Wu Huyong

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Wu Huyong, Male, Han, from Wuxi, Jiangsu, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Daoist Music (Ⅱ-139). The tradition is documented in Wuxi, Jiangsu. Within the regional tradition and school record of Daoist Music in Wuxi, Jiangsu: The Daoist music transmitted in the Wuxi area of Jiangsu Province has a history of more than 1,400 years. It inherits the classic music tradition of Chinese Daoism and, in the course of its development, has also absorbed artistic elements from the local folk music and from southern Jiangsu local opera, especially Kunqu, gradually forming a distinctive artistic style that returns to the uncarved block and transcends the ordinary world. In the late Qing and early Republican period, the Wuxi Daoist music scene was full of talent and masters of high renown; band groupings such as the “Five Dang”, the “Eight Brothers” and the “Ten Not Split” appeared all at once, and among the outstanding representatives of Wuxi Daoist music were the qin player Kan Xianzhi, the “south drum king” Zhu Qinfu and the Daoist musician Hu Yanjun (A Bing). In the 1960s, Daoist activity in Wuxi came essentially to a halt, which directly affected the development and transmission of Daoist music.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Wu Huyong is anchored in the documented technical standards of Daoist Music in Wuxi, Jiangsu. Within the documented technical tradition of Daoist Music in Wuxi, Jiangsu: Daoist music is also called “daochang music” (music of the ritual ground); it is the music used in Daoist zhaijiao liturgical observances, and, like Daoism itself, it too has its origin in the ritual song and dance of ancient shamans. Daoist music consists of instrumental and vocal parts. In the instrumental part the leading instruments are bells, ching, drums, wooden fish and small gongs, supported by wind, plucked and bowed string instruments; the vocal part is centred on chanting, and comprises the solo singing of the high-ranking officiant who proclaims the precepts, recites dharani, praises the spirits and chants the declaration, together with the spoken declaration of the dujiang daoshi and the unison singing of the assembled daoshi. Wuxi Daoist music can be divided into three types, qiang kou (melodic declamation), fan yin and luo gu (gongs and drums). The qiang kou belongs to the vocal art and takes such forms as zan song (praise), buxu, dharani, Daoist tunes and declaimed recitation. Fan yin, also called “shifan gu”, belongs to the instrumental art and is an independent genre played on sizhu instruments such as the danpi drum, qudi, sheng, huqin, pipa and bowed and plucked strings, and its use of the danpi drum is its most distinctive feature. Luo gu, also called “shifan luogu”, like fan yin belongs to the instrumental art and is likewise an independent genre, distinguished in its configuration of instruments, its combination of set routines, its performance style and its use in zhai affairs. Works such as 《Erquan Yingyue》, 《Shibapai》 and 《Xia Xifeng》 were born in this fertile soil, and are a great contribution of Wuxi Daoist music to the national culture and art. Representative works of Wuxi Daoist music include 《Jiu Ku Zan》, 《Guizhi Xiang》 and 《Shiba Liu Si Er》 and others. Later, with the recommendation of scholars such as Yang Yinliu, Wuxi Daoist music gradually became known to the public and began to spread far and wide across the country. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Jiu Ku Zan": Representative works of Wuxi Daoist music include 《Jiu Ku Zan》, 《Guizhi Xiang》 and 《Shiba Liu Si Er》 and others. "Guizhi Xiang": Representative works of Wuxi Daoist music include 《Jiu Ku Zan》, 《Guizhi Xiang》 and 《Shiba Liu Si Er》 and others. "Shiba Liu Si Er": Representative works of Wuxi Daoist music include 《Jiu Ku Zan》, 《Guizhi Xiang》 and 《Shiba Liu Si Er》 and others.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Wu Huyong was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Daoist Music, with Wuxi, Jiangsu as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Daoist Music in Wuxi, Jiangsu: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2008 (batch 2), with Wuxi, Jiangsu as its declared area, and Wuxi Dao Jiao Association 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. Wuhuyong (Wuxi, Jiangsu) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Wuhuyong · China ICH Official Archive