Panjinhai
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Panjinhai, Male, Yao, from Jinxiuyaozuzizhi, Guangxi, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Yao Zhang Drum Dance (Ⅲ-60). The tradition is documented in Jinxiuyaozuzizhi, Guangxi. Within the regional tradition and school record of Yao Zhang Drum Dance in Jinxiuyaozuzizhi, Guangxi: The yellow mud drum dance is distributed mainly in the Ao Yao settlements of Liuxiang Township and Luoxiang Township in Jinxi Yao Autonomous County, Guangxi; it is a Yao long drum dance with strong regional character. The Yao branches of the Jinxi Dayaoshan mountains each live in separate villages; the yellow mud drum dance belongs exclusively to the Ao Yao and forms the core element of local rites such as the sacrifice to Panwang, deity processions and the ordination rite. The Cultural Center of Jinxi Yao Autonomous County is the protecting unit for this item. In the past one mother drum was matched with two male drums; later this developed into one mother drum matched with several male drums. Before the yellow mud drum dance is danced, the drumheads must be coated with yellow mud slurry to tune them. Drums are divided into male and mother types, and an old artist of the village plays the mother drum and holds the tempo of the whole performance; the drum scores and the dance steps are transmitted orally from generation to generation by the master priests. After the autumn harvest the villages invite a master priest to choose an auspicious day for the sacrifice to Panwang, and the dancers, holding male and mother drums in mutual response, dance.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Panjinhai is anchored in the documented technical standards of Yao Zhang Drum Dance in Jinxiuyaozuzizhi, Guangxi. Within the documented technical tradition of Yao Zhang Drum Dance in Jinxiuyaozuzizhi, Guangxi: Dancing the yellow mud drum dance is an important part of the Ao Yao sacrifice to Panwang. The sacrificial rite is usually held after the autumn harvest, generally by one village or jointly by several villages, and sometimes by a single household. Yellow mud drums are divided into male drums and mother drums; the male drum has a long, slender waist and the mother drum has a thick, short one. When the yellow mud drum is beaten, yellow mud slurry is applied to the drumhead to tune it, and the drum takes its name from this. Those who dance the yellow mud drum dance are all men, performing respectively with the male drum and the mother drum. In the dance the mother drum is the axis and the male drums circle around it. Within the dance the beats of the mother drum are the most important, for they govern the rhythm of the whole dance. The male drums are beaten in response to the beats of the mother drum. Therefore the player of the mother drum is usually an old artist of the village. In the course of dancing the yellow mud drum dance, singing of Panwang songs is also incorporated: a song master leads young women in festive dress who, accompanied by several women blowing wooden leaves, sing while walking slowly around the dancing line. The songs recount the origin of the ancestors and scenes of labour life. The yellow mud drum dance has now gradually developed into a staged artistic performance. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Male and female drums": The female drum sets the rhythm at the centre while the longer male drums circle around it in response. "Tuning with yellow clay": Yellow clay paste is smeared on the drumheads to tune them, which gives the drums their name. "The Pan Wang song procession": A song master leads girls in festival dress, accompanied by women playing leaf whistles, singing around the dancers. "The post-harvest Pan Wang rite": The dance belongs to the Ao Yao Pan Wang rites, held after the harvest by one village, several villages, or a single household.
Male and female drums
The female drum sets the rhythm at the centre while the longer male drums circle around it in response.
Tuning with yellow clay
Yellow clay paste is smeared on the drumheads to tune them, which gives the drums their name.
The Pan Wang song procession
A song master leads girls in festival dress, accompanied by women playing leaf whistles, singing around the dancers.
The post-harvest Pan Wang rite
The dance belongs to the Ao Yao Pan Wang rites, held after the harvest by one village, several villages, or a single household.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Panjinhai was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Yao Zhang Drum Dance, with Jinxiuyaozuzizhi, Guangxi as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Yao Zhang Drum Dance in Jinxiuyaozuzizhi, Guangxi: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2011 (batch 3), with Jinxiuyaozuzizhi, Guangxi as its declared area, and Jinxiu Yao Autonomous County 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
Historical origin
In the past one mother drum was matched with two male drums; later this developed into one mother drum matched with several male drums. Before the yellow mud drum dance is danced, the drumheads must be coated with yellow mud slurry to tune them. Drums are divided into male and mother types, and an old artist of the village plays the mother drum and holds the tempo of the whole performance; the drum scores and the dance steps are transmitted orally from generation to generation by the master priests. After the autumn harvest the villages invite a master priest to choose an auspicious day for the sacrifice to Panwang, and the dancers, holding male and mother drums in mutual response, dance.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zhao Minghua | Jianghuayaozuzizhi, Hunan | 03-0938 | Other regional school |
| Panzhensong | Jinxiuyaozuzizhi, Guangxi | 04-1575 | Same declared area |
| Tangqiaoxinergong | Liannanyaozuzizhi, Guangdong | 05-2263 | Other regional school |
| Huang Daosheng | Fuchuanyaozuzizhi, Guangxi | 05-2264 | Other regional school |
| Zhao Xiong | Jianghuayaozuzizhi, Hunan | — | Other regional school |
| Panjinhai | Jinxiuyaozuzizhi, Guangxi | — | 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。