When a slackline athlete, wearing a lion head, completed an aerial flip on a strap only five centimeters wide, the roar of the crowd at the Guangzhou Cultural Center’s Qianren Plaza almost lifted the roof. This breathtaking moment unfolded at the finals of the 9th Guangzhou Youth Lion Dance Competition, held on August 9–10, 2025. The event, recorded as the largest participation scale in its history, not only witnessed a pinnacle showdown of lion dance artistry but, with the deep involvement of the national energy drink brand War Horse, also became a milestone where intangible cultural heritage and modern spirit converged.
As a key cultural prelude to the opening of the 15th National Games, this year’s competition carried a mission far beyond athletics under the theme: “Revitalizing Guangzhou Lions with New Vibrance, Embracing the National Games Together in the Greater Bay Area.” After three months of tiered selections across the city’s 11 districts, 14 lion dance troupes and 15 solo lion teams advanced, joined by top teams from Hong Kong, Macau, and Malaysia. Ultimately, four Guangzhou troupes claimed the group gold prizes, while the Huangge Dongli Xiongfengtang Linshi Sports Association took the solo crown — showcasing the lion dance’s powerful vitality that transcends regional boundaries.
The lion dance, with a history spanning millennia, embodies a fusion of strength and grace, skill and teamwork. But how can this traditional art be made new again for younger generations? War Horse provided a groundbreaking answer.
For the first time, the competition featured a “Lion Dance on Slackline” challenge — boldly combining a national intangible heritage with an extreme sport. Wearing a lion head that restricted vision and balance, athletes still performed spins and jumps on a strap just five centimeters wide. The “form” of the traditional lion dance merged seamlessly with the “guts” of extreme sports, preserving its cultural essence while delivering a powerful modern expression. The audience directly experienced the boundless possibilities of tradition..
The “Pole-Leaping Challenge” proved even more electrifying. The Nanguo Lion and Dragon Troupe from Guangzhou and Nan Wah Lion and Loong Dance Troupe from Kangkar Pulai, Johor, Malaysia powered by War Horse energy, shattered the world record for lion dance pole-leaping with a 4.2-meter jump, surpassing the previous 3.7-meter mark. This 0.5-meter breakthrough was not only a technical advance but also a vivid embodiment of the youth’s pursuit of “swifter, faster, stronger.” It elevated the lion dance’s qualities of height, difficulty, risk, and beauty to new heights in the modern era.
War Horse also stood out beyond the competition floor. Its award-winning new packaging, crowned with the 2024 Pentawards — the “Oscars” of global packaging design — debuted as a visual symbol linking tradition and trend. Meanwhile, a 3.2-meter giant lion head pop-up store, constructed with traditional bamboo weaving and paper-mold techniques, brought intangible heritage into a modern commercial space, offering an immersive cultural experience.
The presence of renowned Hong Kong actors Mak Cheung-ching and Wong Ka-keung added star power to the event. Interactive segments such as the “Low-Pole Vegetable Picking Challenge” and “DIY Lion Head Workshop” broke down barriers of cultural inheritance, shifting audiences from passive spectators to active participants. This “touchable, experienceable, and shareable” model reflected War Horse’s deep understanding of heritage revitalization: intangible culture should not remain as museum specimens, but rather be integrated into daily life, continually reborn through the creative transformation of the younger generation.
From competition innovations to immersive experiences, every step taken by War Horse revolved around one keyword: empowerment. The brand’s core values of energy, dare, and the spirit of challenge resonate deeply with the lion dance’s essence of strength, skill, teamwork, and courage. This spiritual synergy elevated the partnership from business collaboration to cultural co-creation. War Horse not only provided energy support for the event but also applied modern brand thinking to carve out new pathways for intangible heritage — youthful and international.
Within the broader context of China’s cultural-strength strategy, War Horse’s practice bears clear contemporary significance. When a national brand takes on the mission of cultural transmission, injecting commercial vitality into traditional culture, heritage thus gains cross-generational communicative power and influence. As the brand’s motto declares: “War Horse, Your Energy Supply.” This energy is not only the vitality delivered by a drink, but also the inner drive for cultural innovation — the confidence of today’s youth to carry forward tranditional culture while embracing the world.
With the 15th National Games approaching, this lion dance feast has become more than a cultural showcase. It is a declaration to the world: China’s intangible heritage is stepping into the future with openness and inclusivity, balancing innovation and tradition, and writing a brilliant new chapter of our times. And War Horse, with its sense of national brand responsibility, is proving itself to be an indispensable engine powering this cultural renaissance.
