The folk dance Eighteen Arhats originated from the story of "18 robbers converted to Buddhism" during the Southern and Northern Dynasties. It is said that the eighteen robbers were not extinguished in conscience. After being enlightened by the gods, they put down their butcher knives and became Buddhas on the spot, and benefited the world from then on. Therefore, the performance of the Eighteen Arhats aims to persuade people to be kind and walk the right path. It is a dance performance art that blends entertainment and philosophy. The dance was introduced to the local area in the late Qing Dynasty. The "Guangxu Xianju County Chronicles" recorded: "The monks of Puguang Temple performed the Eighteen Arhats in front of the courtyard on July 7, and the audience was like a tide, which was extremely prosperous at the time." Before liberation, the Eighteen Arhats were mostly used to pray for local peace, rain and prayer, and it was also a form of formation training for civilian self-defense military organizations. During the Cultural Revolution, it was regarded as "Four Olds" and banned. It was not until the 1990s that it was rediscovered and rescued, and the Arhat team was re-established. Activities are held during temple fairs and major festive holidays. In Xianju County, the Eighteen Arhats are mainly distributed in Anling Township. There is a popular saying in the local area that "the seventh day of the seventh month is a good day to watch". This good day to watch is actually to watch the performance of the Eighteen Arhats, a folk dance. At that time, a beautiful and unique folk landscape will be formed. Girls are dressed in fancy clothes, young men are energetic, the elderly are smiling, and the hawkers shout and sell their goods, forming a wonderful symphony. The Eighteen Arhats have a strong appreciation of art and a strong traditional cultural color. They contain various aspects of Buddhism, Taoism, military, martial arts, etc. It is a form of traditional culture in the folk. It is divided into three parts: "walking formation", "measuring the situation" and "Arhat platform", integrating religion, military, martial arts, dance, entertainment and acrobatic performances. The atmosphere is warm and the movements are simple and bold. After three firecrackers burst the sky and cracked the earth, more than 160 artists were dressed in red and colorful, and surrounded by drums and flags, holding knives and halberds, dancing sticks and clubs, and whistling on the stage. In an instant, drums and music sounded, shouts shook the sky, and flags were waved. The "Arhat Formation" was a strict barrier, the "Bai Bo Formation" was rippling, the "Gourd Formation" was full of mysteries, and the "Five Plum Formation" was competing for beauty. Thirteen kinds of formations ran and interspersed with changes, which was really wonderful and breathtaking. After the "walking formation", the flags were lowered, the drums were rapid, and the large-scale collective dance evolved into a single duet. The second part, "Measurement of Potential", is to detect the strength of the opponent. Two people holding the same weapon form a pair and take turns to perform against each other until the performance of the eighteen weapons is completed. The movements are rough and powerful, simple and unpretentious, which not only highlights the personal performance skills, but also shows the tacit cooperation between the two sides. The last "Arhat Platform" is composed of six groups of shapes such as "Lotus Platform" and "Arhat Horse". Among them, "Arhat Platform" is particularly wonderful and is regarded as the essence of "Eighteen Arhats". "Guanyin Platform" is composed of seven people stacked in five layers. The bottom base is served by a strong man, and the other six people are all stacked on the base. After the base is shaped, not only must the weight be placed on the body to maintain balance, but it must also rotate three times in the forward and reverse directions. Its high skills and great power are thrilling and thrilling. Its endless charm allows countless enthusiasm and sweat to be fully interpreted in entertainment. The musical accompaniment of "Eighteen Arhats" has no fixed pattern. They are all popular folk music tunes in Xixiang, Xianju, with a variety of Wu opera flavors, which are new to the ears and eyes. As a treasure of traditional folk art, the Eighteen Arhats have been included in the "Xianju County Chronicles", and the "Xianju County Cultural Center Chronicle" also records the holding of each event. The provincial TV station and CCTV also went to Anling Township in 2004 to shoot a special film "Eighteen Arhats". At the beginning of 2006, the Eighteen Arhats were applied for the list of representative works of municipal intangible cultural heritage as a key protection project in Xianju County. Related information: Sixteen Arhats were mainly popular in the Tang Dynasty. By the end of the Tang Dynasty, Eighteen Arhats began to appear. By the Song Dynasty, Eighteen Arhats were popular. The emergence of the Eighteen Arhats may be related to the traditional preference for eighteen in Chinese culture. The number "eighteen" is an auspicious number. Many quantitative expressions in Chinese culture use "eighteen", such as "eighteen generations", "eighteen marquises", "eighteen martial arts", "eighteen scholars", etc. There are also many "eighteen" in Buddhism, such as "Eighteen Treatises", "Eighteen Realms", "Eighteen Transformations", "Eighteen Hells", etc. The change from "Sixteen Arhats" to "Eighteen Arhats" is obviously related to this "eighteen" complex. The Eighteen Arhats were formed by adding two more to the Sixteen Arhats. The first person to record this event was Su Shi of the Song Dynasty. In his "Returning from the South China Sea to Qingyuan Gorge Baolin Temple, Jingzan Chanyue's Painting of the Eighteen Great Arhats", the name of the Eighteen Arhats was listed one by one. The first sixteen Arhats were the names of the sixteen Arhats listed in the "Record of the Dharma Residence", and the two newly added Arhats, the seventeenth was "Venerable Qingyou", the author of the "Record of the Dharma Residence"; the eighteenth was "Venerable Pindola". This is actually the same person as the first one, but one uses the full name and the other uses the honorific name. Later, Zhi Pan of the Song Dynasty proposed a new view in Volume 33 of "Statistics of Buddhas", believing that the seventeenth should be the Venerable Kasyapa; the eighteenth should be the Venerable Juntu Botan, that is, the two of the "Four Great Arhats" who were not in the "Sixteen Arhats". However, during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, the emperor and Zhangjia Hutuktu believed that the seventeenth Arhat should be the Dragon-Subduing Arhat, that is, the Venerable Kasyapa; the eighteenth should be the Tiger-Subduing Arhat, that is, the Venerable Maitreya. The emperor decreed that from then on, the Eighteen Arhats would be based on the imperial title. The seventeenth of the Eighteen Arhats of Tibetan Buddhism is Sakyamuni's mother, Lady Maya, and the eighteenth is Maitreya. After the Eighteen Arhats replaced the Sixteen Arhats, their influence became greater and greater. There are not many cave statues of the Eighteen Arhats, but they are more common in temples. They are generally sculpted in the Great Hall of the Buddha as the sanitation of the Buddha or the "Three Buddhas". The Eighteen Arhats currently circulating have several versions due to the addition of two different Arhats. According to the Eighteen Arhats used in the official kiln porcelain paintings of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, they are basically the following members. Dragon-Subduing Arhat: Venerable Qingyou, who is said to have subdued an evil dragon. Deer-Sitting Arhat: Venerable Binvaratra, who once rode a deer into the palace to persuade the king to learn Buddhism and practice. Bowl-Raising Arhat: Kanakavarisuge, a beggar. Crossing-Hand: Venerable Bhadrotra, who crossed the river like a dragonfly skimming the water. Tiger-Subduing Arhat: Venerable Pindola, who once subdued a fierce tiger. -Hand: Venerable Nokkulu, also known as the powerful Arhat, was born a warrior, so he has great strength. Long-Eyebrowed Arhat: Venerable Asita, who is said to have two long eyebrows when he was born. Cloth Bag Arhat: Venerable Ingata, who always carries a cloth bag and smiles all the time. Gate-Guarding Arhat: Venerable Bantoka, who is loyal to his duties. Hand-Stretching Arhat: Venerable Bantoka, who got this name because he often raised one hand and stretched after meditation. Contemplative Arhat: Venerable Rahula, among the ten great disciples of the Buddha, was the most skilled in secret practices. Elephant-riding Arhat: Venerable Kalika, was originally an elephant trainer. Happy Arhat: Venerable Janovatsa, was originally an orator in ancient India. Laughing Lion Arhat: Venerable Ravata, was originally a hunter, but stopped killing animals after learning Buddhism, so lions came to thank him, hence the name. Happy Arhat: Venerable Subhagavad, once exposed his heart to make people realize that the Buddha is in their hearts. Pagoda-holding Arhat: Subhīpaṭaka, was the last disciple accepted by the Buddha, and he often held a pagoda in his hands because he missed the Buddha. Banana-tree Arhat: Venerable Vanavaṭa, after becoming a monk, often practiced under a banana tree. Ear-picking Arhat: Venerable Nagasena, was famous for his theory of "purity of the ear roots", so he was called Ear-picking Arhat.