Lion dance performance sparkles at ancestral hall in Shenzhen

A colorful lion dance performance played out in Shenzhen's Bao'an District, Guangdong at the entrance of Zeng's Ancestral Hall and Complex.

Built of granite stone, the building is a place where members of the Zeng clan honor their ancestors and ancient scholars. The hall is an example of the local Hakka culture and an architectural relic that showcases the origins of Shenzhen.

The Guangdong Lion Dance, a form of the Southern Lion Dance in China, originated from a royal lion dance of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Its modern form was developed during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and is a combination of dance and martial arts. The choreography of the dance includes the "lion" scratching an itch, shaking its mane and licking its hair. This lion dance is popular in China's Guangdong and Guangxi provinces, as well as in Southeast Asian countries.