Shengang Nuo Dance in Yihuang (the fourth batch of provincial level) Shengang Nuo Dance is a folk dance spread in Shengang Township, Yihuang County. It is divided into two types: long spear and short stick. The main purpose is to pray for blessings, expel evil and drive away epidemics. The movements are primitive, simple and naive. According to the "Yihuang County Chronicles Household Registration and Land Tax", during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, disasters and epidemics were serious, and people danced Nuo to drive away the epidemic. "Yihuang County Chronicles" records: According to legend, in the early Ming Dynasty, in the area of Huzhu, Xinfeng, to pray for the God of Huaguang, every birthday (September 28th of the lunar calendar), two people wearing masks, one dressed as Huaguang, with a palm print in the left hand and a sword in the right hand; one dressed as a demon, performed demon-killing, and performed various dance movements, accompanied by gongs and drums. It has been passed down for more than 600 years. Until now, Shengang Nuo Dance starts on the first day of the first lunar month every year and has been danced until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. The Nuo dance must be performed before it begins. On the first day of the first lunar month, the dance begins in front of the gates of the ancestral halls. After the dance, the masks, gongs, drums, and costumes must be restored and put back in the palace, and the Nuo dance ends. Starting from the second day of the first lunar month, the dance can be started directly in the palace, and then it can be performed from top to bottom, from house to house. After the dance, the host will set off firecrackers to send off the Nuo god, and then go to another house. On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Nuo dance ends. At around ten o'clock in the morning on the sixteenth day, a performance program will be performed on the grain drying field for everyone to see, which is called "bolong". Shengang Nuo dance is divided into two types: long spear and short stick. The long spear must be accompanied by a poem (congratulatory words), while the short stick does not. The long spear has rough movements and large amplitudes. It dances like a gust of wind, clean and neat, with extraordinary moves, and has a strong power to exorcise evil spirits; the short stick has the opposite style of movement, which is more leisurely, quiet, and small. It is mainly used to pray for blessings and auspiciousness, accompanied by humorous interest. It is solemn and humorous when danced, and the artistic conception is elegant and quiet. Nuo dance is accompanied by percussion instruments, only gongs and drums. The gong and drum beats are relatively simple, and the rhythm varies according to the program. In some programs, the rhythm also changes according to different movements. The four corners change and dance, aiming to drive away ghosts and epidemics and leave no evil corners. Shengang Nuo dance is all about driving away ghosts and epidemics and praying for a good harvest, fat pigs and strong cattle, and everyone's safety. In 2013, Yihuang Shengang Nuo dance was included in the fourth batch of provincial intangible cultural heritage list.