Yuan Guilin

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Yuan Guilin, Male, Han, from Fushun, Liaoning, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Yangge Dance (Ⅲ-2). The tradition is documented in Fushun, Liaoning. Within the regional tradition and school record of Yangge Dance in Fushun, Liaoning: Fushun ground yangge, sometimes also called "dazi yangge", is a form of folk dance of long formation with an extremely strong national character and local colour, circulating mainly in the area around Fushun in Liaoning Province, the cradle of the Manchu people. Yangge has a long history. Among the folk dance troupes described by Zhou Mi of the Southern Song in his Wulin Jiushi (Old Events of the Wulin) there is already a record of cuntian le ("village field music"); the Xinnian Zayong Chao (Selected New Year Verses) by Wu Xilin of the Qing dynasty states explicitly the lineage between the yangge that survives today and the Song-dynasty cuntian le. Fushun ground yangge took shape in the early Qing dynasty and has been transmitted down to the present. Historical records show that there was already a dance called "ta chui" (treading hammers) in the Tang dynasty, and that in the Ming dynasty there were song-and-dance pieces called "mang shi"; these had a certain formative influence on Fushun ground yangge. Fushun ground yangge has been circulating in the Fushun area since the Qing dynasty and is deeply loved by the masses.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Yuan Guilin is anchored in the documented technical standards of Yangge Dance in Fushun, Liaoning. Within the documented technical tradition of Yangge Dance in Fushun, Liaoning: Yangge is a collective term for a highly popular and representative genre of Chinese folk dance (chiefly in the north); different regions have their own names, styles and forms. In folk usage the term divides into two: the version performed on stilts is called "gaqiao yangge" (stilt yangge), and the version performed without stilts is called "di yangge" (ground yangge). The term "yangge" as used in modern times usually refers to "di yangge". In most places today yangge takes the form of a yangge troupe; a troupe numbers at least a dozen or so people and at times as many as a hundred. There are group dances as well as two-person and three-person dances and many other performance formats; according to the needs of the role the performers hold the appropriate props — handkerchief, umbrella, sticks, drum, coin-whip and the like — and dance freely to the accompaniment of gongs, drums, suona and other wind and percussion instruments. The dancing methods, movements and styles of yangge differ from place to place: some are imposing and heroic, others gentle and charming — a dazzling variety that never fails to delight. Yangge is one of the most representative folk dance genres in northern China. It is at once performative and self-amusing, entertaining the performers as much as the audience, and is deeply loved by ordinary people. Every region has produced some representative folk yangge artists, and many folk artists have played an important part in building the dance undertaking of the People's Republic of China. It has a direct lineage in the folk dances of the Manchu ancestors. The most representative characters in Fushun ground yangge are the "dazi guan" dressed in Manchu banner costume, and the "kelitu" (commonly called "wai dazi") wearing nothing but a sheepskin coat and slinging diagonally over the shoulder bells and various implements of life and hunting. The movements of the performance largely derive from the productive life of the Manchus in their original state — galloping on horseback, shooting the bow, fighting in battle — and some imitate the movements of eagles, tigers and bears; many of them contain elements of traditional dance. The crouching, stamping, coiling, swaying and trembling postures of the yangge movements are rich, vigorous and uninhibited, bearing the distinctive colouring of fishing and hunting life and of the fighting life of the Eight Banners. Its accompanying music borrows the percussion forms of the Manchu shamanic rite of spirit-summoning, with playing patterns such as "lao san dian", "qi bang" and "kuai gu dian", which differ greatly from Han Chinese yangge. Fushun ground yangge has circulated in the folk for a very long time. Because of changes in the environment and the shrinking number of old artists, regular Fushun ground yangge activities are now difficult to carry out, and the parade formations and movements of the performance also tend to be gradually simplified; it is on the verge of disappearing and needs strong support. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Dazi Guan (the Tartar Official)": The most representative figure of Fushun Yangge, dressed in Manchu banner costume and leading the procession, the emblem of the genre's Manchu identity. "Kelitu (the Outer Tartar)": A figure in nothing but a fur coat, slung with bells and hunting gear, whose movements derive from Manchu horsemanship, archery and combat or imitate eagles, tigers and bears. "Lao San Dian; Qi Bang; Kuai Gu Dian": The percussion patterns of Fushun Yangge, borrowed from the Manchu shamanic dance ritual and markedly different from Han Yangge accompaniment. "Crouching, stamping, coiling, swinging, trembling": The basic postures of Fushun Yangge, rich, vigorous and bold, carrying the stamp of hunting life and banner warfare.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Yuan Guilin was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Yangge Dance, with Fushun, Liaoning as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Yangge Dance in Fushun, Liaoning: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2006 (batch 1), with Fushun, Liaoning as its declared area, and Fushun 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

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. Yuanguilin (Fushun, Liaoning) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Yuanguilin · China ICH Official Archive