Folk artists wear costumes and masks to prepare for a Nuo dance performance at the Dongjiawan village, Rongkou, Qimen county, Anhui province, Jan 9, 2017. [Photo/IC]

Folk artisans wearing costumes and masks perform Nuo dance at Dongjiawan village, Rongkou, Qimen county, Anhui province, to pray for the harvest and smooth new year.

Qimen Nuo dance is a folk sacrificial dance of the Han people with an ancient history dating back more than 1,000 years. It was listed among the first batch of national level intangible cultural heritage in 2008 and honored as "a living fossil of Chinese dance drama".