The Tujia people's waving hand dance originated from the Youshui River area in Chongqing, Hubei and Hunan. That is, Youyang County in Chongqing, Longshan County in Hunan and Laifeng County in Hubei. According to research, it was first popular in more than 10 townships such as Keda, Shatan, Laozhai, Youchou and Houxi in Youyang County. The waving hand dance there has become the main way for Tujia people to worship and entertain during festivals, and the waving hand hall has become the main cultural stage for Tujia people. Waving hand: Tujia language is called "Sheba Ri". It means singing and dancing while waving hands. It began to appear as early as the fishing and hunting era of mankind, and has a long history with the ancient "Baiyu Dance". During the Shang and Zhou dynasties, the Ba people, one of the ancestors of the Tujia people, appeared on the battlefield in the form of military music and dance, and participated in the ranks of "King Wu defeated Zhou, singing in front and dancing behind", becoming the earliest art troupe of "Tujia soldiers". Ancient books such as "Huayang Guozhi", "Jin Shu" and "Qing Yue Shilue" all have records. According to legend, during the reign of Emperor Minghuang of Tang, An Lushan ruled Xinjiang and raised the flag of rebellion, which made Emperor Minghuang uneasy. He ordered the chieftains of the five rivers of You (water), Chen (river), Wu (water), Wu (stream), and Yuan (stream) to Xinjiang to suppress the rebellion. The eight chieftains, Aochao Hexi, Xiti Lao, Xihe Lao, Lidu, Sudu, Nawumi, Longciye Suoye Chong, Anhuiye Nafeilieye, were called the "Eight Great Kings". They were all ten feet tall, with big heads, ears hanging down to their shoulders, red hair all over their bodies, bare arms and bare chests, with excellent martial arts and extraordinary strength, a huge appetite, and a loud voice. The "Eight Great Kings" were ordered to enter the palace. After Emperor Minghuang of Tang hosted a banquet for them, he ordered them to lead 12,000 troops to Xinjiang to fight immediately. They fought in battle, won many battles, and returned to the court in triumph. Emperor Minghuang of Tang was deeply afraid that the "Eight Great Kings" were wild and would seize the Tang Dynasty. In the name of celebrating the victory, he poisoned the "Eight Great Kings" with poisoned wine. When the bodies were collected, they stood up from the ground one by one, opened their eyes and bulged, and were silent and immovable like rocks. Suddenly, there was a thunderstorm in the sky, lightning flashed, chickens barked, dogs barked, and the palace was dark. Emperor Minghuang was so scared that he hid under the Golden Palace and said, "Your Majesty, calm down! I will confer the title of "Eight Great Gods" to all the generals, and they will continue to rule the territory of Wuxi and Shibadong, and build temples for the "Eight Great Gods", coexist with heaven and earth, and receive incense forever." In an instant, the body of the "Eight Great Kings" fell down. Emperor Minghuang of Tang held a grand funeral for the "Eight Great Kings". And set the third to the eighth day of the first lunar month every year as the date for commemorating the "Eight Great Kings", and performed the waving hand dance and waving hand song to commemorate them. The Tujia "Hand-Waving Dance" is a large-scale dance with singing and dancing. It can be performed by dozens or hundreds of people, which is called "Small Hand-Waving Dance"; or thousands or tens of thousands of people, which is called "Big Hand-Waving Dance". During festivals and celebrations, the Tujia people go to the "Hand-Waving Hall" or lawns or courtyards to dance and sing songs. When dancing the hand-waving dance, men and women gather in groups, carrying the dragon and wind flag, wearing local flower quilts, picking up bird guns, eyebrow sticks, shuttles, blowing horns, local trumpets, suonas, and firing three-eyed guns, and walk into the hand-waving hall in a mighty and joyful manner. The Tu Lao Si wears a phoenix crown and a tall hat, an eight-piece Luo skirt around his waist, and holds a copper bell and a knife in his hand to pay tribute to the "Eight Kings". After the worship of the gods, he directs the singing of the hand-waving song and the dancing of the hand-waving dance. The singing is beautiful, the dancing is graceful, and the atmosphere is very warm. The dance forms include "single swing", "double swing" and "revolving swing". The dance postures include trekking through mountains and rivers, farming, fighting, daily life, etc. These dance movements are full of life and the dance postures are relaxed and generous, showing the rough and bold national character of the Tujia people.