Guozhuang Dance
01 · Historical Records
In 2001 Qamdo County was named Hometown of Guozhuang Art by the People's Government of the Tibet Autonomous Region.
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. Qamdo County lies where the provinces of Sichuan, Tibet and Yunnan meet in the eastern part of the Tibet Autonomous Region; it is the centre of Khampa culture and also the famous birthplace of the guozhuang. Judging from the lyrics and folk legends of the Qamdo guozhuang, Qamdo guozhuang already existed as early as the Tubo period. In Tibet, Qamdo guozhuang is widely circulated. On festivals, celebrations and wedding occasions, men and women gather in the squares and in the courtyards, form a circle and sing and dance as they go, moving clockwise. The men wear loose wide trousers, while the women take the right sleeve of their robe off and drape it behind them; men and women stand on each side, join hands in a ring, and sing in alternating groups. Usually the men begin the song and the women follow with the response; the singing is resonant and penetrating, and the dancers move round the circle to the music with the arm-flinging trembling stamping step. When a stanza of song is finished, everyone lets out a single cry of "ya" (an onomatopoeia), the tempo suddenly quickens, and they throw out their arms, turn sideways, twist their waists and leap into big sliding strides, waving their sleeves and singing and dancing as they run, jump and change their movements. The men's movements have a large amplitude, both arms outstretched like a powerful eagle circling and soaring; the women's movements have a smaller amplitude, their toe-steps and turns like a phoenix flapping its wings, showing a vigorous, bright and lively character. In the centre of the dance circle are usually placed barley wine and khata scarves; when the dance is over an elder or the organiser presents the fine wine and the khata, and the brotherly and sisterly affection of the participants is thereby elevated. The movements of Qamdo guozhuang mostly imitate the forms of animals, such as the fierce tiger descending the mountain, the eagle circling, the peacock spreading its tail and wild beasts at play; its performance stresses the emotional variation and expressiveness of the postures. The rhythm of Qamdo guozhuang changes three times in succession during a performance: in the prelude it is enough for the dancer simply to take up the proper position and alternate slow steps, for the steps are very light and not forceful; after the prelude it gradually enters slow-tempo dance, and finally enters the fast-tempo dance stage that best embodies the rugged and uninhibited character of the zhuo dance, at which point the dancers' emotion reaches its climax and the scene becomes extremely lively. The art of Qamdo guozhuang fully expresses the national character of the Tibetan people — their love of life, their love of labour, their warm and unrestrained temperament — and displays a beauty of strength and a sense of national pride.
Farming, pastoral and monastic dances
Qamdo dances divide into farming, pastoral and monastic types, with movements either slow and expansive or rapid and fervent.
Tiger descending, eagle circling, peacock spreading its tail
Movements imitating animals; the men's wide arm sweeps suggest an eagle circling in flight.
Prelude, slow and fast sections
The rhythm changes three times, from a light stepping prelude through a slow section to the fast, uninhibited climax.
Swinging arms with trembling steps
Dancers circle with swinging arms and trembling steps, then cry 'ya', quicken and leap with sleeves flying.
Barley wine and scarves
Barley wine and scarves are placed at the centre of the circle and offered by elders when the dancing ends.
The Khampa culture festival
The inheritor Songji Zhaxi organises residents to perform the dance each year at the Khampa culture festival.
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. Qamdo guozhuang can be divided into three main categories: farming-area guozhuang (including the towns), pastoral-area guozhuang and temple guozhuang. Its movements can broadly be divided into two types, one with slow rhythm and extended, graceful dance postures, the other with an urgent, quick rhythm and a lively, uninhibited dance.
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04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Songji Tashi (as recorded in the official file of the associated inheritor): Male, of Tibetan ethnicity, born in 1938, native of Qamdo, Tibet. Songji Tashi has loved folk dance since childhood; he is the most famous guozhuang artist in the town of Qamdo, and every year at the Khampa Culture and Art Festival he organises residents to perform guozhuang, so that Qamdo guozhuang dance is well inherited and developed. Representative inheritor of Guozhuang Dance (Qamdo Guozhuang Dance), a national-level intangible cultural heritage project in the second batch. Luosong Jiangcun (as recorded in the official file of the associated inheritor): Male, of Tibetan ethnicity, born in 1937, native of Qamdo, Tibet. The guozhuang dance performed by Luosong Jiangcun strengthens the rhythm and melody of traditional dance and increases the aesthetic appeal of guozhuang dance. His representative works include Blessing Qamdo, Ga Qamdo and Praise of the Dress of Princess Wencheng. Representative inheritor of Guozhuang Dance (Qamdo 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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