A file photo shows Tu people taking part in a traditional event featuring Wutu dance in Tongren County, Qinghai Province. /CFP

A file photo shows Tu people taking part in a traditional event featuring Wutu dance in Tongren County, Qinghai Province. /CFP

A file photo shows Tu people taking part in a traditional event featuring Wutu dance in Tongren County, Qinghai Province. /CFP

A file photo shows Tu people taking part in a traditional event featuring Wutu dance in Tongren County, Qinghai Province. /CFP

A file photo shows Tu people taking part in a traditional event featuring Wutu dance in Tongren County, Qinghai Province. /CFP

A file photo shows Tu people taking part in a traditional event featuring Wutu dance in Tongren County, Qinghai Province. /CFP

Wutu dance is a unique folk art form of the Tu ethnic group in China. The dancers are painted with patterns of tigers and leopards on their bodies and perform powerful dance moves reflecting the wild animals around every household. This traditional dance can be traced back centuries, when the Tu people performed the Wutu dance as a sacrificial event to pray for peace and ward off evil spirits. Wutu dance was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2006.