Nong La Dance is a folk dance performed by the Zhuang people living in the Ma Ba Village of Ande Town, Jing'an, during the Nong La Festival (market) on the fifth day of the first lunar month every year. Nong La is a Zhuang word, which means noisy gongs. Nong La Festival is a sacrificial activity for the villagers of Ma Ba to commemorate their ancestors. During the activity, the villagers beat gongs and drums and danced the "Nong La Dance" to commemorate the contributions of their ancestors in opening up and developing the Ma Ba settlement. Nong La Dance has a history of more than 800 years. Since Ma Ba Village of Ande Town was relatively closed and isolated from the world in history, the popularity of Nong La Dance is relatively narrow. However, the history of Nong La activities has been passed down orally from generation to generation by the people of this village and has continued to this day. It is said that during the Huangyou period of the Song Dynasty (around 1152 AD), the Zhuang peasant leader Nong Zhigao led his people to rebel against the Song Dynasty and established the "Southern Heaven Kingdom" in Ande Prefecture (now Ande Town). Later, he was brutally suppressed by the Song Dynasty government troops and fled to Yunnan. The Zhuang volunteers who followed him also scattered east and west. Among the rebels, there were three brothers and sisters surnamed Ma. In order to avoid the government troops, they fled into the deep mountains and old forests. They worked together to open up the land and developed the place of Maba. They also used the military gongs they brought to scare away the beasts and protect the crops. Therefore, their village name is still called "Kaiken" Village. Since then, they have multiplied and thrived from generation to generation. In order to commemorate the contributions of their ancestors, their descendants hold Nong La activities at the beginning of spring every year to commemorate the kindness of their ancestors. The movements of Nong La dance are primitive and simple, steady and strong, derived from life and rich in characteristics. It has a unique rhythmic style. Its main movements include: one step and one leg lift, leg lift and turn step, Douluo step, etc. Due to historical reasons, the Zhuang folk dance "Nong La Dance" with a strong style has been hidden in the mountains and no one knows it. After liberation, although it has also attracted the attention of the local government, due to economic and other reasons, Nong La Dance is still biased towards a corner. It was not until the 1980s and 1990s that the county art team tried to put it on the stage twice, and Nong La Dance officially walked out of the mountains and appeared in the public vision of hometown and outside. The Nong La activity is carried out according to a certain procedure, including: offering La, making La, lion dance, singing, pulling rattan, etc. 1. Offering La Offering La, that is, offering gong. A few days before the ceremony, the "Village Elder" in the village sent people to the mountain to cut a thick blood rattan for use. On the second day of the first lunar month, the offerings from each family were collected and concentrated in one place. At the time of Chen on the fifth day of the first lunar month, the venue was set up in the unplowed field at the head of the village; the altar was set, the incense table was set, and three animals were offered. Triangular dragon and phoenix flags were inserted around. The activity started at about 1:00 p.m. First, the priest held a pot to toast the ancestral tablet, and four old men in the village stood behind him with a bronze gong. After offering sacrifice to the ancestors, the priest toasted to the four village elders, and the four old men toasted to the ancestors, then shouted "Huo!" to each other and drank it all, and then shouted to the people around him "Good luck and good harvest"! (Chinese meaning) Then they stood by the altar and struck the bronze gong. Amid the sound of the gong, eight young men set up the thick rattan in the center of the venue. 2. After the thick vines are laid out, the Nong La dance begins. Four village elders start the dance by following each other in a counterclockwise direction around the thick vines. After a few circles, the men take turns to dance, and the dance repeats over and over again. All the men in the village must go out to dance. Each group consists of three to five people, and each group must dance several movements in unison. The music of the Nong La dance is simple and sonorous. 3. After the Nong La dance, the drums and music sound, and a female lion (single person) jumps into the arena, dodging and moving, worshipping the ancestors, blessing everyone, and also showing the process of the lioness surviving, loving her cubs, and protecting her cubs. This reflects the ancient Zhuang people's worship of motherhood and their concern for the reproduction of their people. After the lion dance, the young people performed some traditional martial arts. Judging from their styles, they all belong to the southern style of boxing. From this arrangement and the dragon and phoenix flags around, it can be inferred that their ancestors did serve in the uprising army. 4. Singing in antiphonal style is an indispensable part of this sacrificial activity. After the lion dance, the young men and women in the village sing folk songs around the thick rattan, send love shoes, and choose their loved ones. 5. Lakou Nongla The last item of the activity is "Lakou", which means pulling rattan in Zhuang language, similar to today's tug of war, but the difference is that the "Lakou" competition is carried out individually and in turns. The one who wins the "dragon head" in the competition indicates that his family will have good luck, good harvest, and prosperous livestock this year. At this point, the whole Nongla activity is declared over. At this time, folk songs can be heard all around the village. (Information and pictures provided by Nong Li, County Cultural Center)