Zhaxicairen

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Zhaxicairen, Male, Tibetan, from Yushuzangzuzizhi, Qinghai, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Guozhuang Dance (Ⅲ-20). The tradition is documented in Yushuzangzuzizhi, Qinghai. Within the regional tradition and school record of Guozhuang Dance in Yushuzangzuzizhi, Qinghai: Guozhuang dance, also called "guozhuo", "gezhuang" or "zhuo", means circle dance-song in Tibetan. It is one of the three great folk dances of the Tibetan people, distributed in the Tibetan-inhabited areas of Qamdo and Nagqu in Tibet, Aba and Ganzi in Sichuan, Diqing in Yunnan, and Qinghai and Gansu. Yushu zhuo dance is transmitted in the area of Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in the southwestern part of Qinghai Province, in the heart of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. In Tibetan, zhuo dance refers in general to circle dance-songs centred on flinging the sleeves and stepping to song. The history of Yushu zhuo dance can be traced back to the tribal period, and a good many archaic words survive in its sung lyrics and dance steps. Yushu lies in the heart of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and zhuo dance has been handed down through generations in monastery dharma assemblies and tribal celebrations.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Zhaxicairen is anchored in the documented technical standards of Guozhuang Dance in Yushuzangzuzizhi, Qinghai. Within the documented technical tradition of Guozhuang Dance in Yushuzangzuzizhi, Qinghai: Guozhuang is divided into several kinds, among them the "large guozhuang" used for large-scale religious sacrificial activities, the "medium guozhuang" used for folk traditional festivals, and the "small guozhuang" used for gatherings of relatives and friends; their scale and function each differ. Others also divide it into "masses guozhuang" and "lama guozhuang", and into urban guozhuang and farming-and-pastoral-area guozhuang. When dancing, men and women each form a half circle, join hands and make a ring; one person leads, and men and women alternate in question-and-answer antiphonal singing, repeated back and forth, with no instrumental accompaniment. The whole dance consists of two sections, slow first and fast later; the basic movements include "slow tremor with leg crossed", "approaching steps with turning", and "leg-crossing with stepping and squatting". Dancers change their postures chiefly by lifting, flinging and swinging the arms; the formation moves clockwise, the circle varies in size, and now and then it changes into a "dragon swaying its tail" pattern. The historical origins of zhuo dance can be traced back to primitive society, and Yushu zhuo dance still preserves a great many traces of remote antiquity; with the formation of the six great clans of the Tibetan people, Yushu zhuo dance gradually developed into a form of tribal, clan and regional culture. Yushu zhuo dance comes in many varieties; its content is centred on songs praising the home village and the natural scenery, while also broadly reflecting every aspect of social life. A complete performance is divided into three parts: the opening dance offering to the gods and Buddhas, the main body expressing a wide range of content, and the closing passage offering auspicious blessings. By function, Yushu zhuo dance falls into two categories: the ordinary zhuo dance, which is largely secular, and the religious "fa" zhuo (called "qu" zhuo in Tibetan), which is strongly imbued with religious colour. The overall structure consists of a slow part and a fast part, and it is performed in a form that combines singing with dancing. The movements of Yushu zhuo dance revolve chiefly around the flinging of the sleeves, and performances often involve dozens or even hundreds of people taking part together. The dancers' sleeves are very long, all trailing on the ground; in the men's dance the sleeves are flung with a wide amplitude, the movements beautiful and free-spirited, the arms rotating freely, with varied movement pathways. The leg movements also have a large amplitude, and require large-amplitude leaps and shifts such as leg-lifting, leg-flicking and turning in order to match the sleeve-flinging of the arms; the movement pathways are mainly arcs, coordinated throughout the body. The dance as a whole has a marked rhythm and a magnificent momentum, fully displaying the masculine and handsome beauty of the men's dancing. The women's dancing has soft, flowing movements; the sleeve-flinging and the footwork are basically close to those of the men, but with a smaller amplitude, showing the women's soft, graceful and gentle, dignified character. The cohesion and the power of inspiration that it possesses can play a positive role in the building of modern spiritual civilization. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Ordinary Dro and Dharma Dro": Yushu Dro divides into a largely secular kind and a strongly religious 'dharma' kind, each in two sections from slow to fast. "Prelude, main part and coda": A full performance has a devotional prelude, an extended main part and a blessing coda. "Sleeves trailing on the ground": The dance turns on sleeve work: dancers' sleeves trail on the ground and the men swing them widely with sweeping jumps. "A dance of dozens or hundreds": Dozens or even hundreds dance together in a stirring rhythm, the women's movements gentler and narrower.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Zhaxicairen was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Guozhuang Dance, with Yushuzangzuzizhi, Qinghai as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Guozhuang Dance in Yushuzangzuzizhi, Qinghai: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2006 (batch 1), with Yushuzangzuzizhi, Qinghai as its declared area, and Yushu 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

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. Zhaxicairen (Yushuzangzuzizhi, Qinghai) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Zhaxicairen · China ICH Official Archive