Guoxiang

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Guoxiang, Male, Han, from Wutai, Shanxi, is a fourth-batch national representative bearer of Wutaishanfule (Ⅱ-66). The tradition is documented in Wutai, Shanxi. Within the regional tradition and school record of Wutaishanfule in Wutai, Shanxi: It is regarded as the representative of northern Buddhist music and, apart from the region to which Wutai Mountain belongs, exerts considerable influence throughout the north of the country and nationwide. Wutai Mountain lies in the north-east of Shanxi Province and is the only Buddhist sacred place in the country that combines Han Buddhism (called the "green monasteries") with Tibetan Buddhism (called the "yellow monasteries"). Buddhist music came to Wutai Mountain together with Buddhism, and over nearly two thousand years of development it has not only consistently used the forms that entered China with Buddhism, such as "ge zan", "zhuan du" and "chang dao", but has also preserved songs and instrumental pieces popular in various periods since the Tang and Song dynasties.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

Male, of Han ethnicity, born in April 1977 in Wutai County, Shanxi Province. At the age of twenty-two he entered Shuxiang Temple on Mount Wutai and became a disciple of Shi Changzhi, a senior performer of Buddhist music, studying the traditional Buddhist music of Mount Wutai with a focus on the sheng, guan, and flute. After years of study he has mastered all the forms of traditional Chinese Buddhist ritual on Mount Wutai, the melodies of the zanbai chants, and the short instrumental pieces, and can play the sheng, guan, mei (bamboo flute), and other instruments and ritual implements used in Mount Wutai Buddhist music. He has led the Shuxiang Temple Buddhist band in performances at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, the Zhongshan Park Music Hall, and other venues, as well as abroad, to widespread acclaim. As abbot of the temple, he has long supported and devoted himself to inheriting and disseminating traditional Mount Wutai Buddhist music. Through years of instruction he has trained more than thirty disciples in the tradition, and he maintains the traditional Mount Wutai ritual forms in the temple's daily services. Within the documented technical tradition of Wutaishanfule in Wutai, Shanxi: Wutai Mountain lies in the north-east of Shanxi Province and belongs to the Taihang range; it takes its name from its five peaks whose summits resemble a platform, and is the only Buddhist sacred place in the country that combines Han Buddhism (called the "green monasteries") with Tibetan Buddhism (called the "yellow monasteries"). Wutai Mountain Buddhist music comprises two parts, the vocal music and the instrumental music. The "vocal music" is the singing of various sutra texts in Dharma assemblies, mainly in four forms: "he nian", "ling diao", "yin song" and "zhi shu". The "instrumental music" forms a band from a number of musical instruments and ritual implements, accompanying some of the tunes in the chanting of sutra texts or performing on its own as instrumental music. The pieces played as instrumental music are called "xiao qu" (little tunes). The monks of Wutai Mountain have their own technical means and tuning methods for tuning the sheng. Over nearly two thousand years of development, Wutai Mountain Buddhist music has not only consistently used the forms that entered China with Buddhism, such as "ge zan", "zhuan du" and "chang dao", but has also preserved songs and instrumental pieces popular in various periods since the Tang and Song dynasties. Common morning-chant pieces include Lengyan Zhou (Sutra of the Supreme Array), Dabei Zhou (Great Compassion Mantra) and the Ten Little Mantras, and evening-chant pieces include the Mituo Jing (Sutra of Amitabha), the Chan Hui Wen (Text of Repentance) and the Mengshan Wen (Mengshan Text). Wutai Mountain Buddhist music is the product of the combination of musical art and religion, a special cultural phenomenon in social development, and also an important component of Wutai Mountain Buddhist culture. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Lengyan Zhou": Common morning-chant pieces include Lengyan Zhou (Sutra of the Supreme Array), Dabei Zhou (Great Compassion Mantra) and the Ten Little Mantras, and evening-chant pieces include the Mituo Jing (Sutra of Amitabha), the Chan Hui Wen (Text of Repentance) and the Mengshan Wen (Mengshan Text). "Da Bei Zhou": Common morning-chant pieces include Lengyan Zhou (Sutra of the Supreme Array), Dabei Zhou (Great Compassion Mantra) and the Ten Little Mantras, and evening-chant pieces include the Mituo Jing (Sutra of Amitabha), the Chan Hui Wen (Text of Repentance) and the Mengshan Wen (Mengshan Text). "Shi Xiao Zhou": Common morning-chant pieces include Lengyan Zhou (Sutra of the Supreme Array), Dabei Zhou (Great Compassion Mantra) and the Ten Little Mantras, and evening-chant pieces include the Mituo Jing (Sutra of Amitabha), the Chan Hui Wen (Text of Repentance) and the Mengshan Wen (Mengshan Text). "Mi Tuo Jing": Common morning-chant pieces include Lengyan Zhou (Sutra of the Supreme Array), Dabei Zhou (Great Compassion Mantra) and the Ten Little Mantras, and evening-chant pieces include the Mituo Jing (Sutra of Amitabha), the Chan Hui Wen (Text of Repentance) and the Mengshan Wen (Mengshan Text).

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

He is a representative bearer of Mount Wutai Buddhist Music, a fourth-batch national intangible cultural heritage project.

04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier

05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage

National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.

06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography

1. Guoxiang · National Representative Bearer Archive