Monkey drum, also known as Miao drum, is a folk sacrificial dance performed by the Miao people in southwestern Hubei during the "stepping on drums" ceremony when they fulfilled their wish to kill a cow (also known as the Cow-Spinning Meeting or Cow-Spinning Festival). It is named for its imitation of the monkey's various habits and drum-beating postures. As a unique traditional ethnic art, Xuan'en County has continuously strengthened the inheritance and protection of the monkey drum over the years. In the 1950s, after being excavated, sorted and refined by the Xuan'en County Cultural Department, the monkey drum became a national entertainment dance and entered the elegant hall. It has now become a dance form that integrates drums, music and dance. The whole dance is humorous, warm, highly skilled, and has a certain dramatic plot, which is of great aesthetic value to ethnic folk dances. In January 2009, the monkey drum became the second batch of state-level intangible cultural heritage projects.