For most Chinese farmers, winter days mean idleness and leisure. For the farmers in Jingxing County of Shijjiazhuang city in North China's Hebei province, however, it is not the case, as people in every village of the county are busy preparing for the annual match of "Lahua performance", which is a long-existent local folk dance in Jingxing.

Every winter, all of Jingxing's villages will organize their own Lahua performing group to compete in the match. It is said Lahua dance accompanies the local people from birth to death. Even in modern times, with so many rich and diverse art forms, Jingxing people still love their Lahua performance best. The time prior to and after the annual Lahua contest, though busy and bustling, brings a lot of fun and relaxation to the people.

Every one watching Lahua performance for the first time is likely to be affected by its uniqueness. Though having changed in form, Lahua performance remains the same in terms of its dance movements, which resemble a person climbing a mountain with burdens on his or her back; and the role of the clown, whose face seems to be chopped, has also been kept.

The reason it is referred to as "Turning Lahua performance" rather than "Skipping Lahua performance" lies in its unique actions, such as turning the shoulder and the hip, which are not easy to learn. It is said that people in Jingxing first learned the Lahua performance a long time ago. So how did it come about? And why has it become so prevalent here? 

There is no written record as to when and where the custom of Lahua performance originated, but various signs show that the formation and development of Lahua performance resulted from the blending of "Moving Culture" and "Mountain Culture". During the blending process, it not only assimilated the characters of other dance forms, but also developed its own unique style based on the geographical features and folk customs particular to Jingxing.

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