西峡县丁河镇位于豫西，全镇3.5万人，面积近400平方公里。312国道、宁西铁路和正在兴建的武威高速公路穿境而过，西扼陕甘，南达宛襄，处于中西部交合点的桥头堡位置，交通和区位优势十分明显。西峡具有浓郁地方特色的民间艺术--高台就主要活动在距县城18公里的丁河镇。
     
    丁河的高台历史悠久，源远流长。丁河高台始于明初，盛于清朝，到了民国时期就作为一种具有浓郁地方特色的民俗文化保存下来。相传很久以前丁河风调雨顺、五谷丰登，老百姓不珍惜粮食，于是天帝就派天神哪吒带领火德星君等人，火烧丁河店，以示惩罚。因丁河是哪吒故里，不忍百姓受难，就暗示当地群众放烟火，形似着火的样子，逃过一劫。百姓为了感谢哪吒，于每年的农历正月23放烟火、演高抬，一直延续至今。      
                                                      
    高台艺术是集戏剧、故事、雕塑、绘画、铁木工艺、装饰工艺为一身的“空中舞台”。每年春节前半个月高台艺人就开始着手准备制高台。首先确定主题，然后立意、构思最后做造型。高台的题材都是大众喜闻乐见的“哪吒闹海”、“唐僧取经”等剧目。高台的骨架由桌架、铁杆、坐叉三部分组成。装高台时用木、草、泥、绳、布等材料，经裱、扎、画、塑加以粉饰，要栩栩如生而又不露痕迹。装高台的一般都是四五岁胆子大的孩子。迎高台时，前有彩旗、锣鼓，后有秧歌队，前呼后拥，十分壮观。     

    目前高台已经很少活动了，这是由于由于高台制作难度大，涉及人数多，一般一桌需要至少 20人，一次最少4 桌，演出活动共需 100人左右，一次经费投入较大，鉴于此种原因，高台活动已越来越少，并且高台设计要求高，需要具有一定艺术素养的继承人，技术难度大，设计、技术的掌握者多为上了年纪的老人。 
 

Dinghe High-plat 
 

    Dinghe town, where Dinghe High-plat is historic, in Xixia County is locater in the west of Henan. Dinghe High-plat (a performance category) origins from the beginning of Ming Dynasty and prevails in Qing Dynasty. It was preserved as a folk culture containing thick local flavor in the Republic of China. 
    
    In the terms of its origin, it's said that long time ago Nezha was ordered to fire Dinghe, while he saved people there instead of burning them. In order to thank him, local people made firework display and played high-plat program in every 23 of the first lunar month and continued this custom till now. 
    
    High-plat art is an overhead stage uniting drama, story, sculpture, painting, iron-wood technology and decoration technology together. Its skeleton is made up of table frame, gavelock and sit fork. Besides, use materials like wood, grass, mud, rope, etc, and experience painted, sculpted and other making processes, put 4 or 5 year-old children on plat and accompany with colorful flags, drum music and yangko dance which make the whole play is so spectacular. 
  
     High-plat includes an important research value for anthropology and folklore. However, nowadays high-plat plays less and less for its difficulty to make and large demand for people.