Ethnic Instrument Making Craftsmanship

Ⅷ-124Traditional CraftsmanshipKaili, GuizhouBatch 3 (2011)Extension Item

01 · Historical Records

Records of the lusheng can be traced back to ancient texts such as "Chu Ci" (Songs of Chu), "Xin Tang Shu" (New Book of Tang), and "Qianshu" (Book of Guizhou). The prevalence of sheng music in the Qian region has been renowned since antiquity. The Miao people regard the lusheng as a sacred instrument, indispensable to annual festivals, sacrificial rites, and ceremonies to welcome the gods; thus the lusheng pipes are at once an instrument and the sound within a whole set of rituals. Folklore holds that the lusheng brings favorable weather and bountiful harvests, and can also communicate with deities and converse with ancestors—once the lusheng sounds, the channel between the living and the ancestral spirits is opened.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

The lusheng is a multi-reed aerophone beloved by the Miao people. It is used not only for folk entertainment but is also a renowned sacred instrument on par with wooden and bronze drums. Folklore holds that the lusheng brings favorable weather and bountiful harvests, and can also communicate with deities and converse with ancestors. The lusheng has a long history, recorded in classics such as "Chu Ci," "Xin Tang Shu," and "Qianshu." In Xinguang Village, Zhouxi Town, Kaili City, Guizhou Province, live 128 Miao households surnamed Pan, among whom 38 households still work as lusheng craftsmen today. According to the extant family genealogy in Xinguang, this branch of the clan has settled there for nineteen generations, about five hundred years. Generation after generation, the craftsmen have made lusheng using simple tools, locally produced bamboo and wood, and purchased sounding copper, producing instruments of graceful form and fine tone. Xinguang is a widely known "Lusheng Village" and the only place in the country that makes extra-large lusheng that can be played by hand; it was named "Home of Lusheng-Making Art" by the Guizhou Provincial Department of Culture. The traditional Miao lusheng made in Xinguang, Kaili, is a six-pipe lusheng that follows the traditional Chinese pentatonic scale. The reeds of sounding copper produce sound by air vibration, and their pitch is determined entirely by the craftsmen's unique ability to discern tones. The reeds they make by hand enable all the leading lusheng to have absolutely identical pitch; each ensemble of 5–7 lusheng also conforms to the principles of harmony. The secrets and special techniques of Xinguang Miao lusheng-making are passed from father to son and son to grandson, transmitted through the generations; learners can only accumulate experience and gradually comprehend them through practice, relying on their own insight and feel. With clever minds and deft hands, the lusheng they make are not only instruments but also exquisite handicrafts.

Selecting local bamboo and wood

Only local bamboo is used, and which culm is cut decides half the instrument's character.

Boring pipes and fitting reeds

Pipes are bored and fitted with purchased bronze reeds whose length sets each pitch.

Making the bronze reeds

Each reed is thinned until it vibrates without breaking and adjusted by ear alone.

Tuning the six-pipe scale

The traditional six-pipe instrument follows the pentatonic scale of Chinese music.

Matching reed pipes for ensemble

Groups of five to seven instruments combine harmoniously only if their hand-made reeds share one exact pitch.

Making the giant hand-held instrument

The village alone makes giant hand-held sheng, shoulder-carried and played while walking.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

Xinguang is a widely known lusheng village, home to 128 Miao households surnamed Pan, with 38 households still working as lusheng craftsmen to this day; according to the extant family genealogy in Xinguang, this branch of the clan has settled there for nineteen generations, about five hundred years. Most families making lusheng in the village also grow bamboo and raise cattle, and besides selling lusheng they sell sheng tubes and sheng reeds. Ordinary households play small six-pipe sheng, while the extra-large hand-playable lusheng are brought out only for village sacrifices and welcoming ceremonies; the tall-ranked sheng and mangtong are made by separate specialists and are extraordinary. Pan Rouda began learning at age 17, excels at the traditional six-pipe lusheng, and can also make the mangtong and tall-ranked lusheng.

04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

Pan Rouda (from the official archive of the associated inheritor): Male, Miao, born September 1948, from Kaili City, Guizhou Province. Representative inheritor of the fifth national-level batch of the intangible cultural heritage item "Instrument-Making Craft" (Miao Lusheng-Making Craft). Miao lusheng-making technician. He loved playing the lusheng from childhood and showed exceptional skill. He began learning Miao lusheng-making at 17 and excels at making the traditional six-pipe lusheng. The traditional Miao lusheng he makes feature exquisite, elegant craftsmanship, pure and bright tone and timbre, loud sound, and durability, winning uniform praise from his masters and fellow villagers; he can also make the mangtong and tall-ranked lusheng. The lusheng he makes, besides meeting local demand, are sold to places such as Guangxi, Yunnan, and Shenzhen, as well as countries including Germany, the United States, Japan, France, Singapore, Malaysia, and Australia. To protect and transmit the Miao lusheng-making craft, he has taught more than ten disciples and helped villagers become prosperous.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗

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