Tujia Daliuzi Percussion

01 · Historical Records

Tujia daliuzi in Hubei Province is distributed mainly in Wufeng Tujia Autonomous County, Hefeng County and other places; daliuzi in Hefeng County is further concentrated in most of the villages of Tiehu Township, Zouma Town, and was brought in from another region more than two hundred years ago.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

Tujia daliuzi was formed by the Tujia people in years of hunting, felling timber and reclaiming land; it was at first called striking the “family estate”, and is popularly known as “surrounding the drum” or “drawing the daliuzi”. Tujia daliuzi is performed with one drum, one gong, two pairs of cymbals and one hook gong; the 5 instruments are each played by one of 5 people, and the ensemble is called the “five-piece band”. Locally it is said that “the drum sounds once, the gong twice, the cymbals three times, and the hook gong dots the dragon's eye”. The Hefeng Tujia daliuzi has more than one hundred named tune patterns; at performance time connective tune patterns are used to link several single tune patterns into a linked suite, which is played in alternation. During performance the “bowl-bowl sound”, “lotus-leaf sound”, “sparse blossom” and “crowded blossom” struck out in turn by the mandarin-duck cymbals (that is, the first and second cymbals) form series of melodic phrases, which make up the basic sections of the music. The gong and the mandarin-duck cymbals interweave the music alternately, sustaining the body and the character of the named tunes and clearly revealing the linear structure of gong-and-drum tune patterns, that is, the luogu jing. The drum and the hook gong, by contrast, follow the trend of the sound and play the part of “dotting the dragon's eye”. In performance the players can make full use of changes in speed, timbre, dynamics and metre to link different tune patterns organically into suites, so as to depict many vivid images and a great variety of moods. Many tune patterns are named after the movements of animals, such as Yan Ping Chi, Feng Huang Shan Chi, Long Hu Dou, Ba Ge Xi Zao and Yao Zi Fan Shen; they are vivid in image and carry a certain power of moving the hearer.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

Daliuzi is conducted entirely through the “drum eye” sounded on the drumhead, which cues the performance and shapes the musical mood; for this reason local people call it “surrounding the drum”. According to the different conducting instruments, it is divided into classes such as “rubbing-eye gong and drum” and “drum-eye gong and drum”; “drum-eye gong and drum” is further divided into “civil-pattern drum eye”, “martial-pattern drum eye” and “dianzi drum eye” according to the different changing and cueing tune patterns. Wufeng Tujia daliuzi takes the “five-piece band” as its basic formation, with one drum, one gong, two pairs of cymbals and one hook gong each played by one of five people, conducted entirely by the “drum eye” sounded on the drumhead, and for this reason called by local people “surrounding the drum”. According to the different conducting instruments it is divided into classes such as “rubbing-eye gong and drum” and “drum-eye gong and drum”; “drum-eye gong and drum” is further divided into “civil-pattern drum eye”, “martial-pattern drum eye” and “dianzi drum eye” according to the different changing and cueing tune patterns; the line of Jian Boyuan has served as drum conductor and teacher, and has trained nearly one hundred inheritors in succession and collected and organized more than one hundred daliuzi tune patterns.

Other submitting regions for the same item: Tujia Daliuzi Percussion · Tujia Daliuzi Percussion.

04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

Tujia daliuzi has a long history, abundant tune patterns and a distinctive artistic style; it is closely bound to the life customs of the local people, and has considerable artistic appreciation and academic research value. But as the social economy develops, the way of life of the local people keeps being renewed, and imported culture strikes hard at local culture; the living environment of Tujia daliuzi is no longer in keeping with this traditional folk art form, and the prospects for the transmission and development of daliuzi are worrying. Measures to give it the necessary protection are now urgent. Jian Boyuan (recorded in the official file of the associated inheritor): Male, of Tujia nationality, born in May 1944, native of Wufeng Tujia Autonomous County, Hubei Province. He has been engaged in the art for more than sixty years, and has mastered the various daliuzi tune patterns and the playing techniques of daliuzi instruments such as the drum, gong and cymbals; he is especially skilled in drum conducting, and can use rich drum strokes and gestures to direct the band through its opening, continuation, transition and close, inspiring and coordinating the players. Representative pieces include Shang Tian Ti, Long Hu Dou, Dui Luo Han, Ji Tou, Pu Deng E and Ha Ma Da Zui. He has devoted himself to the transmission of daliuzi, and has trained nearly one hundred inheritors in succession and collected and organized more than one hundred daliuzi tune patterns. Representative inheritor of Tujia daliuzi of the third national-level batch of the intangible cultural heritage projects. He has led his band to win prizes many times in national, provincial and municipal competitions.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

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

• Luo Shibi 02-0299
• Tian Longxin 02-0300
• Jian Boyuan 03-0846
• Yang Wenming 05-2081
• Wang Defang

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

1. Tujia Daliuzi Percussion (Wufengtujiazuzizhi, Hubei) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Jian Boyuan · National Representative Bearer Archive

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗