Gaotang Bamboo Horse Dance originated from Liuhaizi Village, Qingping Town, Gaotang County. According to the genealogy of the Liu family in Liuhaizi Village, their ancestor moved from Miyun County, Shuntian Prefecture, Zhili to settle down during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty. Probably, Miyun is adjacent to ethnic minorities in the north. Ethnic minorities are martial, like riding and shooting, and marching and forming formations, so this dance was passed down. The prop bamboo horse of the "Bamboo Horse" dance is divided into two parts, the front and back of the horse. Because the bamboo horse is made of bamboo as a skeleton and is made of multiple layers of paper paste, it is called "bamboo horse". During the performance, the rider wears a helmet and armor, ties the front and back of the horse to the waist, pulls the horse's head with the left hand, and holds the weapon high with the right hand, accompanied by percussion music to cheer, which is very majestic. The "Bamboo Horse" dance is performed by a group of horses, performing various combat formations. The colors of the "Bamboo Horse" are red, yellow, orange, green, cyan, blue, and purple. Each color can be single or double. The color of the rider's armor is the same as the color of the mount. The performers run in various battle formations. There were originally 108 battle formations, but due to the long-term loss of tradition, only 11 battle formations can be performed now, namely, "Two Dragons Out of Water Battle Formation", "Dragon Gate Battle Formation", "Rise Gate Battle Formation", "Enchant Soul Battle Formation", "Link Battle Formation", "Ambush Battle Formation", "Gourd Battle Formation", "Scissors Battle Formation", "Wheat Ear Battle Formation", "Luocheng Battle Formation", and "Four Gate Battle Formation". When running in the battle formation, the performers add dialogue and singing segments to enhance the performance effect. The "Bamboo Horse" dance is not only an entertainment activity, but also has inspiration for the study of ancient battle formations. Bamboo Horse Dance, also known as "Bamboo Horse Running", is a famous folk dance form in Liaocheng, Shandong Province. It is named after the dance prop bamboo horse and movements. "Bamboo Horse Dance" is a folk flower show form during the Spring Festival, and is mostly performed around the Lantern Festival. "Bamboo Horse Running" in Gaotang County, Shandong Province has a long history. It is said to originate from the story of the masses rising up to kill Yuan soldiers and overthrowing the dark rule of the Yuan Dynasty more than 600 years ago at the end of the Yuan Dynasty. Later, in order to commemorate the uprising and the five generals who died at that time, people choreographed a dance - using bamboo horses to express the situation at that time. The bamboo horse skeleton is made of bamboo, lined with cloth of different colors and brushed with tung oil. A bamboo pole is placed from the horse's neck to the head. The performer holds the bamboo pole with his hand and shakes the horse's head up and down like a real horse. The horse's body is hollow, and people can stand in it. During the performance, the rider can tie the front and back of the horse to the waist with a belt. According to reports, except for the white horse, which is performed by men, the rest of the performers are women. The bamboo horse performers generally require 4 men and 4 women, divided into the roles of Sheng, Dan, Jing, Mo, and Chou. Zhengsheng rides a red horse, Qingyi (a pretty girl) rides a yellow horse, Xiaosheng rides a green horse, Huadan (Sister Hua) rides a white horse, and the clown rides a black horse. When the bamboo horse performance is running, each role has a clear division of labor, each performs its duties, cooperates tacitly, and mainly walks on the stage. There are more than ten types, including "double entry", "opening four doors", "watery", "circling eight characters", "snake shedding skin", "cross leaning", "scissors", "running in a circle", "three dragons out of water", and "pumpkin vines". The props in the hands of the actors, such as whips, swords, spears, or sticks, are selected according to the identity of the characters. The performers express the plot and character through expressions, postures and singing. During the performance, the accompanying instruments are mostly percussion instruments such as gongs, drums, and cymbals. This activity has been organically combined with yangge, opera singing such as string opera, three-sentence-and-a-half, Lv opera, and Henan opera, and has gradually developed into a more vivid folk entertainment and fitness exercise that combines education with entertainment. During every festival, the colorful horses are full of vigor and vitality, jumping and galloping, which greatly enlivens the festive atmosphere, expresses people's wishes for a better life, and is deeply loved by the masses. The bamboo horse performance mainly relies on the change of formation. Because all learning is oral and there is no written record, there are not many changes in the formation handed down today. Jiang Jie, director of the Gaotang County Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center, said: "During the heyday of Gaotang County's bamboo horse dance in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, performers could run 100 single 8 formations. Due to the long-term loss of tradition, only dozens of formations can be run now. Representative formations include the Heavenly King Formation, the Earth King Formation, the Dragon Gate Formation, the Tiger Gate Formation, the Thunder God Formation, the Sunlight Formation, etc. The fixed routines mainly include double entrance, four-door fighting, water gliding, eight-character circling, snake peeling, cross leaning, scissors, running in a circle, two dragons out of water, etc." When running the formation, the performers "ride" on the "horse" and dance according to the formation changes in the ancient battlefield. The dance is rough and bold, with realistic movements and vigorous steps. The formation changes are rigorously structured, sometimes the gentle bells ding-dong like flowing clouds and water, and sometimes the rapid drums roar like thousands of horses galloping, reproducing the simple folk customs of the people in the Central Plains. "Bamboo Horse Dance" is mainly circulated in rural areas of Gaotang County. It is a traditional entertainment program for the masses during the slack season and is quite popular among the people. However, due to various historical reasons, the continuation of the "Bamboo Horse Dance" in Gaotang is intermittent. With the strong support of the Propaganda Department of the Gaotang County Party Committee, the County Bureau of Culture, Broadcasting, and News has formulated a five-year protection plan, which has carried out comprehensive and systematic protection of the Bamboo Horse Dance through investigations, audio-visual recordings, data compilation, and the selection and training of young successors. Inheritors such as Dong Shijun, Ma Haizhong, and Zhao Huchen have also remade the bamboo horses and are actively looking for successors in the village. More than a dozen people in the village have learned this performance skill. In August 2011, the county's "Bamboo Horse Dance" was included in the Liaocheng City Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection List.