Zhao Dongsheng
01 · Lineage & Regional School
He is a transmitter of Manchu narrative lore (shuobu). In his youth he received from his grandfather instruction in several family-transmitted Manchu narratives, including Hu Lun Chuan Qi (The Legend of Hulun), Wu La Mi Shi (The Secret History of Ula), Bai Hua Gong Zhu (Princess Baihua), Bi Xue Long Jiang Zhuan (The Tale of Blood-Brightened Longjiang) and Geng Zi Mi Wen (Secret Recollections of the Gengzi Year). Within the regional tradition and school record of Manchu Narrative Lore in Jilin: The Manchu ulabun circulates mainly in the Manchu-concentrated areas of Jilin, Heilongjiang and Liaoning, and is most concentrated in the clan transmission of the Manchu along the Songhua river and the Changbai mountains in Jilin; the ulabun of the various clans differ from one another in content and together form the transmission lineage of the Manchu ulabun. Some of the ulabun have been translated and published in Russian, Japanese, English, Italian, German and Korean, enriching the treasure house of world culture.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
Male, of the Manchu ethnic group, born in November 1934, a native of Changchun City, Jilin Province. The Manchu narrative lore he tells has highly distinctive characteristics and a profound historical and cultural accumulation and value, and it exerts considerable influence in this field. Within the documented technical tradition of Manchu Narrative Lore in Jilin: The Changbai mountains in south-eastern Jilin are the birthplace of the Manchu, whose forebears multiplied and lived since ancient times on this vast, beautiful and marvellous fertile land. The Manchu ulabun is an ancient long narrative-singing folk art handed down by word of mouth among the Manchu and their forebears, called in Manchu ulabun, translated into Chinese as tale or biography. Its form and content differ greatly from the hearing of ordinary folk tales: it was usually recited by the elders of the clan after rinsing the mouth and burning incense, often with bells, drums and clappers, mingling narration and song, its purpose being to tell the roots, honour the ancestors and praise the heroes, the listeners modest and orderly and especially reverent. The Manchu ulabun is rooted in the custom of telling the old among the Manchu and their forebears, and tracing its source it comes from the Manchu clans' worship of the heroes of former generations. The Manchu sang and told ulabun mainly by word of mouth within the clan, inherited from generation to generation. In the early period it was mostly sung in Manchu; after the mid-Qing, as Manchu declined, it changed to being told and sung in Chinese with some Manchu mixed in. The Manchu ulabun has a solemn style and a magnificent sweep, embracing the rise of clans and tribes, ancient wilderness sacrifices, pioneering and enterprise, heroic history, national custom and knowledge of production and life, and is called the encyclopaedia of the northern peoples. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "The Life of Lord Sa": A representative work of the Manchu ulabun, on the deeds of General Sabusu. "The Record of Grievances in the East Sea": A representative work of the Manchu ulabun. "Mother Wubuxiben": One of the representative works of the wocheku ulabun, the stories on the shrine. "The Great Battle in the Heavenly Palace": A representative shamanist myth among the wocheku ulabun.
The Life of Lord Sa
A representative work of the Manchu ulabun, on the deeds of General Sabusu.
The Record of Grievances in the East Sea
A representative work of the Manchu ulabun.
Mother Wubuxiben
One of the representative works of the wocheku ulabun, the stories on the shrine.
The Great Battle in the Heavenly Palace
A representative shamanist myth among the wocheku ulabun.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
He is a representative bearer of Manchu narrative lore, a fifth-batch national intangible cultural heritage project. He has travelled many times to Beijing, Heilongjiang, Liaoning, Gansu and Hebei, to places where the Manchu narratives are set, in order to uncover narrative texts and bearers. Besides passing on the Manchu narratives he commands to his children and grandchildren, he serves as a specially appointed professor at Jilin Normal University, carefully teaching the history and culture of the ethnic groups of the Northeast and protecting and transmitting Manchu narrative lore.
04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier
Historical origin
Some of the ulabun have been translated and published in Russian, Japanese, English, Italian, German and Korean, enriching the treasure house of world culture.
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.
| Bearer | Declared area | Roster code | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fu Yuguang | Jilin | 04-1489 | Same declared area |
| Zhao Dongsheng | Jilin | 05-1990 | This page |
| Heshihuan | Heiheshisunwu, Heilongjiang | — | Other regional school |
06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography
This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript. Compiled from official national representative bearer archival records and the associated project dossier, organized by topic and translated into English. 阅读中文版。