Ethnic Instrument Making Craftsmanship

Ⅷ-124Traditional CraftsmanshipLazi, TibetBatch 4 (2014)Extension Item

01 · Historical Records

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 · Core Techniques & Process

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.

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.

Stringing

Gut, sinew, silk or metal strings are chosen for their touch and quick decay.

Decorating the head

The finished instrument is carved with a horse head, dragon head, flames or a plain surface.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

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.

04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

The difficulty of this craft lies first in the materials: the birch wood must be elastic, the goat or sheep skin must be taut enough to stretch, and the strings—sheep intestine, beef tendon, silk thread, metal—range from old to new, so the timbre divides into higher and lower according to the selection, judged entirely by the maker's own hands. More troublesome is the human factor: the zhanian qin has always relied on oral transmission, passed household to household; apprentices start with the most basic task of hollowing the sound box, and it takes many consecutive years of making before one dares to carve the head. Yet nowadays Tibetan young people mostly prefer to work away from home, and fewer and fewer are willing to start from the first step.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

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

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

Ethnic Instrument Making Craftsmanship (Lazi, Tibet) · China ICH Official Project Archive

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗

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