Zhong Biwu
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Zhong Biwu, Male, Bai, from Sangzhi, Hunan, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Zhanggu Drum Dance (Ⅲ-98). The tradition is documented in Sangzhi, Hunan. Within the regional tradition and school record of Zhanggu Drum Dance in Sangzhi, Hunan: According to local legend, the Zhang Drum Dance was created by the founding ancestors of the Sangzhi Bai — Gu Junwan, Wang Pengkai, Zhong Qianyi and others — after they led their sons and grandsons to flee the wars and settle around Maidiping, Mahekou and other places. The Sangzhi Bai people migrated here from Dali, Yunnan, at the end of the Song and the beginning of the Yuan, and have a history of more than seven hundred years. Before 1949 almost every Bai man could dance the Zhang Drum Dance. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China the Sangzhi Zhang Drum Dance took part in provincial-level art exchange performances, but it was banned during the Cultural Revolution; only when seven Bai townships were established in Sangzhi County in 1984 did this traditional Bai folk dance become active again.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Zhong Biwu is anchored in the documented technical standards of Zhanggu Drum Dance in Sangzhi, Hunan. Within the documented technical tradition of Zhanggu Drum Dance in Sangzhi, Hunan: The Zhang Drum Dance is a men’s collective dance in which the Bai men of Sangzhi hold a zhang drum (a slender-waisted long drum, also written zhang gu) as they perform. It can be seen at the festival celebrations, harvest thanksgiving, deity processions, temple fairs, folk sacrifices and other ritual occasions of the Bai settlements such as Baijia Shanzhai in Sangzhi County. The performers dance to the beat of percussion instruments such as drums, gongs and cymbals. There may be as few as six performers or as many as ten to twenty; onlookers may join in on the spur of the moment, and anyone without a drum may pick up a wooden stick, a tobacco pipe or some other object and dance along. When the dance reaches an emotional climax, the audience keeps shouting “oh ho” to urge the dancers on, and the scene becomes very lively. Only by the early Ming, when the population of the Sangzhi Bai area had increased and the Zhang Drum Dance had developed, did fixed dance sequences such as “thirty-two linked rings” gradually come into being. The Zhang Drum Dance is transmitted mainly in the seven Bai townships of Mahekou, Maidiping, Furongqiao, Hongjiaguan, Zoumaping, Linxihe and Liujiaping, as well as in more than ten townships such as Guandiping and Ruitapu in the outer half of the county. The zhang drum, also called zhang gu, is a slender-waisted long drum; the dancer holds the drum in one hand and strikes it with the other, dancing to the beat of percussion instruments such as the drum, gong and cymbals. When the population of the Sangzhi Bai area increased in the early Ming, the Zhang Drum Dance developed accordingly and complete suites such as “thirty-two linked rings” gradually took shape, with as few as six performers and as many as ten to twenty; onlookers may pick up a wooden stick or a tobacco pipe and join in, and when the dance reaches its climax the audience keeps shouting “oh ho” to urge the dancers on. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "The slender-waisted drum": The zhang drum is a slender-waisted long drum struck with one hand; those without a drum join in with a stick or a tobacco pipe. "The seven Bai townships": It is danced in seven Bai townships and in a dozen further townships such as Guandiping and Ruitapu, the hallmark custom of Sangzhi's Bai communities. "The three founding ancestors": Local tradition credits the founding ancestors Gu Junwan, Wang Pengkai and Zhong Qianyi with creating the dance after settling at Maidiping and Mahekou. "The 1984 revival": After appearing in provincial festivals it was banned during the Cultural Revolution and only revived when the seven Bai townships were established in 1984.
The slender-waisted drum
The zhang drum is a slender-waisted long drum struck with one hand; those without a drum join in with a stick or a tobacco pipe.
The seven Bai townships
It is danced in seven Bai townships and in a dozen further townships such as Guandiping and Ruitapu, the hallmark custom of Sangzhi's Bai communities.
The three founding ancestors
Local tradition credits the founding ancestors Gu Junwan, Wang Pengkai and Zhong Qianyi with creating the dance after settling at Maidiping and Mahekou.
The 1984 revival
After appearing in provincial festivals it was banned during the Cultural Revolution and only revived when the seven Bai townships were established in 1984.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Zhong Biwu was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Zhanggu Drum Dance, with Sangzhi, Hunan as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Zhanggu Drum Dance in Sangzhi, Hunan: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2011 (batch 3), with Sangzhi, Hunan as its declared area, and Sangzhi 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
Historical origin
The Sangzhi Bai people migrated here from Dali, Yunnan, at the end of the Song and the beginning of the Yuan, and have a history of more than seven hundred years. Before 1949 almost every Bai man could dance the Zhang Drum 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zhong Huilong | Sangzhi, Hunan | 04-1584 | Same declared area |
| Zhong Biwu | Sangzhi, Hunan | — | 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。