Zhu Ying
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Zhu Ying, Female, Miao, from Nayong, Guizhou, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Miao Lusheng Dance (Ⅲ-23). The tradition is documented in Nayong, Guizhou. Within the regional tradition and school record of Miao Lusheng Dance in Nayong, Guizhou: It is transmitted in the Miao, Dong, Bouyei, Shui, Gelao, Zhuang, Yao and other ethnic groups' inhabited areas in Guizhou, Guangxi, Hunan, Yunnan and elsewhere; it is the folk dance most beloved by the southern ethnic minorities and the most widely distributed among them. Legend has it that in remote antiquity the Miao ancestors made a great migration; the road was rugged and thorns covered the ground, and the brave Miao young men, in order to open a passage for their elders and fellow villagers, rolled their own agile bodies to force a way through the thorny brush. To commemorate the deeds of these young men, people imitated the way in which they had rolled down the thorns with their bodies, composed it into a lusheng dance, and named it "Earth Dragon Rolling Through Thorns".
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Zhu Ying is anchored in the documented technical standards of Miao Lusheng Dance in Nayong, Guizhou. Within the documented technical tradition of Miao Lusheng Dance in Nayong, Guizhou: Lusheng dance, also called "stepping on the lusheng" or "stepping-song hall", is so named because it uses the lusheng to accompany the dancing and because the dancers both play and dance at the same time. Judging from the excavated bronze lusheng music-and-dance figurines of the Western Han dynasty, lusheng dance has a history of at least more than two thousand years. Lusheng dance is mostly performed at festive moments such as the New Year, gatherings and celebrations, and mainly takes three forms: self-amusement, competition and ritual. The Miao lusheng dance Gunshanzhu was originally called "Earth Dragon Rolling Through Thorns" and is called "ziluoduo" in Miao. It is transmitted in Zhuchang Miao and Yi Township, Nayong County, Guizhou Province, and is one of the lusheng dances handed down through generations among the Miao people. "Gunshanzhu" is a Miao folk dance that integrates lusheng playing, dance performance and acrobatic art in one. In performance, six iron javelin heads about 20 centimetres long are used, their points inserted upward into the ground to form a circle about 0.7 metres in diameter; alternatively, six rice bowls placed rim against rim and filled with water may be arranged in a circle in place of the javelins. The performers hold lushengs, and blowing while leaping, roll around the javelins or the bowls of water; the performance is highly technical and extraordinarily perilous. "Gunshanzhu" gradually incorporated various techniques and continually refined itself in the course of its long development. By 1989, the lusheng dance "Gunshanzhu" had developed from solo performance into a dance performed simultaneously by six to eight people. The performers hold six-pipe lushengs, wear caps decorated with bamboo-pheasant feathers, and are dressed in embroidered white jackets, playing lusheng melodies handed down through generations as they dance around the javelins or the bowls filled with water; at times they use the head as feet, and the difficulty of the lusheng dance steps and the use of techniques keep increasing as the performance proceeds, presenting the thrilling scene of Miao compatriots who feared no hardship on the migration road, pressed forward indomitably and overcame all difficulties. The Miao lusheng dance "Gunshanzhu", with its bold and unrestrained style, its highly difficult and thrilling movements and its deep cultural connotations, has become a rare wonder of minority folk art, spreading far and wide and renowned at home and abroad. It has repeatedly taken part in art festivals at home and abroad, and has won high praise from Chinese and foreign people and from compatriots of all ethnicities. The tenacious and indomitable national character contained in this dance form is a precious spiritual treasure; it inspires and guides people to keep advancing and never be crushed by difficulties. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "The ring of spears or water bowls": Six spearheads some twenty centimetres long or six brimming bowls set point to point form a ring about seventy centimetres across, around which the dancer leaps and rolls. "The earth-dragon rolling through thorns": Originally called the earth-dragon rolling through thorns, the dance recalls young men who rolled a path through brambles during the Miao migration. "Swallow, inverted post and human pyramid": Combining lusheng playing, dance and acrobatics, its most inventive feats are the Roll, Twin Swallows, Inverted Post and Human Pyramid. "From solo to six or eight": By 1989 the solo had grown into a dance for six to eight performers in plumed caps and embroidered white jackets around the spears or water bowls.
The ring of spears or water bowls
Six spearheads some twenty centimetres long or six brimming bowls set point to point form a ring about seventy centimetres across, around which the dancer leaps and rolls.
The earth-dragon rolling through thorns
Originally called the earth-dragon rolling through thorns, the dance recalls young men who rolled a path through brambles during the Miao migration.
Swallow, inverted post and human pyramid
Combining lusheng playing, dance and acrobatics, its most inventive feats are the Roll, Twin Swallows, Inverted Post and Human Pyramid.
From solo to six or eight
By 1989 the solo had grown into a dance for six to eight performers in plumed caps and embroidered white jackets around the spears or water bowls.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Zhu Ying was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Miao Lusheng Dance, with Nayong, Guizhou as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Miao Lusheng Dance in Nayong, Guizhou: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2006 (batch 1), with Nayong, Guizhou as its declared area, and Nayong County Wen Wu (Feiwuzhi Culture) Management Institute 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
Legend has it that in remote antiquity the Miao ancestors made a great migration; the road was rugged and thorns covered the ground, and the brave Miao young men, in order to open a passage for their elders and fellow villagers, rolled their own agile bodies to force a way through the thorny brush. To commemorate the deeds of these young men, people imitated the way in which they had rolled down the thorns with their bodies, composed it into a lusheng dance, and named it "Earth Dragon Rolling Through Thorns".
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Li Jinying | Danzhai, Guizhou | 02-0379 | Other regional school |
| Yu Guizhou | Danzhai, Guizhou | 02-0380 | Other regional school |
| Wang Jingcai | Nayong, Guizhou | 02-0381 | Same declared area |
| Lanheng | Guiding, Guizhou | 05-2234 | Other regional school |
| Li Guangde | Puan, Guizhou | — | Other regional school |
| Zhu Ying | Nayong, Guizhou | — | 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。