Yi Sanxian Dance

01 · Historical Records

The Sani large sanxian is current in the Sani Yi area around Shilin Yi Autonomous County. It is a folk collective dance that the Sani people developed by borrowing from the Axi Tiaoyue. Its basic dance step is three steps and a kick of the foot; because the rhythm is brisk and the physical exertion considerable, it is mostly danced by young people, and it is therefore also called "the fast three steps" or "the young people's dance".

02 · Core Techniques & Process

The Yi sanxian dance is a folk dance handed down from generation to generation among the Yi people; in their leisure hours or moments of celebration the Yi will often take it up and dance. Different regions and different branches of the Yi people have different names for the sanxian dance: the sanxian dance current in the Axi Yi area is called the Axi Tiaoyue, while the sanxian dance current in the Sani Yi area is called the Sani large sanxian. The sanxian dance is a group dance in which both men and women may take part, but only the men handle the sanxian when dancing, the women merely step in time as accompanying dancers. The large sanxian dance has a long and far-reaching history; in recent decades it has often been seen at large-scale celebrations and in film and television programmes, and it therefore enjoys fairly high fame nationwide. By comparison, the music and dance rhythm of the small sanxian dance are slow, so it is also called "the slow three steps". Besides these, there is also the account that Sani people danced on ground that had been burnt clear after slash-and-burn burning in order to hurry in the sowing of crops, and that this developed later into the Sani large sanxian. The large sanxian is the principal instrument for the Sani people in entertainment and in the expression of feeling, and it is very simple to make: first a section of toon (Chinese mahogany) trunk is hollowed out into a round, empty body, a goatskin is stretched over one end, then green pine more than a metre long is finely worked into the sanxian neck, and with three medium-gut strings fitted on, the large sanxian is finished. The large sanxian dance is also called "the fast three steps". It is a folk collective dance that the Sani people developed by borrowing from the Axi Tiaoyue; its basic dance step is three steps and a kick of the foot, and in dancing the formations are changed to this step, hence the name "the fast three steps". When dancing the fast three steps, young men handle the large sanxian and are accompanied by the middle flute, the small flute and the whistle. As soon as the flute sounds, the young men play and dance, while the young women, hand in hand, step to the beat of the music and come hurrying over in a straight single-file line toward the young men; both sides take three steps and a kick of the foot and dance merrily, clapping their hands. After the three steps the young women generally turn through 360 degrees; since the exertion is considerable, after four or five minutes of dancing they need a short rest. The fast three-step dance has a brisk rhythm and a ardent, unrestrained mood, and suits young people particularly well, hence the name "the young people's dance", also called "dancing the large sanxian". Every evening the shrill whistle sounds and the metal flutes join in; the compact, urgent string sounds rise rough and orderly, and young men and young women, keeping time with the "1, 3, 5" melody, dance facing each other, treading three steps and lifting one foot, while singing and letting out "ho ho" cries that mingle with the strings and the clapping into a joyful, stirring wave of sound.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

The Yi sanxian dance is divided into the large sanxian dance and the small sanxian dance: young people dance with the large sanxian, so it is called the large sanxian dance; middle-aged and elderly people dance with a smaller sanxian, hence the name small sanxian dance. The Yi people living around Shilin and Qiubei in Yunnan are mostly Sani. It is said that long ago a beautiful Sani girl fled to escape the forced marriage pressed on her by the local chieftain, met a Sani young man on the way, and the two of them took to each other, lit a bonfire and danced around it, taking the fire as their witness and becoming husband and wife; hence the origin of the Sani large sanxian dance. At present every Sani household around Shilin owns a large sanxian, and everyone can dance the large sanxian dance.

Other submitting regions for the same item: Yi Sanxian Dance.

04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

For a long time the Yi sanxian dance, which creates a joyful and harmonious atmosphere, has played a positive role in strengthening group consciousness and promoting ethnic unity; it has been praised by relevant scholars as the "living fossil" of ancient dance, and it has provided a large quantity of precious material of high cognitive value for the study of the origin and development of dance. In order to carry forward the traditional ethnic culture and continue the "grassroots cultural lineage", further measures need to be formulated to protect the smooth development and transmission of the Sani large sanxian dance. Bi Guangming (associated inheritor, as recorded in the official inheritor file): Male, of the Yi nationality, born in November 1948, a native of Shilin Yi Autonomous County, Yunnan Province. Under the influence of his elders and the moulding of Yi traditional culture, he has thoroughly mastered the essentials of the movements of the Yi sanxian dance and has formed his own style. When dancing he is light in bearing and free and unrestrained in his movements, playing while dancing, well coordinated and highly expressive. He is skilled at making ethnic musical instruments, with accurate pitch and fine quality. Representative inheritor of the fifth national-level batch of the intangible cultural heritage item Yi Sanxian Dance (Sani large sanxian). He has taken part many times in the intangible cultural heritage transmission and display activities of the province, the city and the county; the instrumental piece "Nimi Ku" in which he performed won the gold award at the eighth Yunnan Province Folk Song, Dance and Music Presentation. He now has more than twenty apprentices.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

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

• Duan Zhengrong 05-2271
• Bi Guangming 05-2272

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

1. Yi Sanxian Dance (Shilinyizuzizhi, Yunnan) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Bi Guangming · National Representative Bearer Archive

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗