserable and sad, and tears fall sadly. The long drum dance is a grand art performance that integrates long drums, bronze drums, and reed pipes, accompanied by women's dance. It embodies the ancient history and local culture of the Miao nationality, and fully demonstrates the rich and colorful existence and high artistic achievements of Miao folk art. It is inherited as one of the social behavioral norms of the Miao nationality, and carries many important historical and cultural information of the Haipa Miao. The Miao long drum dance not only reflects the history and culture of the Miao nationality, but also greatly enriches and satisfies the spiritual and cultural life of the people in modern society. By worshiping their ancestors in the form of singing and dancing to entertain gods, it has become an important factor in maintaining and continuing the cultural traditions of the Haipa Miao nationality. As an intangible cultural heritage, long drum is still a living culture, closely related to human activities and passed down by people. However, facing the changes of the times and the impact of modern culture, this ancient Miao dance is facing the crisis of gradual disappearance. Under the conditions of reform and opening up, with the acceleration of urban and rural construction and the transfer of surplus rural labor, most young men and women go out to work, and the number of people left in their hometowns is decreasing and tends to be older or younger. In addition, young people's interest in learning long drum has weakened or even disappeared. There are very few men who can play long drums and bronze drums, and those who can are already old. In this way, long drum will face the danger of being out of touch with inheritance and lack of successors. (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.) (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.)