Zhang Yahui
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Zhang Yahui, Male, Bai, from Dalibaizuzizhizhoudali, Yunnan, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Dabenqu (Ⅴ-142). The tradition is documented in Dalibaizuzizhizhoudali, Yunnan. Within the regional tradition and school record of Dabenqu in Dalibaizuzizhizhoudali, Yunnan: Daben qu is transmitted in the Bai areas around Erhai Lake in Yunnan, and is extant today in Dali City, Eryuan County, Binchuan County, Jianchuan County, Heqing County and other places in Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, being most flourishing in Dali City. With regard to its distribution and vocal habits, the folk have a saying that there are three schools: the south school, the north school and the Haidong school. The south school is centred on the Dali and Xiaguan area and its vocal delivery is gentle and mellow; the north school is current along the line of Eryuan, Jianchuan and Heqing; the Haidong school is transmitted on the eastern shore of Erhai Lake. The singing tradition is carried out by two people, one in a long gown holding a flowered fan or handkerchief and singing, the other accompanying on the sanxian; a single table and two stools suffice to begin, while more ceremonious performances raise a stage and set up an incense table. Daben qu is sung in Bai folk activities such as Raosanling and the Benzhu Festival, and in customs such as weddings and funerals and house-building, and is handed down largely by master-disciple succession and by family transmission. It has a long history, originating in the bianwen narrative chanting of the Tang dynasty; by the Ming dynasty it had already matured, and after the founding of the People's Republic of China it received unprecedented development.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Zhang Yahui is anchored in the documented technical standards of Dabenqu in Dalibaizuzizhizhoudali, Yunnan. Within the documented technical tradition of Dabenqu in Dalibaizuzizhizhoudali, Yunnan: Daben qu is an ancient genre of quyi transmitted in the Bai areas around Erhai Lake in Yunnan; it is a form of quyi that developed on the basis of the Bai folk songs of the Dali area. It is now transmitted in Dali City, Eryuan County, Binchuan County, Jianchuan County, Heqing County and other places in Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, and is especially flourishing in Dali City. The traditional performance of Daben qu is carried out by two people: one wears a long gown and sings while holding a flowered fan or a handkerchief, and the other accompanies on the sanxian (a three-stringed lute). Ordinarily a single table and two stools make up the whole performance setting, while a more ceremonious singing requires a raised stage and the setting up of an incense table. As it has developed, a form performed by several people has appeared, and dance-like performance movements are often added to the singing. Its language is standard, insisting on “correct words and rounded tones”; it is generally based on the sung text with narration as an auxiliary. The sung text uses the Bai language and mostly follows the “three-seven-one-five” pattern of the Bai shanhua style, while the narration is mostly in Chinese. Through constant improvement, Daben qu has formed a vocal system of “three vocal styles, nine ban and eighteen diao”. Its accompanying music is plain and rich, the main accompanying instrument is the sanxian, and the xingmu (a small hardwood block struck to mark the beat), the folding fan and the handkerchief are the props commonly used in singing. The content of its sung narratives consists of long-form stories, drawing largely on traditional Han Chinese opera stories, Bai folk legends and the modern life of Bai society, and there is a large body of tunes extolling filial piety and ethical norms. In the singing, the vocal style above all embodies a character's personality and expresses feelings and thoughts, while at the same time narrating the course of events. It uses poetry to express the will and song to expound words, absorbing the rhythms and part of the textual content of Bai folk songs and xiaodiao; it has exerted far-reaching influence in the Bai areas. At the same time, its distinctive musical vocal styles, rhythmic and metrical patterns, intercalated words and accompaniment are of important value for the study of ethnic music, and it forms an indispensable chapter in the national history of the development of quyi. The singing of Daben qu is close to reality, reflects the life of the people, extols filial piety and ethical norms, and has an educating and unifying effect on the people; while strengthening ethnic cultural confidence, it is also conducive to the harmonious development between ethnic groups. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Three modes, nine metres, eighteen tunes": Its mature vocal system sets character and feeling in song while narrating events, the text in Bai and the asides mostly in Chinese. "The San Hua verse form": The verse pattern underlying most texts, which pair song with brief narration and stress clear words and rounded tone. "Raosanling and Benzhu festivals": It is sung at Bai festivals such as Raosanling and the Benzhu rite and at weddings, funerals and house-buildings. "Sanxian, fan and handkerchief": A long-gowned singer with fan or handkerchief performs opposite a sanxian player, at a table or, grandly, on a stage with incense.
Three modes, nine metres, eighteen tunes
Its mature vocal system sets character and feeling in song while narrating events, the text in Bai and the asides mostly in Chinese.
The San Hua verse form
The verse pattern underlying most texts, which pair song with brief narration and stress clear words and rounded tone.
Raosanling and Benzhu festivals
It is sung at Bai festivals such as Raosanling and the Benzhu rite and at weddings, funerals and house-buildings.
Sanxian, fan and handkerchief
A long-gowned singer with fan or handkerchief performs opposite a sanxian player, at a table or, grandly, on a stage with incense.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Zhang Yahui was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Dabenqu, with Dalibaizuzizhizhoudali, Yunnan as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Dabenqu in Dalibaizuzizhizhoudali, Yunnan: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2021 (batch 5), with Dalibaizuzizhizhoudali, Yunnan as its declared area, and Dali City Intangible Cultural Heritage Safeguarding Office 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
It has a long history, originating in the bianwen narrative chanting of the Tang dynasty; by the Ming dynasty it had already matured, and after the founding of the People's Republic of China it received unprecedented development.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zhang Yahui | Dalibaizuzizhizhoudali, Yunnan | — | This page |
| Yangzhenghua | Dalibaizuzizhizhoudali, Yunnan | — | Same declared area |
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。