Li Zuoquan
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Li Zuoquan, Male, Han, from Xingshan, Hubei, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Wangzhaojun Legend (Ⅰ-48). The tradition is documented in Xingshan, Hubei. Within the regional tradition and school record of Wangzhaojun Legend in Xingshan, Hubei: The Wang Zhaojun legend takes Zhaojun village in Xingshan, Hubei, as its centre and, with the historical event of Zhaojun going beyond the frontier, spread to the Hohhot area of Inner Mongolia, forming a pattern of circulation answering north and south; in Xingshan there are such relics connected with the legend as Zhaojun village, the Zhaojun shrine and the Nanmu well. The core area of the legend's circulation coincides closely with the historical and geographical route of Zhaojun going beyond the frontier, and the people link the human memory of the two places through the story of Zhaojun. The Wang Zhaojun legend circulates mainly in Xingshan county of Hubei and Hohhot city of Inner Mongolia. According to such historical records as the Book of Han, Annals of Emperor Yuan, and the Book of the Later Han, Biographies of the Southern Xiongnu, Wang Zhaojun, named Qiang, was a native of Zigui in Nan commandery of the Western Han, present-day Xingshan in Hubei; chosen for the palace in the reign of Emperor Yuan of the Han, she was later married far away to the Xiongnu chanyu Huhanye and contributed to peace between the Han and the Xiongnu. Zhaojun village in Xingshan is said to be her birthplace, where there were formerly her old dwelling and related relics, and the custom of sacrificing to Zhaojun survives to this day.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Li Zuoquan is anchored in the documented technical standards of Wangzhaojun Legend in Xingshan, Hubei. Within the documented technical tradition of Wangzhaojun Legend in Xingshan, Hubei: For more than two thousand years the story of Wang Zhaojun has been praised by the world in such forms as storytelling, ballad and drama, becoming a much-told tale. The legend of Wang Zhaojun circulates mainly in Xingshan county of Hubei and Hohhot city of Inner Mongolia; the historical facts on which it rests are scattered through many historical works. The legends of Wang Zhaojun in Xingshan fall mainly into several great categories: place-name legends, legends of good virtue and legends of later generations' longing for Wang Zhaojun. In its transmission the Zhaojun legend is attached to the scenery and customs of Xingshan, forming a Zhaojun culture rich in local features. The Zhaojun legends of Xingshan and Hohhot echo each other and jointly lodge the people's yearning for national unity and peace. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "The Place-Name Legend of Zhaojun Village": One of the Xingshan legends about Zhaojun's birthplace. "The Legends of Zhaojun's Virtue": Legends showing Wang Zhaojun's fine virtue. "The Legend of Longing for Kin": Legends of later generations' longing for Wang Zhaojun. "The Custom of Sacrificing at Zhaojun Village": The traditional custom of sacrificing to and commemorating Zhaojun in the Xingshan area.
The Place-Name Legend of Zhaojun Village
One of the Xingshan legends about Zhaojun's birthplace.
The Legends of Zhaojun's Virtue
Legends showing Wang Zhaojun's fine virtue.
The Legend of Longing for Kin
Legends of later generations' longing for Wang Zhaojun.
The Custom of Sacrificing at Zhaojun Village
The traditional custom of sacrificing to and commemorating Zhaojun in the Xingshan area.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Li Zuoquan was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Wangzhaojun Legend, with Xingshan, Hubei as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Wangzhaojun Legend in Xingshan, Hubei: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2008 (batch 2), with Xingshan, Hubei as its declared area, and Xingshan County Cultural Center as its safeguarding unit. Since the project was inscribed in the national inventory, its declared area and safeguarding unit have carried out documentation, transmission and presentation within the national safeguarding framework. Together, the inventory record and the project archive form the public documentary basis for the bearer’s transmission practice.
04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier
Historical origin
The Wang Zhaojun legend circulates mainly in Xingshan county of Hubei and Hohhot city of Inner Mongolia. According to such historical records as the Book of Han, Annals of Emperor Yuan, and the Book of the Later Han, Biographies of the Southern Xiongnu, Wang Zhaojun, named Qiang, was a native of Zigui in Nan commandery of the Western Han, present-day Xingshan in Hubei; chosen for the palace in the reign of Emperor Yuan of the Han, she was later married far away to the Xiongnu chanyu Huhanye and contributed to peace between the Han and the Xiongnu. Zhaojun village in Xingshan is said to be her birthplace, where there were formerly her old dwelling and related relics, and the custom of sacrificing to Zhaojun survives to this day.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Li Zuoquan | Xingshan, Hubei | — | This page |
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。