Xiwu Lantern is a traditional dance in the southern villages of Guangde County. It is made of bamboo bones, paper, and candles. According to legend, in 1864, two Taiping Army soldiers escaped the pursuit of the Qing army, changed their names and fled to Xiwu Village in the deep mountains of Guangde South Township, and lived in seclusion there. In order to commemorate the leader Hong Xiuquan and the Taiping Army soldiers, and at the same time avoid direct conflict with the Qing government, they used the local folk myths and legends of Jinhua Sister, Yinhua Sister, and Tiebanqiao to promote the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's idea of world peace among the people through chanting and lantern performances, so that people would remember the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom movement. Later, they not only made, directed, and performed lanterns, but also accepted apprentices to teach lantern performances. All the lamps and props of Xiwu lanterns are made of bamboo strips, bamboo strips and bamboo silk. The outer skin is pasted with locally produced wood fiber paper, and then painted with corresponding colorful decorative patterns, written with short and eye-catching words, and placed inside with candle bases. When playing with the lanterns, insert the candles and light them up. To perform the nine stories of Xiwu lanterns, 89 lanterns need to be made, and the lantern playing team must have at least 35 people. Among the actors, 2-3 are adults, and the rest are boys and girls around 13 years old. Before 1955, all the actors in the lantern performance were men, and the female characters were also men dressed as women; since 1956, the female characters have been replaced by girls, so there are both men and women, but more men than women. After the lanterns are lit, when the team reaches the village or unit, the lantern leader walks in front of the team with a lantern in hand, and there is a set of gongs and drums in front and behind the team, which is very lively. A guide is appointed by the inviting village or unit to lead the lantern team to pay respects to the gates in order of six horses from bottom to top according to the residential direction. After the worship, they go on stage to sit in meditation and perform various lantern stories, which lasts for about three hours. Information source: Anhui Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center Information source: Anhui Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center