According to local folk artists, this dance originated in southern Jiangsu. Dragon boat was originally a kind of boat light. Every Lantern Festival, many local villagers will make boat lights to participate in the Lantern Festival. Later, because Emperor Qianlong went down to the south of the Yangtze River by boat, the villagers changed the boat lights into dragon boats to commemorate it. Because the dragon Yu emperor, so the bow and stern also became the dragon's tail. Whenever there is a Lantern Festival or a festive harvest, and the weather is favorable in the coming year, local people will jump dragon boats. After continuous processing, plus singing, gongs and drums, dragon boat dance has gradually formed a rich form of performance.

Dragon boat dance is a unique dance form in Xiangning County, which was very popular in the late Qing Dynasty. Every year around the 15th day of the first month, there are at least a dozen or twenty performers in the streets or squares. In addition to the eight dragon dancers and the conductor of 1, several people are playing the roles of lotus fairy, fish essence and clam essence.

Boat dance is a unique dance form in Xiangning County, which was very popular in the late Qing Dynasty. On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month every year, they sway up and down, twist left and right, sometimes chase the waves in rough waters, and sometimes play and float on the calm water, while lotus fairy, fish essence and clam essence dance around the dragon boat with the waves. Dance footwork is a smooth "circle step" and a slightly elastic "small quiver step". The accompaniment is percussion, and the musical instruments are gongs, drums and cymbals. Drum music is very simple, only two titles are played repeatedly.

This dragon boat partner follows percussion instruments such as gongs, drums, cymbals and cymbals. There are only two phrases, which are repeatedly played and beaten with the performance of the dance, forming a warm and cheerful atmosphere.