Liu Yuxin

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Liu Yuxin, Male, Han, from Beichen, Tianjin, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Jinmenfagu (Ⅱ-122). The tradition is documented in Beichen, Tianjin. Within the regional tradition and school record of Jinmenfagu in Beichen, Tianjin: The Liuyuan Xiangyin fagu is magnificent and spectacular, has the strongest flavour of national folk culture, and is a precious folk cultural relic of the locality. The Liuyuan Xiangyin fagu appeared in the Daoguang reign of the Qing dynasty; it originally performed as an accompanying fagu association when the temple goddess made her procession, and it is now current mainly in Beichen district of Tianjin.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Liu Yuxin is anchored in the documented technical standards of Jinmenfagu in Beichen, Tianjin. Within the documented technical tradition of Jinmenfagu in Beichen, Tianjin: Fagu is an important item of the Tianjin folk flower gatherings; it derives from Buddhist music, and it is said that the earliest fagu troupe was the Dajue'an Jinyin fagu association. The instruments of a fagu association consist of drum, cymbals, nao, small cymbals (gezi) and small gongs (dangzi), the drum taking the lead and standing at the centre of the band; the cymbals stand left and right, seven or eight players to each, while the gezi and dangzi have two players each, all behind the drum. In performance all the hand-held instruments must be played in the showy manner called “shua”, and the players take turns performing. The beginning of a performance is called “kai”: the drum is struck several times first, then the head cymbals are struck four times in succession, after which all the instruments play together from their scores. In a procession, however, only the gezi and dangzi play the named tune Chang Yuan Dian in order to keep the steps in time. A fagu has about a dozen suites of named tunes, those in common use being Lao Xi He, Yao Tong Gu and others. There are many folk fagu associations, the better known including the Guajia Temple Qingyin fagu, the Yangjiazhuang Yongyin fagu, the Liuyuan Xiangyin fagu, the Longting Jingyin fagu, the Jiyuan Huayin fagu and the Houjiahou Yongyin fagu. When the Liuyuan Xiangyin fagu turns out, at the head is the ceremonial procession formed of the front colour and the band, directed by the leading gong. The front colour is the formation that, when the goddess makes her procession, warns the people to give way and carries the utensils of daily life; it mainly includes such ceremonial regalia and daily necessities as the great gate flags, the tall illuminating banners, the soft couplets, the hard couplets, the lamp placards, the round cages, the octagonal cases, the clothes chests, the tea buckets, the tea stoves and the wind lanterns, together with the band equipment of drum, cymbals, nao, cha, dang lang, the great lotus and the nine lotus lanterns. Among them forty people carry hand flags to keep the order, and thirty boys carry stools for the performers to use when striking the long pieces. The costumes and props of the Liuyuan Xiangyin fagu association are well preserved; of the ten sets of song scores originally existing, five are now kept. In the first month of the lunar new year the leaders of the various flower associations, after consultation, often hold a courteous exchange of visits with the theme of celebrating the harvest and congratulating the new year. On the third day of the third month, the day of the goddess's annual procession, several flower associations gather at Beicang; the Xiangyin fagu is an accompanying association, so it is arranged to perform on either side of the goddess's sacred palanquin. In the performance the Xiangyin fagu's unique group of coloured lanterns is displayed before the great audience, presenting the magnificent spectacle of a long dragon formed of coloured lanterns. The five-sound percussion of the band plays from various scores, with a variety of performing routines and movements; among them the single striking, the rotary striking and the combined striking are clearly differentiated in their layers, the postures are graceful and very eye-catching. But the conditions of the association are limited and many things cannot be as one would wish; in particular the performing equipment is old and broken, which is regrettable, and funds are urgently needed to repair and renew it. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Front ceremonial procession": When the Liuyuan Xiangyin fagu turns out, the front colour is the formation that, when the goddess makes her procession, warns the people to give way and carries the utensils of daily life; it mainly includes such ceremonial regalia and daily necessities as the great gate flags, the tall illuminating banners, the soft couplets, the hard couplets, the lamp placards, the round cages, the octagonal cases, the clothes chests, the tea buckets, the tea stoves and the wind lanterns. "Gong-led direction": At the head of a Liuyuan Xiangyin fagu procession the ceremonial procession formed of the front colour and the band is directed by the leading gong; another forty people carry hand flags to keep the order, and thirty boys carry stools for the performers to use when striking the long pieces. "Percussion and lantern instruments": The band equipment used by the Liuyuan Xiangyin fagu, which together with the front ceremonial procession forms the procession of the outing. "Five surviving score sets": The costumes and props of the Liuyuan Xiangyin fagu association are well preserved; of the ten sets of song scores originally existing, five are now kept.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Liu Yuxin was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Jinmenfagu, with Beichen, Tianjin as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Jinmenfagu in Beichen, Tianjin: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2008 (batch 2), with Beichen, Tianjin as its declared area, and Tianjin Beichen District Chenwengulifeiyi Transmission Culture Cujin 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

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. Liuyuxin (Beichen, Tianjin) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Liuyuxin · China ICH Official Archive