Renzengwangmu
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Renzengwangmu, Female, Tibetan, from Zhada, Tibet, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Xuan Dance (Ⅲ-80). The tradition is documented in Zhada, Tibet. Within the regional tradition and school record of Xuan Dance in Zhada, Tibet: Its origins can at present be traced back to the period of the ancient Zhangzhung civilization; it was further developed during the period of the Guge kingdom, and it has a history of more than a thousand years up to the present.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Renzengwangmu is anchored in the documented technical standards of Xuan Dance in Zhada, Tibet. Within the documented technical tradition of Xuan Dance in Zhada, Tibet: Xuan dance is a folk dance peculiar to Tibet, current mainly in the canyon areas on the China-India border within Zanda County. Traces of xuan dance are clearly preserved in the murals of the main hall of the Red Temple at the Guge ruins; the murals show a grand ceremonial occasion held by the king of Guge to welcome Master Atisha, in which ten women dressed in brilliant costumes are dancing xuan dance. Historical records show that in 1042 xuan dance was performed as a ritual dance at the ceremony welcoming Master Atisha at Toling Monastery. Guge xuan dance is said to comprise the “Thirteen Xuan Dances”; together with folk xuan dance it is collectively called “Guge xuan dance”, a traditional dance that combines speech, singing and dancing. As a ritual dance, xuan dance may only be performed at a specified time and place, by specified performers wearing specified costumes; it may not be performed in ordinary folk settings. Besides the “Thirteen Xuan Dances”, other forms of xuan dance performance are still current in places such as Diya, Chulunsongjie and Sharang within Zanda County, Ngari, Tibet Autonomous Region. In performance one male dancer holds a hide drum, while the female dancers link their arms and, moving to the xuan dance steps, sing as they dance, changing their formations along “dragon-body” lines. The dance is strongly rhythmic, beginning slowly and quickening by degrees, and it carries the steady style peculiar to the Guge region. The singing that goes on at the same time as the dance is rich in content and strongly rhythmic. Usually one person begins the song and the others take up the singing, and then they move their steps forward, backward, left and right in a counterclockwise direction to the rhythm of the song. There is no limit on the number of performers; there are thirteen tunes in all, and performing all of them takes ten days and ten nights. Guge xuan dance combines speech, singing and dancing in one, and is highly rewarding to watch. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "The dance in the Red Temple murals": Murals in the Red Temple at the Guge ruins show ten richly dressed women dancing Xuan at a grand reception. "A ceremonial dance at Tholing": In 1042 it was performed as a ceremonial dance at Tholing monastery for Atisha, restricted ever after to set occasions. "Thirteen items over ten days": The thirteen items would take ten days and nights in full; a drummer leads women linked arm in arm in serpentine formations. "Zhuoga": Zhuoga, born in Zhada in 1932, alone holds the full lyrics and steps and recorded a complete video set.
The dance in the Red Temple murals
Murals in the Red Temple at the Guge ruins show ten richly dressed women dancing Xuan at a grand reception.
A ceremonial dance at Tholing
In 1042 it was performed as a ceremonial dance at Tholing monastery for Atisha, restricted ever after to set occasions.
Thirteen items over ten days
The thirteen items would take ten days and nights in full; a drummer leads women linked arm in arm in serpentine formations.
Zhuoga
Zhuoga, born in Zhada in 1932, alone holds the full lyrics and steps and recorded a complete video set.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Renzengwangmu was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Xuan Dance, with Zhada, Tibet as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Xuan Dance in Zhada, Tibet: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2008 (batch 2), with Zhada, Tibet as its declared area, and Zhada County Culture Tourism He Sports 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
Its origins can at present be traced back to the period of the ancient Zhangzhung civilization; it was further developed during the period of the Guge kingdom, and it has a history of more than a thousand years up to the present.
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
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。