Zhuang Enqi (C, front) practices Yingge dance with a troupe in Yujiao Village of Guiyu Township, Shantou City, south China's Guangdong Province, May 29, 2024. (Xinhua/Deng Hua)

The Yingge dance, or "dance to the hero's song," is a form of folk dance popular in south China's Guangdong Province that merges opera, dance, and martial arts. Dating back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), this traditional dance is often performed during traditional Chinese festivals. The Yingge dance was listed as the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage in 2006.

In April 2024, videos of a 5-year-old girl, Zhuang Enqi, performing the Yingge dance and interacting with a troupe of Yingge dancers garnered millions of views online.

Enqi's father, Zhuang Rongqiang, is a drummer in a Yingge dance troupe in Yujiao Village. Enqi often went to the troupe's rehearsal venue with her father and developed a keen interest in the Yingge dance. Small drums, cymbals, serpent props, and Yingge sticks adapted for children are everywhere in the living room of Enqi's family. When the passionate drum sounds, Enqi always becomes focused, swinging the sticks and dancing to the beats. Her lively, cute, and powerful movements make the onlookers laugh and applaud from time to time.

With the increasing efforts of local organizations to bring the intangible cultural heritage into campuses and communities, more and more young people are starting to practice the Yingge dance and bring new vitality to the ancient folk art form.