He Wu

01 · Lineage & Regional School

He Wu, Male, Han, from Jian, Jiangxi, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Lantern Dance (Ⅲ-45). The tradition is documented in Jian, Jiangxi. Within the regional tradition and school record of Lantern Dance in Jian, Jiangxi: The lantern troupe of the carp lantern dance is made up of villagers of Pengxia Village, Gujiang Town, Ji'an County. Before the lanterns go out they must first pay their respects at the ancestral hall, and then deliver lanterns house by house through the villages along the Lushui River; the lantern display has a frame tied of bamboo strips and covered with coloured paper, a candle or oil lamp inside, and the body of the fish is divided into segments so that it can be moved. Lantern dance has existed since ancient times; even in the Qing dynasty there are records of "lantern dance" in which characters were danced out with lanterns as props.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for He Wu is anchored in the documented technical standards of Lantern Dance in Jian, Jiangxi. Within the documented technical tradition of Lantern Dance in Jian, Jiangxi: On every festival (especially the Lantern Festival) and during rites such as prayers for rain, sacrifices, and supplications for a good harvest, both court and common people would hold lantern dance performances. In its earliest form, lantern dance was characterized by arranging lanterns into characters; it later gradually developed into a form of folk dance in which colored lanterns are arranged to construct patterns and create artistic settings, and it spread throughout the country. Classified by the shape of the lantern display, lantern dance falls mainly into three types: those imitating animals — dragon lantern dance, lion lantern dance, fish lantern dance, clam lantern dance, butterfly lantern dance and hundred-bird lantern dance; those imitating flowers — lotus lantern dance, chrysanthemum lantern dance and waxflower lantern dance; and other forms such as boat lantern dance, cart lantern dance, cloud lantern dance and embroidered-ball lantern dance. Lantern dance performances are richly varied; they are generally presented at night as group dances on a grand scale. The performers dance as they walk, the formations change constantly, and firecrackers and fireworks are let off during the dance, making the scene a magnificent spectacle. This form of folk dance appears mostly in Han areas, while also being popular in some ethnic minority areas. Carp lantern dance is a performative folk lantern dance passed down in Pengxia Village, Gujiang Town, Ji'an County, Jiangxi Province; its origins and part of its performance content are connected with folk myths and legends. The historical roots of the carp lantern dance can be traced back seven thousand years to the totem "Fish Dance" of the fish clan in remote antiquity. It takes a single ao fish as its head, a green shrimp as its tail and nine carp in the middle, the fish and shrimp uniting closely and advancing with each holding the next one's tail, in the hope of reaching the Dragon Gate that symbolizes a realm of happiness and good fortune. What goes into the carp lantern dance performance is one ao fish that looks solemn and spirited on the outside but is full of affection within, nine lively and nimble golden carp and one naive, playful little shrimp. In order to reach the land of happiness and beauty — the Dragon Gate — they unite closely together and move forward with each holding the next one's tail. On the way they sometimes lose their direction and sometimes fall victim to the enemy squid, but under the leadership of the ao fish they strive bravely and finally reach the Dragon Gate. The movement structure consists of sixteen segments: the ao fish entering the arena, the carp emerging from the cave, single dismantling of the bamboo tower, double dismantling of the bamboo tower, slanted dismantling of the bamboo tower, double slanted dismantling of the bamboo tower, three lantern balls, the floating ribbon, leaping over the rapids, splitting firewood, seeking food, leaping the Dragon Gate, passing through the Dragon Gate, stacking the tower, the coiled dragon and biting tails. The carp lantern dance has an uplifting theme and vivid, graceful artistic images; by seizing on the characteristics of water and the living habits of fish and shrimp, it delicately devises beautiful and varied dance movements, fusing the reality of life with artistic creation. In performance the fish lanterns swim back and forth from time to time and roll up and down from time to time, presenting scenes of fish and shrimp freely frolicking and leaping, and giving the audience a delight to the eye. Every Lantern Festival the people of Gujiang perform the sixteen segments of the carp lantern dance among the villages, in the streets and on the square, in order to pray for good fortune. When performed at night, the artistic charm of the lantern dance is all the more striking. For several hundred years the folk performance activities of the carp lantern dance have sustained the close ties among the people of Pengxia Village along the Lushui River, and have played a positive role in the process by which the Pengxia villagers who migrated and settled in Gujiang emerged from their isolation, interacted amicably with the local residents and were ultimately integrated into local society. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "The sixteen-part structure": The dance unfolds in sixteen linked episodes, from the turtle-fish entering and the carp leaving the cave through tower-building, leaping the dragon gate and biting the tail. "The roles of turtle-fish, carps and shrimp": The cast is one grave turtle-fish, nine nimble golden carps and one mischievous shrimp, advancing tail to mouth towards the dragon gate. "The squid's attack": In the mythical plot the fish lose their way and are set upon by a squid, but led by the turtle-fish they strive on and reach the dragon gate. "Deng Jianmin's new episodes": Deng Jianmin, born in 1963, learned from He Zhenhui in 1984 and combines traditional technique with modern stagecraft to create new episodes.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, He Wu was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Lantern Dance, with Jian, Jiangxi as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Lantern Dance in Jian, Jiangxi: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2008 (batch 2), with Jian, Jiangxi as its declared area, and Jian County Cultural Center (Jian 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

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. Hewu (Jian, Jiangxi) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Hewu · China ICH Official Archive