The study adopted field work to investigate the ritualized fork sport--Malu Dance, which exists in the cross- border ethnic group of a Dai village of Menglian County, Yunan Province. It finds that the prototype of Malu Dance originates from the living environment and religious beliefs of the Dai society. The cross-border inheritance and communication correspond to the important events in the historical changes of the Dai society. The study draws the conclusion that an imagined community is an important factor which makes the inheritan...
