The Rolling Lantern of Haiyan is a competitive dance performed for festivals and lantern fairs. The rolling lantern originated from Haiyan and has been popular for more than 800 years and was ever recorded in the local literature in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279 ) and the early period of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Haiyan is located along the north bank of the Hangzhou Bay, and there was a trading port Ganpu in ancient times, so the county used to be attacked by sea disasters and pirates. In order to defend pirates, local residents used to advocate martial arts, and rolling lantern competitions were held in the villages to show the powerful strength of each village.The Rolling Lantern is classified into red-heart and black-heart lanterns. The former are for performances and the latter for competitions. If a village won in the competition of the black-heart lanterns, it indicated this village was stronger than others in martial arts so that it frightened pirates. As a local cultural representative, the Rolling Lantern of Haiyan is a kind of folk competitive dance performed by the working people to entertain themselves in the Spring Festival, during temple fairs, etc.

In the 1980s, the research results of the Rolling Lantern of Haiyan was included into Chinese Folk Dance Collection (Zhejiang), and in 2004 it was performed at the opening ceremony of the 7th China Art Festival and won a gold prize. What’s more, it reached the final of the “Star Award” and won an excellent art work award. Approved by the State Council of the P.R.C, it was included into the second list of state-level Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2008.