Ashuse
01 · Historical Records
Asuse originated in the gourd-pipe song-and-dance of the ancestors of the ethnic minorities of Yunnan; later the bamboo flute, the small three-stringed lute and other instruments were added, forming a traditional music art that unites song, dance and instrumental music. Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, immersed in Han culture, it took in the bamboo flute, the small three-stringed lute and other instruments.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Asuse grew out of the gourd-pipe song-and-dance of the ancestors of Yunnan's ethnic minorities. In performance it is accompanied by the three-stringed lute, the gourd pipe and the flute; the players dance as they play, the rest follow behind them, and all form a circle, singing and dancing as they go. The string modes are the core part of Asuse song-and-dance. They are distinguished by the tuning of the three-stringed lute, and there are three kinds: the hard mode, the soft mode and the triple-string mode. A lead singer followed by a closing chorus is the fixed performing form of Asuse, abbreviated as 'one leads, all join'; the words are vivid and plain and full of humorous wit. In the Asuse hard mode and in matching couplets there is a special polyphonic musical phenomenon, with a strange, archaic sonority and a strong ethnic flavour. Although the melodies differ or the modes vary, in reality the parts stand to the basic tune in a relation of original form, variation or derivation; according to what the content requires, the artists ingeniously ornament the melody with added and varied notes in line with the character of different instruments, so that the melodic line and modal style are decorated richly. The movement of Asuse dance bears a distinct imprint of farming culture and the coarse, uninhibited character of the ethnic minorities, and its dance movements imitate living things. Archaeological material shows that the gourd pipe was already circulating in Yunnan as early as the pre-Qin through the Han and Eastern Han periods. Tang and Song documents already record gourd-pipe song-and-dance, sometimes under the name 'tages', and in folk usage it is called from the point of view of dance 'tiaosheng'.
Hard, soft and triple-string modes
The string modes are the core part of Asuse song-and-dance; they are distinguished by the tuning of the three-stringed lute, and there are three kinds: the hard mode, the soft mode and the triple-string mode.
Solo-lead with chorus
A lead singer followed by a closing chorus is the fixed performing form of Asuse, abbreviated as 'one leads, all join'; the words are vivid and plain and full of humorous wit.
Improvised question-and-answer duets
Improvised antiphonal singing by a man and a woman, locally called 'matching couplets', is the essence of Asuse and the point at which the intelligence and wit of the artists show most clearly; in the Asuse hard mode and in matching couplets there is a special polyphonic musical phenomenon with a strange, archaic sonority.
Ninety-eight village teams
At present Zhengkang County has established 98 Asuse folk song-and-dance teams, and through wedding song-and-dance and participation in public square cultural activities it has continuously expanded the succession team.
Gourd-pipe origins and Tang-Song Tage
Asuse originated in the gourd-pipe song-and-dance created by the ancestors of Yunnan's ethnic minorities; archaeological material shows that the gourd pipe was already circulating in Yunnan as early as the pre-Qin through the Han and Eastern Han periods. Tang and Song documents already record gourd-pipe song-and-dance, sometimes under the name 'tage', and in folk usage it is called from the point of view of dance 'tiaosheng'.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Because most of the closing phrases contain words such as 'Asuse ni qiaozhe', local people call this music form 'Asuse'. In China the item is distributed mainly in Zhengkang County, Yongde County, Gengma Dai and Wa Autonomous County, Fengqing County and Yun County of Lincang City, Yunnan Province, and is shared by the Yi, Han, Lisu, De'ang, Dai and Wa peoples. Improvised antiphonal singing by a man and a woman, locally called 'matching couplets', is the essence of Asuse and the point at which the intelligence and wit of the artists show most clearly. Asuse is a treasure of local folk oral literature and of music and dance art, with deep tradition, rich content and a distinctive style; it combines artistry, appreciation value, entertainment and education. It is a collective activity that many peoples delight in and join widely, it has considerable historical, cultural and artistic value, and it plays a positive role in enriching the lives of the people, promoting social harmony and ethnic unity.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
For thousands of years Asuse has been transmitted mainly by apprenticeship and by community transmission. At present Zhengkang County has established 98 Asuse folk song-and-dance teams; through wedding song-and-dance and participation in public square cultural activities it has continuously expanded the succession team and advanced the protection work on the item.
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)
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