Qiangmu
01 · Historical Records
The Linzhi Mina Qiangmu is the branch of Qiangmu performed by laypeople (the common people), and it is transmitted alongside the Qiangmu performed by monastery monks. Every year, on the twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth days of the second Tibetan lunar month, when the spring sowing is finished, and on the twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth days of the eighth Tibetan lunar month, when the autumn harvest is complete, the villages around Linzhi Town and Mirui Township gather to dance the Mina Qiangmu: partly to drive away demons and ward off evil, partly to celebrate the harvest and to pray for favourable weather. It is performed twice a year, closely keyed to the agricultural calendar.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The “Mina Qiangmu” is the Qiangmu danced by laypeople, a folk ritual performed in order to drive away demons and ward off evil, to celebrate the harvest and to pray for favourable weather; it is one of the traditional dance forms of Tibet. Every year on the twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth days of the second Tibetan lunar month (when the spring sowing is finished) and on the twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth days of the eighth Tibetan lunar month (when the harvest has been gathered in), the people of the Linzhi area of Tibet gather together to pray and to bless by holding Mina Qiangmu activities. The Linzhi Mina Qiangmu begins with the “Sakyatun Qiangmu”, that is, the opening dance that purifies the ground. The performers enter from both sides holding broadswords; their movements are awe-inspiring and righteous, the atmosphere is solemn, and it signifies the driving out of evil and the welcoming of good fortune. The formal dance is divided into four great sections: the first is “Qiabapo”, dancing in full dress; the second is “Bogeng Qiangmu”, the dance of the male messengers of the divine realm, which forms the main body of the dance and comprises ten segments; the third is “Mogeng Qiangmu”, the dance of the female messengers of the divine realm, comprising nine segments; and the fourth is the collective dance in which everyone takes part. The Linzhi Mina Qiangmu uses four mask colours — red, yellow, green and white — to distinguish the characters and their cultural meanings. The performers are twenty-four men; the dance formations are circles and crossings; the dancing is rugged and uninhibited, the movements lively and nimble, and the dance as a whole is vigorous and powerful with a complete narrative. Because it is a dance transmitted among the people, its content, form, order of performance, drum patterns, steps and the like all differ from those of the monastery Qiangmu. The Linzhi Mina Qiangmu is divided into “Bogeng” (men’s Qiangmu) and “Mogeng” (women’s Qiangmu, in which all the performers are men dressed as women). The basic movements include the forward-lifted leaping step, the hip-and-leg turning leap, the double stamp with a single lifting step, and so on. Its characteristic lies in the head-tossing movements, such as tossing the head forward and back, tossing it to left and right, and shaking the head. The Linzhi Mina Qiangmu has slow, weighty and dignified movements, but its dance postures are chiefly relaxed and cheerful, free and graceful, and rich in the flavour of everyday life. The programme immediately before the end of the Linzhi Mina Qiangmu is a composite dance (the circle dance).
The Sakyatun purification opening
The dance opens with the Sakyatun ground-purifying piece, dancers entering from both sides with broadswords to drive off evil and welcome auspices.
The four great sections
Four sections follow: the dressed-up Chabapo, the ten-part male messenger dance that forms the core, the nine-part female messenger dance, and a closing ensemble.
Leaping steps, leg turns and head tossing
Basic steps include forward lift-leaps, hip turns and double-stamp single-lift steps, with forward, side and rolling head tosses as its signature.
Bogeng and the cross-dressed Mogeng
It divides into Bogeng for men and Mogeng for women, the latter danced by men in female dress, closing with the circle dance.
Four mask colours for four characters
Red, yellow, green and white masks distinguish the characters, danced by twenty-four men in circle and crossing formations.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
This heritage project circulates mainly in the area of Mirui Township and Linzhi Town, Linzhi County, in the Linzhi Prefecture of the Tibet Autonomous Region; its concentrated area of distribution comprises Nichi Village and Kasimu Village of Linzhi Town and Jiding Village and Gasha Village of Mirui Township, Linzhi County. It is transmitted mainly by the master-apprentice method. The costumes, headdresses and dance movements of the Linzhi Mina Qiangmu have a marked ethnic style and local colour, reflecting the folk customs and manners of Linzhi. They are an important cultural expression of local folk activities, have considerable artistic value, and are of positive significance for transmitting ethnic culture, enriching the cultural life of the local people, and promoting harmony within the community.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Shigatse Zhashenlunbusiqiangmu · Qiangmu · Qiangmu · Qiangmu · Qiangmu · Qiangmu · Qiangmu.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
The seasonal calendar of the Linzhi Mina Qiangmu always begins and ends with the spring sowing and the autumn harvest, and it is one of the grandest music-and-dance occasions in the yearly life of villages such as Nichi, Kasimu, Jiding and Gasha. Because it is a dance transmitted among the people, its content, form, order of performance, drum patterns and steps all differ from those of the monastery Qiangmu; oral transmission from master to apprentice has kept the movements and drum patterns going, but few old performers now master the complete four-section programme.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Lama Ciren 02-0377
- Lama Mima 02-0378
- Baimaqunjiu 04-1565
- Tudanqunpei 04-1566
- Zhaxi 05-2232
- Ciyang 05-2233
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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