Zhu Yanqing

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Zhu Yanqing, Male, Han, from Xinzhou, Shanxi, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Naoyangsai (Ⅵ-41). The tradition is documented in Xinzhou, Shanxi. Within the regional tradition and school record of Naoyangsai in Xinzhou, Shanxi: The winner lifts the sheep high and walks once around the arena, paying respect to the "deities" and thanking the audience; hence the folk name "Naoyang" (in the Xinzhou dialect, "nao" means to lift up). The Xinzhou area enjoys the reputation of a "hometown of wrestling." Temple fairs in the villages and towns of Xinfu District and Dingxiang, Yuanping, and Wutai regularly set up wrestling grounds, and villages exchange visits through Naoyang contests; the more bouts the wrestlers invited by a temple fair win, the more spectators gather. Locals schedule Naoyang wrestling together with folk activities such as temple-fair opera stages and bayinhui (eight-instrument ensembles), making it one of the liveliest scenes of rural New Year festivals and temple fairs. Naoyang (sheep-wrestling) is a mass sports activity prevalent in Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province. It originated in the second year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming dynasty (1369) and evolved from the traditional "jiaodi" (ancient butting wrestling) of Xinzhou.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Zhu Yanqing is anchored in the documented technical standards of Naoyangsai in Xinzhou, Shanxi. Within the documented technical tradition of Naoyangsai in Xinzhou, Shanxi: According to historical records, temples within Xinzhou regularly or irregularly held grand temple fairs, where "operas were performed to thank the gods and wrestling contests were held to decide victors, becoming a widespread custom." A wrestler who successively threw six opponents in the contest would be rewarded with a live sheep used for sacrifice. Compared with formal Chinese wrestling (shuaijiao) competitions, Naoyang wrestling differs in two main ways: first, the wrestlers do not wear wrestling jackets and enter the arena bare-chested; second, the rules are simple and the referee has little authority, being almost a mere spectator in the arena. Another defining feature of Naoyang wrestling is that there is no time limit. This gave rise to a special term, "ao you" (rendering down fat), meaning that when the two wrestlers in the arena are evenly matched and the contest remains undecided for a long time, the audience's eyelids grow heavy yet they are unwilling to leave — hence the expression "ao you." Folk Naoyang contests often continued until the sky was about to brighten in the east, with spectators, men and women alike, thoroughly engrossed. Naoyang wrestling is usually held on a ground temporarily cleared at a temple fair, market, or village opera stage. The wrestlers go bare-chested, wearing shorts and a belt, barefoot or in soft-soled shoes. Matches typically begin with young wrestlers "opening the bout," with adult wrestlers taking over by stages; winners may stay in the arena for successive bouts, and one who throws six opponents in a row achieves "naoyang" (carrying off the sheep), leading away the live prize sheep on the spot. Because no wrestling jacket is worn and there are no grips to seize, leg tackles, waist holds, and trips become the keys to victory; whoever tackles the legs fastest and trips most accurately can hold the arena for a long time. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Six wins for a sheep": At the temple fairs where opera and wrestling went together, a man who threw six opponents in succession won a live sheep from the sacrifices. "No jacket, so leg holds": Unlike formal Chinese wrestling, competitors strip to the waist and the referee is almost a spectator, so gripping the legs decides the bout. "Boiling the oil: no time limit": Without a time limit, evenly matched bouts are said to boil the oil, the crowd staying till dawn without wanting to leave. "Wrestling at the temple fair": Held at the temple fairs beside the votive opera, it is one of the most popular public events of the Xinzhou countryside.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Zhu Yanqing was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Naoyangsai, with Xinzhou, Shanxi as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Naoyangsai in Xinzhou, Shanxi: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2008 (batch 2), with Xinzhou, Shanxi as its declared area, and Xinzhou Shuaijiaojule Ministry 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

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

1. Zhuyanqing (Xinzhou, Shanxi) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Zhuyanqing · China ICH Official Archive