The history of bamboo drifting (独竹漂) can date back (追溯)to in the Chishui River area of Guizhou over 2, 000 years ago. During the Qin Dynasty (221—206 BC), the Bozhou area of Zunyi City was famous for its excellent nanmu. In order to cross the Chishui River, people had to stand on wood to drift down the river. Later, people made drifting the wood a competition. In the Qing Dynasty (1644—1911), people used bamboo instead of wood because of its cheap price.
Yang Liu, is an inheritor (继承人)of bamboo drifting. She learned it from her grandmother when she was a little girl. Yang said the most difficult part of bamboo drifting was keeping the balance (平衡). She fell in the water several times when she was practicing, but the love for the ancient skill kept Yang going.
Since the age of 7, she has drifted all year round. Now, she is able to do" Chinese qinggong" on the water. Yang also shows bamboo drifting in interesting ways. For example, she dances with wearing hanfu when performing. In 2020, Yang posted her videos on the Internet. She hopes more and more people can know about and like Chinese culture.
