Kenyuzhen
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Kenyuzhen, Female, Derung, from Nujianglisuzuzizhizhougongshandulongzunuzuzizhi, Yunnan, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Derung Folk Songs (Ⅱ-177). The tradition is documented in Nujianglisuzuzizhizhougongshandulongzunuzuzizhi, Yunnan. Within the regional tradition and school record of Derung Folk Songs in Nujianglisuzuzizhizhougongshandulongzunuzuzizhi, Yunnan: The Dulong villages of Dulongjiang Township are settled by clan, and the folk songs are transmitted mainly within the clan, elders teaching them beside the hearth, in the intervals of work and on ritual occasions; the worship of the deity is conducted by the great shaman "Nanmusa", who recites the sacrificial text in a chanting manner, and the exorcism of ghosts by the junior shaman "Banwaxi", who recites the sacrificial text in a roaring chant, the singing making much use of throat-register singing and light timbre and being full of mysterious colour. The Genesis Epic of the Dulong people, the Chuangshi Ge (Song of Genesis), is an encyclopaedia of social development containing more than seven hundred lines, divided into six parts: Ren de Qiyuan (Origin of Humanity), Ren yu Gui de Zhdou (The Struggle of Man and Ghost), Hongshui Taotian (The Great Flood), Jishen de Youlai (The Origin of Deity Sacrifice), Qu Xifu (Taking a Wife) and Ka Que Wa (Ka Que Wa).
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Kenyuzhen is anchored in the documented technical standards of Derung Folk Songs in Nujianglisuzuzizhizhougongshandulongzunuzuzizhi, Yunnan. Within the documented technical tradition of Derung Folk Songs in Nujianglisuzuzizhizhougongshandulongzunuzuzizhi, Yunnan: Dulong folk songs, also called "Man Zhu", are the rich and varied folk songs created by the Dulong people over their long course of reproduction and subsistence; they are transmitted mainly in Dulongjiang Township, Gongshan Dulong and Nu Autonomous County, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province. The township lies in the western part of Gongshan County, adjoining Bingzhongluo Township and Cikai Town of Gongshan County to the east, Dang Li Ka Mountain to the south-west, and Chawaluo Township of Chayu County, Tibet Autonomous Region, to the north. Dulong folk songs may be divided into types such as work songs, customary songs, ritual songs, love songs, children's songs and praise songs; their aesthetic taste is distinctive, and they are one of the basic ways in which the Dulong people express emotion and convey poetic feeling in production and daily life. The Dulong work songs are very rich: the Chongbo Ge (Sowing Song) is sung at spring ploughing and sowing, the Shou Liangshi Ge (Gathering the Grain Song) at autumn harvest and threshing, women weaving cloth have the Zhibu Ge (Weaving Song), and men felling timber in the mountains have the Kan Dashu Ge (Felling the Great Tree Song). They use singing to coordinate their movements, unify the rhythm, relieve fatigue and raise their spirits. At traditional festivals, weddings, funerals and other occasions, the Dulong people sing various customary songs to express their thoughts and feelings. For example, at a wedding the Songqin Ge (Song of Sending Off the Bride) is sung; when villages, clans and friends visit one another they entertain each other as lavishly as at New Year, and at the feast the Mu Jiang Diao (Wood-Descending Tune) is sung to express mutual longing; in ritual activities, the worship of the deity is conducted by the great shaman "Nanmusa", who recites the sacrificial text in a chanting manner, and the exorcism of ghosts by the junior shaman "Banwaxi", who recites the sacrificial text in a roaring chant. Ritual songs are sung with methods such as throat-register singing and light timbre, and are full of mysterious colour. The lyrics are mainly in the six-syllable form, and the tunes approximate the intonation of recitation, having the stylistic character of chanting. Dulong folk songs are sung in the Dulong language, in forms including solo, antiphonal duet, and one leader with a chorus. These praise songs have beautiful and moving tunes, their lyrics are composed on the spur of the moment, they are easy to learn and easy to sing, and they are loved by men, women, old and young alike. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Work songs": The Dulong work songs are very rich: the Sowing Song is sung at spring ploughing and sowing, the Gathering the Grain Song at autumn harvest and threshing, women weaving cloth have the Weaving Song, and men felling timber in the mountains have the Felling the Great Tree Song; singing is used to coordinate movement, unify the rhythm and relieve fatigue. "Customary songs": At a wedding the Song of Sending Off the Bride is sung; when villages, clans and friends visit one another they entertain each other lavishly, and at the feast the Wood-Descending Tune is sung to express mutual longing. "Ritual songs": In ritual activities the worship of the deity is conducted by the great shaman "Nanmusa", who recites the sacrificial text in a chanting manner, and the exorcism of ghosts by the junior shaman "Banwaxi", who recites the sacrificial text in a roaring chant; ritual songs are sung with methods such as throat-register singing and light timbre, and are full of mysterious colour. "Love, children's and praise songs": Dulong folk songs may be divided into types such as work songs, customary songs, ritual songs, love songs, children's songs and praise songs; their aesthetic taste is distinctive, and they are one of the basic ways in which the Dulong people express emotion and convey poetic feeling in production and daily life.
Work songs
The Dulong work songs are very rich: the Sowing Song is sung at spring ploughing and sowing, the Gathering the Grain Song at autumn harvest and threshing, women weaving cloth have the Weaving Song, and men felling timber in the mountains have the Felling the Great Tree Song; singing is used to coordinate movement, unify the rhythm and relieve fatigue.
Customary songs
At a wedding the Song of Sending Off the Bride is sung; when villages, clans and friends visit one another they entertain each other lavishly, and at the feast the Wood-Descending Tune is sung to express mutual longing.
Ritual songs
In ritual activities the worship of the deity is conducted by the great shaman "Nanmusa", who recites the sacrificial text in a chanting manner, and the exorcism of ghosts by the junior shaman "Banwaxi", who recites the sacrificial text in a roaring chant; ritual songs are sung with methods such as throat-register singing and light timbre, and are full of mysterious colour.
Love, children's and praise songs
Dulong folk songs may be divided into types such as work songs, customary songs, ritual songs, love songs, children's songs and praise songs; their aesthetic taste is distinctive, and they are one of the basic ways in which the Dulong people express emotion and convey poetic feeling in production and daily life.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Kenyuzhen was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Derung Folk Songs, with Nujianglisuzuzizhizhougongshandulongzunuzuzizhi, Yunnan as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Derung Folk Songs in Nujianglisuzuzizhizhougongshandulongzunuzuzizhi, Yunnan: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2021 (batch 5), with Nujianglisuzuzizhizhougongshandulongzunuzuzizhi, Yunnan as its declared area, and Yunnan Gongshan Dulong Nu Autonomous 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 Genesis Epic of the Dulong people, the Chuangshi Ge (Song of Genesis), is an encyclopaedia of social development containing more than seven hundred lines, divided into six parts: Ren de Qiyuan (Origin of Humanity), Ren yu Gui de Zhdou (The Struggle of Man and Ghost), Hongshui Taotian (The Great Flood), Jishen de Youlai (The Origin of Deity Sacrifice), Qu Xifu (Taking a Wife) and Ka Que Wa (Ka Que Wa).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenyuzhen | Nujianglisuzuzizhizhougongshandulongzunuzuzizhi, Yunnan | — | 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。