In the coastal city of Maoming in Guangdong, the lion does not leap between tall poles. It dances in the air, held aloft on two wooden poles. This is the Gaojiao Lion (高脚狮), the "high-legged" lion, a folk tradition that has survived for more than 300 years.
Smaller than the lions seen in conventional lion dances, the Gaojiao Lion is built with a pole of about 1.6 meters attached to the head and another of 1 meter to the tail. Two performers hold the poles and lift the lion above their heads, executing spins, tumbles and pounces that make the creature appear to come alive in mid-air.
Xie Haochun, 72, is the fifth-generation inheritor of this intangible cultural heritage. He first encountered the Gaojiao Lion at age 13 and has devoted nearly six decades to it. "The defining feature is that performers lift the lion on poles," he said. "According to historical accounts, it was created to ward off evil spirits; holding the lion high was a way to drive away harm."
The origin dates back to the 17th century, when a plague struck the town of Diancheng. The local magistrate ordered each street to stage a performance. The north street had nothing until a martial arts instructor, inspired by a glazed lion statue on a temple roof, devised the pole-held lion dance. It was an instant success and has been performed ever since.
A full performance unfolds in four sections: greeting, celebration, low tide and climax. Lions twist their heads left and right in a signature wrist-driven rotation that conveys excitement. The most demanding move, the tumbling roll, requires performers to dip the lion close to the floor before leaping into the air in unison. "It takes months of practice just for one movement," Xie said. He trained for more than two years before his first performance; his arms still bear the scars.
Xie has taught over 60 students. His son, Xie Guangweng, is now a sixth-generation inheritor. The team in Louge village has around 30 active performers, ranging in age from teenagers to people in their fifties.
The Gaojiao Lion has traveled far beyond Maoming. It performed at the 2005 Asian Arts Festival, toured during the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, and drew foreign visitors who nicknamed it "the Chinese Persian cat." In 2025, the tradition was introduced to more than 20 local schools as part of a county-level intangible cultural heritage program. Xie believes the lion will keep coming to life, carried forward by ever younger hands.
Author | Feng Huiting
Photo | Nanfang Plus
