Xi Yuxiu

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Xi Yuxiu, Female, Tu, from Huzhutuzuzizhi, Qinghai, is a fifth-batch national representative bearer of Anzhao (Ⅲ-109). The tradition is documented in Huzhutuzuzizhi, Qinghai. Within the regional tradition and school record of Anzhao in Huzhutuzuzizhi, Qinghai: Anzhao takes Huzhu Tu Autonomous County in Qinghai Province as its centre, being handed down generation by generation in the manner of "turning the Anzhao" in the townships and villages where the Tu live; the Huzhu Tu Autonomous County Cultural Centre undertakes protection of the project. The Tu settlement area of Huzhu borders Gansu to the east and the Huangshui River to the south, and keeps up exchanges of wedding song and dance with Tu villages in places such as Minhe and Datong. There is no limit on the number taking part in Anzhao; men and women, young and old, may join at any time, there is no instrumental accompaniment, and everyone sings, dances and turns clockwise following the order of men in front and women behind. Tourist reception centres often use Anzhao as a programme for welcoming guests, but occasions on which song and dance continue through the night in the traditional order are now rarely seen. Anzhao is called "Naten Jinmore" in the Tu language, meaning a dance in which people dance in a circle. Its history is bound up with the custom of the Tu ancestors of using circle dances to pray for blessings and ward off disaster, and it has long been used at folk festive occasions and wedding ceremonies. In the past a Tu wedding was held over several days running, and links such as fetching the bride and entertaining guests all involved "turning the Anzhao", led in song by one or two "durijin" (skilled singers), with the other dancers joining in and singing the accompanying words, often through the night until dawn; in the survey of folk ethnic dances carried out in the 1980s, the tunes and lyrics of Anzhao were recorded section by section, and these records became the main basis for reconstructing the order of "turning the Anzhao" today.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

Female, Tu, born in December 1964, a native of Huzhu Tu Autonomous County, Qinghai Province. In 1972 she began learning Anzhao dance, its melodies and its lyrics from her parents; her movements are expansive and her tunes and vocal delivery are melodious and pure, with a highly distinctive character. Over many years of transmission and performance she has served as performer, choreographer and teacher, playing an active role in the excavation, transmission and development of the Tu Anzhao. From 1987 to 1992, for six consecutive years, she performed Anzhao in the Spring Festival mass cultural activities organized by Huzhu County, and she has also performed the Tu Anzhao on a rural cultural activity programme produced by China Central Television. Within the documented technical tradition of Anzhao in Huzhutuzuzizhi, Qinghai: Anzhao (called "Naten Jinmore" in the Tu language, meaning a dance in which people dance in a circle) is transmitted in Huzhu Tu Autonomous County, Qinghai Province; it is a mass song-and-dance form used to offer praise and pray for blessings at folk festive occasions and wedding ceremonies. There is a Tu folk legend about the origin of Anzhao: in ancient times a clever Tu girl, in order to rid the people of a harmful evil, composed and performed the circle song and dance Anzhao, and the whirling circle dance so confused the eyes and mind of a demon called Wang Mang that the people seized the chance to snare the demon with ropes and kill him. From then on the Tu people led peaceful days, and Anzhao was left behind as this song-and-dance form. There is no limit on the number taking part in the Anzhao dance; two or three people or as many as several hundred will do, and men and women, young and old, may join at any time. There is no instrumental accompaniment while dancing; usually one or two "durijin" (skilled singers) lead the singing, the other dancers follow and sing the accompanying words, and following the order of men in front and women behind, they sing, dance and turn clockwise, which is why it is also called "turning the Anzhao". Turning the Anzhao is one tune and one dance: each dance section consists of a single song and several movements, repeated cyclically in the customary order, and often singing and dancing through the night until they have had their fill. The content of the Anzhao song and dance is chiefly to bless the prosperity of the ethnic group and the locality and to pray for peace under heaven and abundant harvests; to praise the bounty of the deities of mountains and rivers and to sing of the ancestors' industrious opening up of their homeland; and to express love of the native land and longing for a good life. However, as time has changed and the ethnic groups have exchanged and blended with one another, many of the old Tu artists skilled in performing Anzhao have passed away. Although some Tu tourist reception centres also perform the Anzhao dance for visitors, it has gradually lost its original characteristics. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "The Durijin leading the chorus": Without instruments, one or two expert singers lead while the dancers follow, answering in refrain as they sing, dance and turn clockwise with men in front. "One tune, one dance": Each dance section pairs one song with a set of movements, repeated in a customary order through the night until everyone is satisfied. "The legend of Wang Mang": A legend tells of a clever Tu girl who devised the circle dance to bewilder the demon Wang Mang, allowing the people to rope and kill him. "The themes of the lyrics": Its lyrics bless the people and the land, pray for peace and harvest, praise the gods of mountain and river and celebrate the ancestors who opened the homeland.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

National representative bearer of Anzhao, a fifth-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. Xi Yuxiu · National Representative Bearer Archive