Caihejie
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Caihejie, Male, Tibetan, from Hainanzangzuzizhi, Qinghai, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Tibetan Layi (Ⅱ-21). The tradition is documented in Hainanzangzuzizhi, Qinghai. Within the regional tradition and school record of Tibetan Layi in Hainanzangzuzizhi, Qinghai: The Tibetans are divided into the three great dialect regions of Ü-Tsang, Kham and Amdo, which, together with the terrain, form three cultural regions with distinctive characters. The layi is a mountain-song art current in the broad Amdo-dialect Tibetan areas of Qinghai, Gansu and Sichuan, devoted specifically to expressing love; its distribution is centred on the region around Qinghai lake and the Yellow River basin, in the Hainan and Huangnan prefectures, and radiates in all directions. The layi grew out of Tibetan mountain songs; the division of the three great Tibetan regions in the seventh century prompted its wide circulation in the Amdo Tibetan region of “lower Dokham”. Handed down from generation to generation with the pastoral life of the Tibetan herders and keeping pace with the growth of the Tibetan people, it formed a settled tradition of singing in the broad pastoral areas around Qinghai lake and on the upper reaches of the Yellow River. The layi is mostly sung in the pastures and hills, in keeping with the distinctive norms of propriety of the Amdo Tibetan region. At grassland gatherings and at leisure from herding the herders gather to sing the layi, conveying their feeling in song.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Caihejie is anchored in the documented technical standards of Tibetan Layi in Hainanzangzuzizhi, Qinghai. Within the documented technical tradition of Tibetan Layi in Hainanzangzuzizhi, Qinghai: The layi is rich in kind and vast in number; its content touches on every aspect of love life, and a complete antiphonal singing has a certain procedure, such as the opening song, the greeting song, the song of first love, the song of mutual love, the song of longing, the song of discord, the song of parting and the closing song. The tunes of the layi form many styles according to region: some emphasize the linguistic quality of the music with a relatively tight rhythm; some have a deep, drawn-out melody, forming a free and melodious long-drawn mountain-song style; some have a sweet melody and regular rhythm, forming an elegant and dignified lyrical style. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "The Opening Song, the Greeting Song, the Song of First Love and the Song of Mutual Love": The first half of the procedure of a complete layi antiphonal singing. "The Song of Longing, the Song of Discord, the Song of Parting and the Closing Song": The second half of the procedure of a complete layi antiphonal singing. "The Long-Drawn and the Lyrical Tune Styles": The various tune styles formed by region, such as the tight type, the long-drawn type and the elegant and dignified type. "Singing in the Pastoral Areas around Qinghai Lake and on the Upper Yellow River": The occasions of singing in the Amdo Tibetan areas, centred on the Hainan and Huangnan prefectures and radiating in all directions.
The Opening Song, the Greeting Song, the Song of First Love and the Song of Mutual Love
The first half of the procedure of a complete layi antiphonal singing.
The Song of Longing, the Song of Discord, the Song of Parting and the Closing Song
The second half of the procedure of a complete layi antiphonal singing.
The Long-Drawn and the Lyrical Tune Styles
The various tune styles formed by region, such as the tight type, the long-drawn type and the elegant and dignified type.
Singing in the Pastoral Areas around Qinghai Lake and on the Upper Yellow River
The occasions of singing in the Amdo Tibetan areas, centred on the Hainan and Huangnan prefectures and radiating in all directions.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Caihejie was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Tibetan Layi, with Hainanzangzuzizhi, Qinghai as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Tibetan Layi in Hainanzangzuzizhi, Qinghai: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2006 (batch 1), with Hainanzangzuzizhi, Qinghai as its declared area, and Hainan Cultural Center (Hainan Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritance and Safeguarding 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 layi grew out of Tibetan mountain songs; the division of the three great Tibetan regions in the seventh century prompted its wide circulation in the Amdo Tibetan region of “lower Dokham”. Handed down from generation to generation with the pastoral life of the Tibetan herders and keeping pace with the growth of the Tibetan people, it formed a settled tradition of singing in the broad pastoral areas around Qinghai lake and on the upper reaches of the Yellow River. The layi is mostly sung in the pastures and hills, in keeping with the distinctive norms of propriety of the Amdo Tibetan region. At grassland gatherings and at leisure from herding the herders gather to sing the layi, conveying their feeling in song.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qiejizhuoma | Hainanzangzuzizhi, Qinghai | 02-0248 | Same declared area |
| Caihejie | Hainanzangzuzizhi, Qinghai | — | 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。