Li Zhengyun

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Li Zhengyun, Male, Miao, from Leishan, Guizhou, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Miao Yinshi Forging Craftsmanship (Ⅷ-40). The tradition is documented in Leishan, Guizhou. Within the regional tradition and school record of Miao Yinshi Forging Craftsmanship in Leishan, Guizhou: Silver ornaments are the traditional adornment most favored by the Miao, used mainly to decorate women. They come in many varieties, divided into head ornaments, face ornaments, neck ornaments, shoulder ornaments, chest ornaments, waist ornaments, arm ornaments, foot ornaments, hand ornaments, and so on. Coordinated with one another, they achieve a perfectly integrated decorative effect. The line of transmission in Leishan can be seen through its master-apprentice relationships: a silversmith began learning the craft from his father at thirteen, completed his apprenticeship and began traveling to practice his art at fifteen, and with his apprentices traveled almost all over Guizhou, reaching as far as Guangxi and Hunan. The three settlements of Kongbai, Maliao, and Wugao in Xijiang Town are where artisan households cluster, so the custom of comparing and copying one another's designs is especially strong, and new techniques tend to spread first among these villages.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Li Zhengyun is anchored in the documented technical standards of Miao Yinshi Forging Craftsmanship in Leishan, Guizhou. Within the documented technical tradition of Miao Yinshi Forging Craftsmanship in Leishan, Guizhou: The silver phoenix crown and silver flower hat are the principal ornaments of the headpiece and the very head of the entire silver-adornment series, long praised as "dragon head and phoenix tail." Their construction is quite complex, employing no fewer than 150 and as many as over 200 small components, and they are extremely valuable. Miao silver ornaments are exquisite and beautiful, with the work of Leishan County in Guizhou Province and Fenghuang County in Hunan Province regarded as representative. In Leishan, the silversmiths are concentrated mainly in Kongbai, Maliao, and Wugao of Xijiang Town. The forging of silver ornaments is a craft unique to the Miao people; every piece is made entirely by hand. The designs and structures of the silver ornaments are the result of the artisans' careful planning. From drafting through carving and manufacturing, there are thirty process steps, including smelting and casting, hammering, soldering, knotting, and washing—all executed at an exceedingly high level of craftsmanship. The craft of making Miao silver ornaments has a long history. It passed successively through stages of evolution—from primitive ornaments to decorations of rock and shell, and from botanical and floral ornaments to gold and silver ornaments. Handed down through the generations, it gave rise to silver ornaments whose patterns and forms became essentially fixed, yet whose varieties and styles continue to be renewed to this day. The resulting chain of ornaments has become one of the symbols of the Miao society's evolution. Miao silver ornaments carry rich and varied cultural meaning; from their varieties and pattern designs to the construction of their motifs and their assembly, they display a very high cultural refinement. In their interactions with the outside world, the Miao people present silver ornaments as gifts to friends, treasuring them as much as the Tibetan khata and the Han people's jewelry. The creative craft of Miao silver ornaments fully embodies the Miao people's intelligent, capable, ingenious, kind, and friendly national character. Silver ornaments are pure white and lovely, flawless and untainted, and hard in substance—precisely a manifestation of the Miao people's spiritual qualities. For a long time Miao silver ornaments circulated only within Miao regions, but since the Reform and Opening-up their prospects for development have looked promising. However, the forging craft is generally transmitted within the family, so the best pupils cannot be chosen to receive it. Most of the original artisans are now aged, and few can truly inherit this exquisite craft of silver forging. The prospects for this distinctive skill are therefore less than optimistic, and it is necessary to strengthen protective efforts. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Documented Process Steps": The designs and structures of the silver ornaments are the result of the artisans' careful planning. From drafting through carving and manufacturing, there are thirty process steps, including smelting and casting, hammering, soldering, knotting, and washing—all executed at an exceedingly high level of craftsmanship.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Li Zhengyun was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Miao Yinshi Forging Craftsmanship, with Leishan, Guizhou as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Miao Yinshi Forging Craftsmanship in Leishan, Guizhou: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2006 (batch 1), with Leishan, Guizhou as its declared area, and Leishan 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

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. Lizhengyun (Leishan, Guizhou) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Lizhengyun · China ICH Official Archive