"Stilts" are called "walking on stilts" in the local area, and "walking on crutches" in some places. Its characteristics are strong local flavor and unique and exquisite forms. It is said to have a history of more than 500 years, and some say it has more than a thousand years. According to the "Liezi. Shuo Fu" chapter, "There was a man named Lanzi in Song Dynasty. He used branches and trunks to make a song and Yuan. Song Yuantai made people see its branches. He used two branches to make his body, and his legs, and he ran and ran, and jumped with seven swords in a row. Five swords were always in the air. Yuanjun was shocked and immediately gave gold and silk." From the text, we can know that stilts were popular among the people as early as the Pre-Qin Dynasty. In his poem "Yong Yangge", En Zhuqiao of the Qing Dynasty also described the stilt-walking entertainment activities during the Spring Festival at that time: "The quick feet are actually higher than the team, and the steps are promised to be fast. Laughing at his lack of footing, he also walked in the world." This poem fully shows that stilts were widely circulated among the people in the Qing Dynasty. Ningzhou stilts are folk performances with local characteristics formed by polishing the stilt performances of the predecessors based on the local characteristics of the local area. Legend about stilts According to legend, stilts were invented by General Gao who won the battle against the enemy. One year, General Gao led his troops to attack the city of Hu Bing, but the Hu Bing removed all the suspension bridge boards on the moat, so the troops could not enter the city. One evening, General Gao walked out of the barracks and suddenly saw the long legs of wild geese foraging by the river. He was inspired and found a clever way to break the city. After returning to the camp, the general asked people to cut willow sticks to make stilts and asked the soldiers to tie them to their legs to practice walking. After practice, the soldiers could walk on the tall willow sticks. The general led his troops across the moat and took advantage of the Hu Bing's unpreparedness to attack the city and recapture the city in one fell swoop. Since then, every Spring Festival, the people also learned to step on the willow sticks. Because this thing was invented by General Gao, people called it "stilts" to commemorate General Gao. Some of the above sources of stilts are recorded in historical materials, and some are folk legends. But where is the "root" of stilts, an ancient folk art? It still needs to be explored.