Guozhuang Dance
01 · Historical Records
The Tibetan guozhuang dance of Diqing is widely distributed in the Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan. Judging from the dancing figures on a Tang-dynasty Tibetan inscription stele unearthed at Jiaozi Village of Shigu, Lijiang, the guozhuang dance has a history of more than a thousand years.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Guozhuang is divided into several kinds, among them the da guozhuang (large guozhuang) used for large religious sacrificial rites, the zhong guozhuang (medium guozhuang) used for folk traditional festivals and the xiao guozhuang (small guozhuang) used for gatherings of friends and relatives; they differ in scale and in function. There are also classifications that divide it into the qunzhong guozhuang (mass guozhuang) and the lama guozhuang (lama guozhuang), and into town guozhuang and farming-and-pastoral-area guozhuang. When dancing, men and women generally each form a semicircle, join hands and make a ring; one person leads, men and women alternate singing question and answer in repeated antiphonal singing, without instrumental accompaniment. The whole dance consists of two sections, the first slow and the second fast. Its basic movements include the leisurely swaying cross-legged tremble, the approaching step with turns and the cross-legged stamping crouch; dancers mainly use the arms — lifting, swinging and shaking them — to change their dance postures; the formation proceeds clockwise, the circles are large or small, and the dragon-swinging-its-tail pattern is occasionally adopted. The most representative Tibetan guozhuang dances of Diqing are those of Benzi Lan Town in Deqin County and of Zhantang Town and Xiaozhongxun Town in Shangri-La City. At Benzi Lan a series of ritual procedures are performed in the form of guozhuang song and dance when receiving guests, with types such as the blessing guozhuang, the driving-the-guest guozhuang, the praising guozhuang, the meeting guozhuang, the farewell guozhuang, the detaining guozhuang, the seeing-off guozhuang and the praying-for-blessing guozhuang; these are very rare in the Tibetan areas of China. Its melodies are divided into four parts: yao, zhuojin, xiazhuo and zhuocao. Shangri-La guozhuang is divided into an old and a new form: cani is the old guozhuang, whose lyrical content and dance-step forms are both archaic and which has a strong sacrificial character, with its own set of movements and lyrics, and is favoured by the religious circles and by old people; casi is the new dance, song and dance newly composed in line with successive eras. The songs, dances and lyrics of Diqing Tibetan guozhuang are all rich; the sung text is organised in units of three lines. Whenever there is an auspicious festival, the completion of a new house or a wedding, men and women, young and old, all gather to dance through the night, expressing rejoicing and prayer for blessing.
Blessing, meeting, praise, farewell and detention dances
Benzilan performs a whole etiquette in dance, with blessing, dismissal, praise, meeting, farewell, detention and prayer dances.
Chani and Chasi
Shangri-La's dances divide into Chani, the old ritual dance favoured by clerics and elders, and Chasi, newly composed for each era.
Yo, Zhojin, Xiazhuo and Zhuocao
The four sections of the Diqing repertoire, sung without instruments in three-line stanzas between men's and women's half-circles.
Swaying cross-leg, turning quick-step, squatting cross-leg
The basic movements of the Diqing dance, whose circle moves clockwise in two sections, slow then fast.
Dongwang dance and the eagle-bone flute
The inheritor Dazhen Qupi knows more than forty melodies, plays the eagle-bone flute and can officiate at weddings, funerals and sacrifices.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Guozhuang dance is also called guozhuo, gezhuang or zhuo, and in Tibetan means circle song and dance. It is one of the three great folk dances of the Tibetan ethnic group and is distributed in Qamdo and Nagqu of Tibet, Aba and Ganzi in Sichuan, Diqing in Yunnan, and the Tibetan settlements of Qinghai and Gansu. Diqing Tibetan guozhuang carries rich Tibetan cultural content; its forms are complete and varied, its regional character is striking, its ethnic style is strong and it has a deep popular base. It embodies traditional humanistic spirits such as friendship and unity, and has high artistic and social value. Diqing guozhuang is most representative in the areas of Benzi Lan Town in Deqin County, Zhantang Town and Xiaozhongxun Town in Shangri-La City, and Dongwang: the guozhuang of Benzi Lan lays emphasis on the ritual procedures for welcoming and entertaining guests; the guozhuang of the Dongwang area is distinguished by its many melodies and lengthy sung texts; and the town guozhuang of Zhantang and Xiaozhongxun draws on the dance steps of both the farming and the pastoral areas. In each place the dance leaders are mostly elderly people with good voices and a strong memory for lyrics.
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04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Dazhen Quapi (as recorded in the official file of the associated inheritor): Male, of Tibetan ethnicity, born in 1931, native of Diqing, Yunnan. Through family transmission Dazhen Quapi mastered the entire content and the stylistic characteristics of Diqing guozhuang dance (Dongwang guozhuang); he can sing more than forty melodies in different modes, can blow the eagle-bone flute and recite and sing words of blessing and praise, and is familiar with the ritual customs of conducting weddings, funerals and sacrifices, making him a well-known local guozhuang artist. His dance postures are dignified and steady, archaic and elegant, warm and full; his singing has a style of low murmuring and light singing, unfolding the narrative gently. Representative inheritor of Guozhuang Dance (Diqing Guozhuang Dance), a national-level intangible cultural heritage project in the second batch. He has trained more than thirty apprentices, including Zhashi Peichu, Duji Peichu and Gerong Qilin. Xu Guilian (as recorded in the official file of the associated inheritor): Female, of Tibetan ethnicity, born in 1944, native of Diqing, Yunnan. Her representative works include Golden Bow and Silver Arrow, The Mute Dance and Peacock Drinking Water. Representative inheritor of Guozhuang Dance (Diqing Guozhuang Dance), a national-level intangible cultural heritage project in the second batch.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Dazhenqupi 02-0369
- Xuguilian 02-0370
- Songjizhaxi 02-0371
- Luosongjiangcun 02-0372
- Angjiacuo 02-0373
- Ade 03-0919
- Bai Manimai 03-0920
- Caiwa 03-0921
- Buzhaxi 03-0922
- Abu 05-2229
- Zerennima 05-2230
- Cideng
- Zhaxicairen
- Qianfuquan
- Tugazeren
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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