Wangjianli
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Wangjianli, Male, Bouyei, from Zhenfeng, Guizhou, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Bouyei Leiyou (Ⅱ-130). The tradition is documented in Zhenfeng, Guizhou. Within the regional tradition and school record of Bouyei Leiyou in Zhenfeng, Guizhou: The leyou takes its name from its use in the “langshao”, the antiphonal singing by which Bouyei young men and women get to know each other; it is played mostly on the hillsides, the paddy flats and the riverbanks beside the villages. Its melody shows regularity only at the beginning and the end, the rest being comparatively free, and the player may improvise as he pleases on a fixed core phrase or performing motive, so that the same tune varies greatly each time. Bands around Zhenfeng commonly pair the leyou with the yueqin, the niutuiqin, the bamboo flute and other instruments for Bouyei eight-tone seated singing. The leyou is the instrument by which Bouyei young men and women convey their feelings during the social practice of “langshao”; its tone is clear and nasal and carries far, so it is called “the little trumpet that awakens a lover”. In the early days the leyou was mostly made and used by the men themselves, using local insect cocoons for the reed and a wooden tube for the body; the craft of making and playing it was handed down within families and music bands, and together with the yueqin, the niutuiqin and other instruments it formed the instrumental basis of the Bouyei eight-tone seated singing.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Wangjianli is anchored in the documented technical standards of Bouyei Leiyou in Zhenfeng, Guizhou. Within the documented technical tradition of Bouyei Leiyou in Zhenfeng, Guizhou: The Bouyei leyou is a wooden double-reed end-blown instrument, current in the Bouyei settlements of Xingyi City, Qianxinan Prefecture, Guizhou Province, and along the banks of the Nanbei and Pan rivers. “Leyou” is a transliteration of a Bouyei word, meaning “the little trumpet that signals to a lover” or “the little trumpet that awakens a lover”. This instrument has existed since ancient times. A Brief History of the Bouyei records: “In the Qianlong reign of the Qing, Baji beside Puan Prefecture (present-day Xingyi City, Guizhou Province) began to compose and perform Bouyei opera.” The leyou arose roughly after Bouyei opera, and has a history of more than two hundred years to this day. After the leyou appeared it was taken up by the Bouyei eight-tone seated-singing bands and became an important performing instrument. The body of the leyou is about forty centimetres long and consists of five parts: the resonator, the body, the brass ring, the plug and the insect-cocoon reed; its compass is a–a1. In performance it mainly uses natural breathing and circular breathing; its techniques are rich, its tone sweet, and its artistic style round and smooth, beautiful and pleasing; it is good at expressing emotion. The tunes played on the leyou are called the Leyou Diao and are often given names such as Si Nian Diao, Han Mei Diao and Lang Shao Diao. They fall into two kinds: instrumental pieces played on the leyou, of which Han Mei Diao is a representative work; and vocal pieces sung with words set to the leyou tunes, of which Lang Shao Diao and Leyou de Sinian are representative works. In the playing of the leyou only the beginning and the end show some regularity; the rest is comparatively free, and the player may improvise as he pleases on a fixed core phrase or performing motive, so that the same tune varies greatly each time it is played. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Leyou Diao (The Leyou Tune)": The tunes played on the leyou are called the Leyou Diao and are often given names such as Si Nian Diao, Han Mei Diao and Lang Shao Diao. They fall into two kinds: instrumental pieces played on the leyou, of which Han Mei Diao is a representative work; and vocal pieces sung with words set to the leyou tunes, of which Lang Shao Diao and Leyou de Sinian are representative works. "Si Nian Diao (The Longing Tune)": The tunes played on the leyou are called the Leyou Diao and are often given names such as Si Nian Diao, Han Mei Diao and Lang Shao Diao. They fall into two kinds: instrumental pieces played on the leyou, of which Han Mei Diao is a representative work; and vocal pieces sung with words set to the leyou tunes, of which Lang Shao Diao and Leyou de Sinian are representative works. "":
Leyou Diao (The Leyou Tune)
The tunes played on the leyou are called the Leyou Diao and are often given names such as Si Nian Diao, Han Mei Diao and Lang Shao Diao. They fall into two kinds: instrumental pieces played on the leyou, of which Han Mei Diao is a representative work; and vocal pieces sung with words set to the leyou tunes, of which Lang Shao Diao and Leyou de Sinian are representative works.
Si Nian Diao (The Longing Tune)
The tunes played on the leyou are called the Leyou Diao and are often given names such as Si Nian Diao, Han Mei Diao and Lang Shao Diao. They fall into two kinds: instrumental pieces played on the leyou, of which Han Mei Diao is a representative work; and vocal pieces sung with words set to the leyou tunes, of which Lang Shao Diao and Leyou de Sinian are representative works.
Han Mei Diao (The Calling-the-Girl Tune)
The tunes played on the leyou are called the Leyou Diao and are often given names such as Si Nian Diao, Han Mei Diao and Lang Shao Diao. They fall into two kinds: instrumental pieces played on the leyou, of which Han Mei Diao is a representative work; and vocal pieces sung with words set to the leyou tunes, of which Lang Shao Diao and Leyou de Sinian are representative works.
Lang Shao Diao (The Langshao Tune)
The tunes played on the leyou are called the Leyou Diao and are often given names such as Si Nian Diao, Han Mei Diao and Lang Shao Diao. They fall into two kinds: instrumental pieces played on the leyou, of which Han Mei Diao is a representative work; and vocal pieces sung with words set to the leyou tunes, of which Lang Shao Diao and Leyou de Sinian are representative works.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Wangjianli was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Bouyei Leiyou, with Zhenfeng, Guizhou as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Bouyei Leiyou in Zhenfeng, Guizhou: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2008 (batch 2), with Zhenfeng, Guizhou as its declared area, and Zhenfeng 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 leyou is the instrument by which Bouyei young men and women convey their feelings during the social practice of “langshao”; its tone is clear and nasal and carries far, so it is called “the little trumpet that awakens a lover”. In the early days the leyou was mostly made and used by the men themselves, using local insect cocoons for the reed and a wooden tube for the body; the craft of making and playing it was handed down within families and music bands, and together with the yueqin, the niutuiqin and other instruments it formed the instrumental basis of the Bouyei eight-tone seated singing.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wu Tianping | Xingyi, Guizhou | 05-2146 | Other regional school |
| Wangjianli | Zhenfeng, Guizhou | — | 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。