Awangdunzhu
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Awangdunzhu, Male, Tibetan, from Lasa, Tibet, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Zhuo Dance (Ⅲ-39). The tradition is documented in Lasa, Tibet. Within the regional tradition and school record of Zhuo Dance in Lasa, Tibet: Linzhou County lies to the northeast of Lhasa City, on the upper reaches of the Lhasa River and the basin of the Pengbo River, a place of fine scenery that has produced outstanding people. The Rezhen Quzhuo is divided into two forms, Quzhuo and Lingzhuo. It is a vehicle of Tibet's religious culture, social development history and folk customs; it enriches the spiritual and cultural life of the local people and plays a positive role in promoting national culture and fostering social harmony. The origin of the Rezhen Quzhuo is traced back to Linzhuo in the Epic of King Gesar, and it was continually enriched through transmission by the local community, forming its present appearance; the documented line of transmission has now reached the sixth generation. It grew up in the religious and cultural soil of Rezhen Monastery, the ancestral monastery of the Kadampa school of Tibetan Buddhism: the monastery's Dharma assemblies, offerings and gatherings of devotees gave the Quzhuo fixed occasions for performance, and also allowed its sung texts, melodies and ritual procedures to be preserved over the long term.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Awangdunzhu is anchored in the documented technical standards of Zhuo Dance in Lasa, Tibet. Within the documented technical tradition of Zhuo Dance in Lasa, Tibet: The Rezhen Quzhuo is a traditional zhuo dance passed down in the area around Jiangduo Village, Tanggu Township, Linzhou County, and around Rezhen Monastery in Lhasa City, Tibet Autonomous Region. The content and form of the Rezhen Quzhuo are rather distinctive; its artistic style and charm, its musical vocal style and its performance form all preserve the original character of speaking, singing and dancing. The crisp notes, the broad and resonant sung texts and the magnificent chorus complement one another; the dance movements are rich and varied and highly skilled. The performance sequence of the Quzhuo consists of nine sections: Zhuoquba, Zhuomoquba, Xaduojidian, Naiquerenzhen, Yingquzhuo, Gada Zhaibai, Wenganjue, and Baghen Quluobuzhuidui and Yangjizhuosong. Apart from the first and second sections, whose music, dance and lyrics are the same, the other seven sections mostly differ. Lingzhuo includes six sections, Meibu Seqin, Dongnilaamu, Gujisongjie, Layitangqing, Nuancizamulin and Zhaxi; the lyrics, melodies and dance of each section are different. Basic steps include the qifa step, the level walking step, the tiandianzhuan turn, the double swaying-hand step and the crossed-hands-before-the-chest step. The Rezhen Quzhuo differs from other Quzhuo; with its transverse flutes the whole performance is filled with rejoicing. It pays close attention to the control of the voice, the rise and fall and stress of the rhythmic tempo, and to the articulation of words and enunciation, and it has singing styles of different characters: soft and fine, high and shrill, deep and vigorous, and bold and rustic. Thirty men and thirty women take part in performance. The men's dance movements are graceful and free, their arms rotate at will and the movements of their legs are also broad; the rhythm of the whole dance is sharply marked and its momentum magnificent, fully displaying the masculine beauty of vigour and handsomeness. The women's dance movements are gentler and more flowing, showing the tenderness and dignity of women. In its performance form and artistic style the Rezhen Quzhuo dance blends in the aesthetic characteristics of Tibetan culture, and expresses its primitive, rustic, powerful, vigorous and uninhibited artistic style to the fullest. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "The nine sections of quzhuo": Nine sections run from the opening Zhuoquba to Yangji Zhuosong; all but the first two differ in music, dance and lyric. "The six sections of lingzhuo": The lingzhuo portion has six sections, each with its own words, tune and dance. "Basic steps and hand positions": Its basic technique includes the starting step, level walk, toe-pivot turn, double hand-swing and the crossed hands at the chest. "The transverse flute and its joyful tone": Unlike other quzhuo, the transverse flute gives the whole performance a jubilant air, and the singing ranges from soft to high, deep and rough.
The nine sections of quzhuo
Nine sections run from the opening Zhuoquba to Yangji Zhuosong; all but the first two differ in music, dance and lyric.
The six sections of lingzhuo
The lingzhuo portion has six sections, each with its own words, tune and dance.
Basic steps and hand positions
Its basic technique includes the starting step, level walk, toe-pivot turn, double hand-swing and the crossed hands at the chest.
The transverse flute and its joyful tone
Unlike other quzhuo, the transverse flute gives the whole performance a jubilant air, and the singing ranges from soft to high, deep and rough.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Awangdunzhu was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Zhuo Dance, with Lasa, Tibet as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Zhuo Dance in Lasa, Tibet: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2021 (batch 5), with Lasa, Tibet as its declared area, and Linzhou County Culture and Tourism Bureau (Linzhou County Cultural Relics Bureau) 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 origin of the Rezhen Quzhuo is traced back to Linzhuo in the Epic of King Gesar, and it was continually enriched through transmission by the local community, forming its present appearance; the documented line of transmission has now reached the sixth generation. It grew up in the religious and cultural soil of Rezhen Monastery, the ancestral monastery of the Kadampa school of Tibetan Buddhism: the monastery's Dharma assemblies, offerings and gatherings of devotees gave the Quzhuo fixed occasions for performance, and also allowed its sung texts, melodies and ritual procedures to be preserved over the long term.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suolang | Tibet | 02-0398 | Other regional school |
| Bianbaciren | Tibet | 02-0399 | Other regional school |
| Nima | Qiongjie, Tibet | 05-2242 | Other regional school |
| Awangdunzhu | Lasa, Tibet | — | 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。