Boyisi
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Boyisi, Male, Nu, from Fugong, Yunnan, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Nu Dabiya Dance (Ⅲ-129). The tradition is documented in Fugong, Yunnan. Within the regional tradition and school record of Nu Dabiya Dance in Fugong, Yunnan: The dabiya dance has as its core of transmission the Nu villages of Fugong County, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, and is especially concentrated around Pihe Nu Township. Owing to differences in geographical position and language, the fingering, dance steps and musical tunes on the east bank and the west bank of the river differ slightly. Fugong County lies in the middle reaches of the Nu River canyon, and the Nu villages within its territory are scattered over the high mountain terraces on both banks of the river; subjects such as the land-seeking dance, the cutting of foxtail millet and the hunt in the dance repertoire draw precisely on this. The dabiya was originally played with three strings and later developed into a four-string instrument; it has twelve tunings and can play Nu folk melodies of different content. Examples include the "First, Second and Third Land-Seeking Dances", which reflect the continual migration of the Nu ancestors; the "Arm-and-Hip Dance" (the "Hand Dance") and the "Birth Dance" of a man giving birth, which reflect the marriage customs of matrilineal society; the "Ancient War", which depicts the defence of the homeland; the "Two-Person Dabiya Dance", which presents the love of the Nu creation-epoch ancestors Zhafusai and Zhafuma; the "Lover-Seeking Dance" and the "Lovers' Elopement Appointment Dance", which reflect love; the "Wild Vegetable Seeking Dance", the "Cutting Foxtail Millet Dance", the "Hunting Dance", the "Digging Dance", the "Lac Tapping Dance" and the "Breaking Corn Dance", which reflect production and life; the "Hen Laying an Egg Dance", the "Riverbank Duck Dance", the "Crow Drinking Water Dance", the "Dog Peeing Dance" and the like, which imitate animals; and the "Odede Dance", whose chief feature is singing, among others.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Boyisi is anchored in the documented technical standards of Nu Dabiya Dance in Fugong, Yunnan. Within the documented technical tradition of Nu Dabiya Dance in Fugong, Yunnan: The Nu dabiya dance is a traditional form of dance expression named after the musical instrument "dabiya"; it is one of the representative dances of the Nu people and is circulated among Nu villages in Fugong County, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province. Fugong County of Yunnan Province lies in the Nu River canyon. Owing to differences of geographical position and language, the dabiya dances of the east bank and the west bank differ slightly in their fingering, dance steps and musical tunes, and they are transmitted from father to son, within the family, or from master to disciple. The "dabiya" is the traditional plucked string instrument of the Nu people. Shaped like a pipa or a sanxian, it has a clear, soft and bright timbre, a well-marked rhythm, and a rich, expressive repertoire of tunes. The Nu dabiya dance is played and danced at the same time, and its content largely reflects the production and living habits of the Nu people; it also imitates the forms and sounds of animals and the way of life of the Nu ancestors on both banks of the Nu River. It is rich in expression and broad in subject matter. All of these are presented through the combination of dance movements with accompaniment on the dabiya. The Nu dabiya dance is characterised by flexing and extending both knees, turning the body left and right, sending the hips out to left and right, and footwork of stamping, pointing, rubbing and hooking. Its bouncing and jumping place strict demands on the action of both knees, which must flex and extend evenly and with resilience, and they stress the agility of the knee joints. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Dabiya, the four-string lute": The dabiya, a four-string plucked lute resembling the pipa, gave its name to the dance and supplies its melody. "Twelve tunings": Twelve tunings yield the different tunes to which the dancer plays and steps at once. "The land-seeking dances": The first, second and third land-seeking dances record ancestral migrations, alongside the ancient war dance of defending the homeland. "The arm-and-hip dance and the birth dance": The arm-and-hip dance of maternal custom and the birth dance performed by a man preserve memories of early marriage forms.
Dabiya, the four-string lute
The dabiya, a four-string plucked lute resembling the pipa, gave its name to the dance and supplies its melody.
Twelve tunings
Twelve tunings yield the different tunes to which the dancer plays and steps at once.
The land-seeking dances
The first, second and third land-seeking dances record ancestral migrations, alongside the ancient war dance of defending the homeland.
The arm-and-hip dance and the birth dance
The arm-and-hip dance of maternal custom and the birth dance performed by a man preserve memories of early marriage forms.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Boyisi was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Nu Dabiya Dance, with Fugong, Yunnan as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Nu Dabiya Dance in Fugong, Yunnan: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2014 (batch 4), with Fugong, Yunnan as its declared area, and Fugong 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
The dabiya was originally played with three strings and later developed into a four-string instrument; it has twelve tunings and can play Nu folk melodies of different content. Examples include the "First, Second and Third Land-Seeking Dances", which reflect the continual migration of the Nu ancestors; the "Arm-and-Hip Dance" (the "Hand Dance") and the "Birth Dance" of a man giving birth, which reflect the marriage customs of matrilineal society; the "Ancient War", which depicts the defence of the homeland; the "Two-Person Dabiya Dance", which presents the love of the Nu creation-epoch ancestors Zhafusai and Zhafuma; the "Lover-Seeking Dance" and the "Lovers' Elopement Appointment Dance", which reflect love; the "Wild Vegetable Seeking Dance", the "Cutting Foxtail Millet Dance", the "Hunting Dance", the "Digging Dance", the "Lac Tapping Dance" and the "Breaking Corn Dance", which reflect production and life; the "Hen Laying an Egg Dance", the "Riverbank Duck Dance", the "Crow Drinking Water Dance", the "Dog Peeing Dance" and the like, which imitate animals; and the "Odede Dance", whose chief feature is singing, among others.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boyisi | Fugong, Yunnan | — | 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。