Da Lian Xiang

Da Lian Xiang is a traditional Chinese dance, also called the Coin Stick Dance. The stick is made of wood or bamboo, 80–100cm long, with a diameter of 2.5–3cm. Fix an iron nail into the hole on each end of the stick.

The hole should be 10 cm long and 1.5cm wide, about 5–10cm to the edge, or there can be three or four shorter holes. Put another four or five coins or cymbals into the hole. There will be a terrible clamoring sound when one shakes the stick. The stick is painted red, yellow or blue. Both ends of the stick can be decorated with colorful cloth strips.

The performer can hold the stick with one hand or both hands if he wants to. Shake or knock the stick to make the sound! Different parts of the body can be used to knock the stick, such as the shoulders, the waist, the back, the arm, or those elbows, hands, knees or the feet.

Sometimes the sound is made by knocking two sticks together. The performer can create complicated rhythms and make changes while dancing. Experienced performers can make the stick gyrate on their palms, shoulders or back. This dance can be performed by one or as many as tens of performers. They will hold the stick and make a rhythmic sound while dancing. Believe it or not, this is a type of folk dancing enjoyed by a large number of people, especially in the countryside.