Muscle strength

After performing on the shoulders of adults for years, at the age of 22, Hao became a bearer himself, and the enthusiasm for the art kept him going for decades. In 2017, he was named a national inheritor of the folk art.

An iron stand weighs at least 15 kilograms, and with a child's weight of 20 to 30 kg, a bearer has to carry about 40 kg for two hours of parading, including more than 20 minutes of intense performance.

"It's demanding to deliver a naoge show," Hao says.

The bearers need to have solid footwork, strong muscles, and be flexible enough to deliver steady dance moves under the weight, while the children above also perform to the same rhythm, such as waving their long sleeves or doing somersaults.

"Strength and skill are both important," Hao says. "That strength is also evident in how they steadily follow the drum beat."

Hao developed chronic shoulder and lower back problems after years of performing such shows, but he carried on.

"It is not just me, every naoge performer has been doing so, which is how the art form has been carried forward one generation after another," Hao says.

He enjoys reminiscing about the lively scenes from Spring Festivals past. Almost every local village had a naoge team, the total number of which reached more than 60 in Ekou town.

"It was a sensation in which all households used to take part," he says.

Gao Junping, a local resident, is one of the faithful fans of the performances.

"It's a sight on the streets of Daixian county, with all the performing teams cooperating and competing with one another," Gao says.

Chen Wenxiu, deputy head of Daixian, considers naoge to be a mime with airborne dancing and acrobatics.

"It's a comprehensive art form that integrates traditional culture," Chen says, adding that children often play characters from popular folk tales like The Legend of the White Snake, and classics like A Dream of Red Mansions, written by Cao Xueqin during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Naoge has long been part of local life in Ekou.

"Farmers would drop their pickaxes in their free time, put on some music, hold up a stand and dance," Chen says.

In earlier times, farmers would put their produce, including peppers and corn, on the stands to celebrate the harvest season and pray for favorable weather, says Li Peigen, a local cultural scholar.

The folk art evolved to introduce performances based on historical or legendary figures, Li adds.

Children get to know more about Chinese culture and folk customs through their participation in naoge, and the practice of performing on a high stand can also toughen their minds.