Meng Ling
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Meng Ling, Male, Yao, from Hechishibamayaozuzizhi, Guangxi, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Yao Zhuzhu Festival (Ⅹ-161). The tradition is documented in Hechishibamayaozuzizhi, Guangxi. Within the regional tradition and school record of Yao Zhuzhu Festival in Hechishibamayaozuzizhi, Guangxi: The Yao are one of the indigenous ethnic groups of Guangxi; Guangxi's Yao population ranks first in China, mainly distributed across six Yao autonomous counties including Bama. In the Hongshui River basin, the long epic Miluotuo, widely circulated in Yao areas, tells a story: the creation ancestress Miluotuo gave bronze drums and a cat to her third son, encouraging him to farm diligently. The formation of the Yao Zhuzhu Festival stems from ancestor worship and nature worship, embodying filial ethics and the pursuit of a better life. Moved by his filial devotion, the Yao people held feasts to give thanks to nature and prayed for blessings and safety, which gradually evolved into the Zhuzhu Festival. After the public memorial ceremony, people strike bronze drums while the “buji” ritual masters chant the Miluotuo epic, recounting her story of creating the world and giving birth to humanity; they exhort the people not to forget the grace of their ancestors, to practice the way of filial piety, and to remember the Yao migration history and the hardworking, unremitting spirit of struggle.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Meng Ling is anchored in the documented technical standards of Yao Zhuzhu Festival in Hechishibamayaozuzizhi, Guangxi. Within the documented technical tradition of Yao Zhuzhu Festival in Hechishibamayaozuzizhi, Guangxi: The Yao Zhuzhu Festival, also known as the “Danu Festival,” the “Yao New Year,” or the “Twenty-Ninth Day Festival,” is one of the traditional festivals of the Yao people living along the banks of the Hongshui (Red Water) River. Held to give thanks to Miluotuo, the ancestress who created the world, to celebrate the harvest, and for socializing and entertainment, it has a history of more than a thousand years. Its core area of distribution covers the Yao autonomous counties of Bama, Dahua, and Du'an in Hechi City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, as well as Yao settlements in Donglan and Fengshan counties of Hechi City, Mashan and Long'an counties of Nanning City, and Pingguo City of Baise City; the festival's activities involve more than 700,000 people. Among them, the Zhuzhu Festival in the Yao villages of Longshan, Changdong, Jiangtuan, and Qiaqiao on Fanling Mountain in Dongshan Township, Bama Yao Autonomous County, is the most grand. In recent decades, Yao compatriots from various places often travel to Bama Yao Autonomous County to celebrate the Zhuzhu Festival together, and this folk custom has a broad and deep mass base. The third son beat bronze drums to drive away birds and beasts and let the cat loose to eat field mice; after finally reaping a good harvest, he held a birthday celebration for his mother and repaid her kindness. Records of Zhuzhu Festival activities appear in historical works such as the Guihai Yuheng Zhi, the Lingwai Daida, the Song Shi (History of Song), and the Baishan Si Zhi. The Yao Zhuzhu Festival is formally held on the 29th day of the fifth lunar month each year. On the occasion, the Yao people commemorate the birthday of Miluotuo, with ritual offerings and prayers, bronze drumming, top-spinning, crossbow shooting, and the singing of xihua songs as the main contents, gathering in celebration for three days; people of the Zhuang, Han, Mulao, Maonan, and other ethnic groups from neighboring villages also take part together. Among these, the ritual offerings and prayers are held on Fanling Mountain: men and women, young and old, dress in festive attire, carry bronze drums on their backs, and bring offerings, while the “buji” — respected local elders — lead the crowd in worshipping heaven and earth and commemorating the ancestress. The “buji” who preside over the Zhuzhu Festival master the ritual protocols as well as the knowledge and performance skills related to ancient songs and bronze drum dances; they are responsible for organizing and carrying out the entire sacrificial activity and are an important inheriting group of the Yao Zhuzhu Festival. The “buji” are selected from among the respected local elders and village elders (zhailao), reflecting the character of the “village elder system,” a traditional Yao social organization, and giving full play to the social function of ethnic community self-governance. The Yao Zhuzhu Festival combines ritual offerings and prayers with the celebration of the harvest, expressing gratitude to nature and advocating an ecological-civilization view of harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature; it is rich in content and distinctly characterized. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "The public offering and prayer": On the twenty-ninth day of the fifth lunar month the people, in their best dress and carrying drums and offerings, follow the revered elder called the buji to honour the sky, the earth and the first ancestors. "The buji reciting the epic": When the offering ends the buji beats the drum and recites the epic of creation, telling the people to remember their ancestors, their duty and the hardship of migration. "Drums, spinning tops and the new year": Drumming, spinning tops, crossbows and ritual song fill three days of celebration; the drum recalls the third brother who was given a drum and a cat and so tilled successfully. "Choosing the buji": The buji must know the ritual order, the ancient songs and the drum dance, and is chosen from respected elders, reflecting the village council system of Yao self-government.
The public offering and prayer
On the twenty-ninth day of the fifth lunar month the people, in their best dress and carrying drums and offerings, follow the revered elder called the buji to honour the sky, the earth and the first ancestors.
The buji reciting the epic
When the offering ends the buji beats the drum and recites the epic of creation, telling the people to remember their ancestors, their duty and the hardship of migration.
Drums, spinning tops and the new year
Drumming, spinning tops, crossbows and ritual song fill three days of celebration; the drum recalls the third brother who was given a drum and a cat and so tilled successfully.
Choosing the buji
The buji must know the ritual order, the ancient songs and the drum dance, and is chosen from respected elders, reflecting the village council system of Yao self-government.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Meng Ling was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Yao Zhuzhu Festival, with Hechishibamayaozuzizhi, Guangxi as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Yao Zhuzhu Festival in Hechishibamayaozuzizhi, Guangxi: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2021 (batch 5), with Hechishibamayaozuzizhi, Guangxi as its declared area, and Bama Yao Autonomous 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 formation of the Yao Zhuzhu Festival stems from ancestor worship and nature worship, embodying filial ethics and the pursuit of a better life. Moved by his filial devotion, the Yao people held feasts to give thanks to nature and prayed for blessings and safety, which gradually evolved into the Zhuzhu Festival.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meng Ling | Hechishibamayaozuzizhi, Guangxi | — | 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。