With painted faces and vivid costumes, 40 young dancers leap through the streets of Shantou in southern China to the sound of gongs and drums as hundreds of spectators watch. A mix of martial arts and Chinese opera, this traditional dance of “heroes” with ancient roots still lights up parts of Guangdong province ahead of the Lunar New Year. “They have a lot of energy! It’s super exciting to watch,” said Wang Mei, 50, a tourist visiting ahead of the Chinese New Year, the year of the snake, which begins on January 29.

As the performers clash sticks together in front of a small wooden temple in Shantou, tens of thousands follow the performance on platforms like Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, which have in recent months helped the unique dance explode in popularity. The Yingge dance - literally “songs of heroes” - originated in the cities of Shantou and Chaozhou in Guangdong. Often performed during Lunar New Year celebrations or other festive events to bring good luck, it is derived from legendary tales, including the classic Ming dynasty Chinese novel “Water Margin”.

A makeup artist for Yingge dancers applies face paint on his fingers at an ancestral temple ahead of a traditional folk Yingge dance performance in Shantou.

A Yingge dancer gets his makeup done at an ancestral temple ahead of a traditional folk Yingge dance performance.

A Yingge dancer eats breakfast at a store ahead of a traditional folk Yingge dance performance.

Yingge dancers use their mobile phones as they wait at an ancestral temple ahead of a traditional folk Yingge dance performance.

Yingge dancers prepare at an ancestral temple ahead of a traditional folk Yingge dance performance.

Yingge dancers wait at an ancestral temple ahead of a traditional folk Yingge dance performance.

A Yingge dancer holding a firecracker runs out of an ancestral temple during a performance.

Yingge dancers in costumes walk past residential buildings.

A dancer in a costume performs a traditional Yingge dance on a street in Shantou.

Yingge dancers perform a traditional dance on a street in Shantou.

Yingge dancers perform a traditional dance on a street in Shantou.

‘Very distinctive’

The dancers, clad in intricate robes and headdresses of soldiers or mythological heroes, are mostly aged 12 to 30 years old. The dance is a source of pride for a region where traditional culture remains strong. “Elsewhere in China, there is less and less of a New Year atmosphere. Here, it is very distinctive. We came especially to watch (the dance),” Wang told AFP. Many New Year traditions are fading in China as urbanization, internal migration and technology change modern lifestyles.

Yingge dancers in costumes rest outside a temple in Shantou.

Spectators standing next to Yingge dancers wait to watch a traditional Yingge dance outside an ancestral temple in Shantou, in southern China’s Guangdong province.--AFP photos

Dancers in costumes perform a traditional Yingge dance outside an ancestral temple.

Dancers in costumes perform a traditional Yingge dance outside an ancestral temple.

Dancers in costumes perform a traditional Yingge dance at an ancestral temple.

Yingge dancers use their mobile phones as they wait at an ancestral temple ahead of a traditional folk Yingge dance performance.

A Yingge dancer holding a firecracker runs out of an ancestral temple during a performance.

Yingge dancers in costumes rest outside a temple in Shantou.

Firecrackers, for example, have been banned in some cities due to pollution and safety concerns. “It’s probably because young people today often go to work elsewhere than in their native region and no longer pass on traditions as well,” said Hua Jie, 52. Hua visited Shantou from eastern Nanjing, attracted by Douyin videos of the dance “which represents traditional culture well”.