On August 5, dozens of teenagers from Shenzhen and Hong Kong learned from Wu Guanqiu, an inheritor of the Shatoujiao Fish Lantern Dance, a national intangible cultural heritage, how to perform the fish lantern dance with vivid expressions and movements and feel the unique charm of this intangible cultural heritage. The event was held at the launching ceremony of the first National Shatoujiao Fish Lantern Dance Inheritance Event that was included in the Shenzhen and Hong Kong Teenagers Cultural Exchange Program.

A scene of the launching ceremony.

Wu was very strict about the dance moves and he asked teenagers to express the emotions of fish through the moves. “As an inheritor of the Fish Lantern Dance, I have the responsibility and obligation to improve its development and let more people know about it,” said Wu.

Teenagers practice the Shatoujiao Fish Lantern Dance under the guidance of Wu.

The history of the Shatoujiao Fish Lantern Dance dates back to the early Qing Dynasty (1636-1912). The ancestors of the Wu family created this kind of folk dance from their fishing experiences and by imitating the fish’s actions in water. For more than 300 years, the Shatoujiao Fish Lantern Dance has become essential entertainment during important festivals and is very popular in the border areas between Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

From the time it was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2008, the protection and inheritance of the Shatoujiao Fish Lantern Dance has achieved early success. At present, there is a professional team guided by Wu. Meanwhile, through dance performances and other activities, social interest in the Fish Lantern Dance is being promoted and its influence is expanding.