Luo Wenjun
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Luo Wenjun, Male, Han, from Lincangshizhenkang, Yunnan, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Ashuse (Ⅱ-187). The tradition is documented in Lincangshizhenkang, Yunnan. Within the regional tradition and school record of Ashuse in Lincangshizhenkang, Yunnan: Because most of the closing phrases contain words such as 'Asuse ni qiaozhe', local people call this music form 'Asuse'. In China the item is distributed mainly in Zhengkang County, Yongde County, Gengma Dai and Wa Autonomous County, Fengqing County and Yun County of Lincang City, Yunnan Province, and is shared by the Yi, Han, Lisu, De'ang, Dai and Wa peoples. Improvised antiphonal singing by a man and a woman, locally called 'matching couplets', is the essence of Asuse and the point at which the intelligence and wit of the artists show most clearly. Asuse is a treasure of local folk oral literature and of music and dance art, with deep tradition, rich content and a distinctive style; it combines artistry, appreciation value, entertainment and education. It is a collective activity that many peoples delight in and join widely, it has considerable historical, cultural and artistic value, and it plays a positive role in enriching the lives of the people, promoting social harmony and ethnic unity. Asuse originated in the gourd-pipe song-and-dance of the ancestors of the ethnic minorities of Yunnan; later the bamboo flute, the small three-stringed lute and other instruments were added, forming a traditional music art that unites song, dance and instrumental music. Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, immersed in Han culture, it took in the bamboo flute, the small three-stringed lute and other instruments.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Luo Wenjun is anchored in the documented technical standards of Ashuse in Lincangshizhenkang, Yunnan. Within the documented technical tradition of Ashuse in Lincangshizhenkang, Yunnan: Asuse grew out of the gourd-pipe song-and-dance of the ancestors of Yunnan's ethnic minorities. In performance it is accompanied by the three-stringed lute, the gourd pipe and the flute; the players dance as they play, the rest follow behind them, and all form a circle, singing and dancing as they go. The string modes are the core part of Asuse song-and-dance. They are distinguished by the tuning of the three-stringed lute, and there are three kinds: the hard mode, the soft mode and the triple-string mode. A lead singer followed by a closing chorus is the fixed performing form of Asuse, abbreviated as 'one leads, all join'; the words are vivid and plain and full of humorous wit. In the Asuse hard mode and in matching couplets there is a special polyphonic musical phenomenon, with a strange, archaic sonority and a strong ethnic flavour. Although the melodies differ or the modes vary, in reality the parts stand to the basic tune in a relation of original form, variation or derivation; according to what the content requires, the artists ingeniously ornament the melody with added and varied notes in line with the character of different instruments, so that the melodic line and modal style are decorated richly. The movement of Asuse dance bears a distinct imprint of farming culture and the coarse, uninhibited character of the ethnic minorities, and its dance movements imitate living things. Archaeological material shows that the gourd pipe was already circulating in Yunnan as early as the pre-Qin through the Han and Eastern Han periods. Tang and Song documents already record gourd-pipe song-and-dance, sometimes under the name 'tages', and in folk usage it is called from the point of view of dance 'tiaosheng'. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Hard, soft and triple-string modes": The string modes are the core part of Asuse song-and-dance; they are distinguished by the tuning of the three-stringed lute, and there are three kinds: the hard mode, the soft mode and the triple-string mode. "Solo-lead with chorus": A lead singer followed by a closing chorus is the fixed performing form of Asuse, abbreviated as 'one leads, all join'; the words are vivid and plain and full of humorous wit. "Improvised question-and-answer duets": Improvised antiphonal singing by a man and a woman, locally called 'matching couplets', is the essence of Asuse and the point at which the intelligence and wit of the artists show most clearly; in the Asuse hard mode and in matching couplets there is a special polyphonic musical phenomenon with a strange, archaic sonority. "Ninety-eight village teams": At present Zhengkang County has established 98 Asuse folk song-and-dance teams, and through wedding song-and-dance and participation in public square cultural activities it has continuously expanded the succession team.
Hard, soft and triple-string modes
The string modes are the core part of Asuse song-and-dance; they are distinguished by the tuning of the three-stringed lute, and there are three kinds: the hard mode, the soft mode and the triple-string mode.
Solo-lead with chorus
A lead singer followed by a closing chorus is the fixed performing form of Asuse, abbreviated as 'one leads, all join'; the words are vivid and plain and full of humorous wit.
Improvised question-and-answer duets
Improvised antiphonal singing by a man and a woman, locally called 'matching couplets', is the essence of Asuse and the point at which the intelligence and wit of the artists show most clearly; in the Asuse hard mode and in matching couplets there is a special polyphonic musical phenomenon with a strange, archaic sonority.
Ninety-eight village teams
At present Zhengkang County has established 98 Asuse folk song-and-dance teams, and through wedding song-and-dance and participation in public square cultural activities it has continuously expanded the succession team.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Luo Wenjun was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Ashuse, with Lincangshizhenkang, Yunnan as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Ashuse in Lincangshizhenkang, Yunnan: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2021 (batch 5), with Lincangshizhenkang, Yunnan as its declared area, and Zhenkang County Intangible Cultural Heritage 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
Asuse originated in the gourd-pipe song-and-dance of the ancestors of the ethnic minorities of Yunnan; later the bamboo flute, the small three-stringed lute and other instruments were added, forming a traditional music art that unites song, dance and instrumental music. Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, immersed in Han culture, it took in the bamboo flute, the small three-stringed lute and other instruments.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luo Wenjun | Lincangshizhenkang, 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。