Quick Answer
The Tujia (土家族, Tǔjiāzú) Hand-Waving Dance, or Baishou (摆手舞, bǎishǒuwǔ), combines group movement with music and can form part of ancestral observances. In a documented movement, an arm and leg on the same side move together. Xiangxi in Hunan and Laifeng in Hubei have their own records of the tradition.[1][2][3]
- Movement: One-handed and two-handed swings can be coordinated with steps and bent knees.[1][3]
- Music: Gongs, drums and sung passages accompany the Xiangxi form described in the inventory.[1]
- Setting: Large and small forms have different ritual settings. Public presentations can offer a selected passage.[1][2][3]
A recording that names the place and event gives you more information than the visible hand movement alone.[1][2]
The name can draw your eye to the hands. Watch the feet as well. In a documented Longshan example, the arm and leg on the same side move together as the group follows the drum. That relationship makes the movement easier to recognise even when many dancers share the same space.[3]
What the Hands and Feet Do Together
The Xiangxi inventory records single swings, double swings, turns and swings combined with jumps. It also describes bent knees, downward motion and a characteristic coordination of limbs on the same side. A group can change from one movement to another while keeping time with accompaniment.[1]
Gongs and drums are the main instruments named in the Xiangxi entry. It also describes opening songs and songs associated with hand waving. The musical pattern can change with the movement or the subject of a section. Some passages depict work, including farming or weaving, while others draw on stories and community history.[1]
How Large and Small Baishou Differ
The Xiangxi record distinguishes grand and small forms. It describes the larger form in connection with ancestors shared by a wider community. The smaller form can focus on ancestors of a particular surname group. This distinction concerns the people being honoured as well as the scale of the event.[1]
The Enshi entry describes large gatherings with some movements depicting hunting or martial scenes and smaller forms with agricultural themes and layered circles led by one person. The descriptions are local. They help explain why the same translated label can cover presentations with different content.[2]
What Xiangxi and Laifeng Records Describe
The Xiangxi entry identifies Longshan, Baojing and Yongshun among important places for Baishou in Hunan. It describes performance on open ground. The Enshi entry, submitted by Laifeng County, describes the Youshui River area and records places with traces of Baishou halls. The venue can therefore be part of the evidence for the practice.[1][2]
The Xiangxi inventory includes silk making and weaving among the subjects represented in the dance. For the woven objects themselves, the guide to Tujia brocade describes the textile known as Xilankapu.[1]
How Baishou Reaches New Audiences
A 2026 Hunan report describes performers and visitors forming a circle at Rebala in Longshan County. The venue and group activity identify the event as a public presentation.[3]
A stage excerpt may show recognizable hand and foot movements without the whole sequence of songs or rites. A county, venue or troupe name gives a reader a basis for asking which material the performance draws on.[1][2][3]
FAQs About Tujia Hand-Waving Dance
Is Every Hand-Waving Dance an Ancestral Rite?
The heritage records connect Baishou with ancestral rites. The Hunan report also documents a public presentation in which visitors joined the dance. The named occasion helps identify the setting.[1][2][3]
Is Baishou the Same as Sa’erhe?
Baishou has documented ancestral and community settings. The Tujia tradition called Sa’erhe has its own funerary context in the Qingjiang River area.[1][4]
Sources
[1] China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network. Xiangxi Tujia Hand-Waving Dance
[2] China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (Réseau chinois du patrimoine culturel immatériel). Enshi Hand-Waving Dance
[3] Hunan Provincial Government. A hand-waving dance presentation in Longshan County
[4] China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network. Tujia Sa’erhe