Suolangqiongla

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Suolangqiongla, Male, Tibetan, from Lazi, Tibet, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Ethnic Instrument Making Craftsmanship (Ⅷ-124). The tradition is documented in Lazi, Tibet. Within the regional tradition and school record of Ethnic Instrument Making Craftsmanship in Lazi, Tibet: The zhanian qin spreads most widely in western Tibet, and Lhaze County is the most flourishing among them, long known as the home of duixie: locals must bring the lute when dancing duixie, and a single village often has several zhanian qin, with their sound drifting from several households when one looks up. Further downstream, temple and town artisans in the Ü-Tsang region also make the lute, using largely similar materials; the difference lies mainly in the carved head patterns—horse head, dragon head, flame, or plain smooth—each forming its own school. In the 17th century, when Tsangpa Desi established the Kalba court song-and-dance ensemble in Tsang, he named it the zhanian qin, and this name spread to the folk along with the ensemble's conventions. In the 17th century, when Tsangpa Desi established the Kalba court song-and-dance ensemble in Tsang (western Tibet), he named the instrument the "zhanian qin" (Tibetan six-string lute).

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Suolangqiongla is anchored in the documented technical standards of Ethnic Instrument Making Craftsmanship in Lazi, Tibet. Within the documented technical tradition of Ethnic Instrument Making Craftsmanship in Lazi, Tibet: The zhanian qin-making craft is the handcraft of making the zhanian qin, a traditional Tibetan six-string plucked instrument. It mainly spreads through western the Tibet Autonomous Region and is also found across the broader Tibetan-inhabited areas. Lhaze County of the Tibet Autonomous Region has long enjoyed the reputation of "home of duixie" (Tibetan step-dance); the zhanian qin has a high penetration among the people there, and its making craft is widely transmitted. The zhanian qin is an indispensable plucked instrument in the traditional Tibetan song-and-dance "duixie." Its body is wooden, composed of a gourd-shaped sound box (like a horizontally cut gourd), a slender neck, a semicircular curved head, strings, a bridge, tuning pegs, a plectrum, and a shoulder strap. The head is made of birch wood, with high acoustic elasticity, a smooth fingerboard, and clear fingering; the front of the sound box is covered with goat (or sheep) skin, which improves timbre, volume, and tone; the strings are made of sheep intestine, beef tendon, silk thread, or metal, offering sensitive touch and precise sound response. Zhanian qin-making consists of five basic procedures. First, hollow out a whole piece of wood to make the sound box. Second, make a hollow neck that also serves as a small sound box, and fit the soundboard called the "kaxin." Third, make the "dagu" or "zhuguo"—the zhanian head shaped like a horse head or dragon head—and graft it onto the top of the neck. Fourth, make the zhanian tuning pegs attached to the head, which are semicircular, curve backward, and have a string groove in the middle. Finally, select strings made of various materials including sheep intestine, beef tendon, and silk thread. The special feature of the zhanian qin-making craft is that, for the beauty of the body, after the initial making it is further decorated by carving shapes such as horse heads, dragon heads, flames, and smooth heads, giving it high recognizability. The zhanian qin has a long history, wide spread, and distinctive features; it can be traced back to the Tubo period around the 8th century, and is one of the representative traditional Tibetan instruments, occupying a very important place in the accompaniment of Tibetan songs and dances, especially in western Tibet (Tsang). Its making craft has always been transmitted orally and heart-to-heart from generation to generation. As one of the traditional making crafts of representative Tibetan folk instruments, the zhanian qin-making craft has a complex process and exquisite workmanship; it is an important carrier of Tibetan ethnic handicraft and ethnic music, embodies ethnic wisdom and creativity, and reflects the emotional aspirations and aesthetic pursuits of local people, with high historical, artistic, and socio-cultural value. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Hollowing the soundbox from one log": A single log is hollowed into the gourd-sectioned box, walls even in thickness. "Making the neck and panel": A slender hollowed neck with its small secondary resonator is fitted with the panel called ka xin. "Splicing on the dago head": A horse- or dragon-head carved from birch is spliced to the top of the neck. "Making pegs and the string slot": Curved-back pegs with carved slots fit the string gauge and turn smoothly.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Suolangqiongla was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Ethnic Instrument Making Craftsmanship, with Lazi, Tibet as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Ethnic Instrument Making Craftsmanship in Lazi, Tibet: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2014 (batch 4), with Lazi, Tibet as its declared area, and Lazi County Culture and Tourism Bureau (Lazi County Cultural Relics Bureau) 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. Suolangqiongla (Lazi, Tibet) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Suolangqiongla · China ICH Official Archive