Ethnic dances are like secret messages. They contain codes that people can decipher throughout history, and serve as a vessel for the beliefs and life customs of China's ethnic minorities. The goat skin drum dance is one that has preserved the rich history of the Qiang people, living in the northwest of Sichuan Province. It's especailly important there because this ethnic group doesn't use the written language to pass down their history and traditions.

Qiang people are one of the oldest ethnic minorities in China, and this Qiang village has a history of about three thousand years.

Historically, the "goat skin drum dance" was performed during festive activities and sacrifice rituals. Nowadays, a group of local artists are dedicating to preserve it for future generations. The dance is performed like this: a master wears a hat made of the skin from the snub-nosed monkey, a deity-like animal in the region. The master then leads a group of people to dance like "goats are hopping". The master then chants scriptures that are meant to bring blessings to the people.

Because there are no written records of the scriptures, the practitioners have orally passed it on from generation to generation.

70 year old Zhu Jinlong is the nationally designated inheritor of the goat skin drum dance. He is teaching his grandson the scripture and the dance.

"If I don't pass down the dance to the next generation, I would feel guilty about my father. If he hadn't passed it down to me, he would have felt guilty to his father. Now young people prefer to leave for cities to earn money, instead of learning these kinds of old things. So I have to teach it within my family," said inheritor Zhu Jinlong.

Luckily, the cadre from the village also extends a helping hand.

"We are using high tech things to keep the art form alive. For example, we use videos and take pictures to record it. Also translating the oral Qiang dialect into Mandarin helps to pass it down," said Yu Zhengguo, CPC leader of the village.

Over the course of four years, volunteers from China's Renming University and the Minzu University came to learn and document all the information about the Goat Skin Drum Dance, and they even published a book about it. Since 2008, the traditional dance started receiving funds from the central government. The fund started out at 8000 yuan but is now 20-thousand yuan - which is roughly 1,300 US dollars and 3,300 US dollars respectively. The Local government has also given their support by financing the performances. In the past, there were less than ten people who could perform the dance moves. Now, thanks the joint efforts, the region now has around ten different troupes performing the goat skin drum dance.