Xieqin
01 · Historical Records
Namling Tubujia Xieqin originated in the fifth year of the Xianfeng reign of the Qing dynasty (1855), and to the present day it has a history of more than a hundred and fifty years.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
In Tibetan, “xie” refers to song and dance, while “qin” means a grand occasion or solemnity. It combines singing and dancing, and is performed mainly at grand celebrations held to welcome Living Buddhas and high-ranking personages; it is strongly participatory and geared to self-entertainment, and is warmly welcomed by the broad masses of the Tibetan people. Namling Tubujia Xieqin is centred on song and dance; the performance is strongly imbued with Tibetan character, the lyrics are varied — including classical literati verse as well as folk ballads — and the forms of performance are varied. In performance most of the pieces have relatively regular structures and musical forms; the tuning, gestures, melody, rhythm and tempo of each set follow definite rules. The men’s and women’s costumes carry strong local Tibetan character and give a powerful visual impact. Tubujia Xieqin has twenty-five lyrics in all, which are said to have been composed by the eighth Panchen, Danbei Wangqiu. Tubujia Xieqin is performed at set times and on set occasions, and, through its rich and varied lyrical content, its plain and mellow tunes, its solemn and elegant performance and its lively and ordered rhythm, it expresses the fine wish for favourable weather, abundant harvests and the good fortune of everything. Its costumes and props are elegant and solemn, and its mode of expression is plain and mellow.
Tsichu sheqin and the eighth Panchen
Also called Tsichu sheqin, it was created by the eighth Panchen Lama for the ceremonial welcomes along the road to Tashilhunpo and dates from 1855.
The twenty-five song texts
Its twenty-five song texts, said to have been written by the eighth Panchen Lama, mix classical verse with folk song, each suite following fixed modes, gestures, melody and tempo.
Welcomes along the road to Tashilhunpo
Performed at great celebrations welcoming lamas and dignitaries, it prays in grave and orderly rhythm for timely weather, good harvests and universal auspiciousness.
Tsewang Tenzin and the oral record
Born in Namling in 1938, Tsewang Tenzin performs the whole repertoire and, since its revival, has compiled the elders' oral accounts into a full written record.
Costumes and properties
The men's and women's dress carries strong Tibetan colour and visual force, its elegant properties matching the plain, full-bodied manner of performance.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Namling Tubujia Xieqin is also called “Cijiu (meaning the tenth day of the Tibetan calendar) Xieqin”. It was founded by the eighth Panchen, Danbei Wangqiu, and is a special folk dance performed in the grand welcoming and sending-off activities held along the route whenever successive Panchens travelled to their residence, Tashilhunpo Monastery; it is transmitted in the area of Namling County in Shigatse. The excavation and protection of Tubujia Xieqin will have a far-reaching influence on promoting local folk art and on bringing about the coordinated development of the local traditional culture, the economy and society.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Xieqin · Xieqin.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
These folk dance skills are the crystallisation of the wisdom of the working people, contain rich artistic genes, are an extremely precious historical heritage and an important vehicle for studying the religious history, cultural history and aesthetic history of Tibet, and are also of significance for enriching and perfecting research into the history of Tibetan studies. At present this ethnic folk dance has entered an endangered state, with few successors, and is in urgent need of protection and support. Ciwang Danzeng (as recorded in the official file of the associated inheritor): male, of Tibetan ethnicity, born in February 1938, a native of Namling County, Tibet Autonomous Region. He can perform Namling Tubujia Xieqin in its entirety, mastering the structure and musical forms of the performance, including the tuning, gestures, melody, rhythm and tempo of each set. His dance performance is strongly marked with Tibetan national characteristics, and the lyrics he chants and sings are varied, including both classical literati verse and folk ballads. Representative inheritor of the third-batch national-level intangible cultural heritage project Xieqin (Namling Tubujia Xieqin). Since the restoration of Namling Tubujia Xieqin, the oral accounts of the old artists have been recorded and collated into complete written materials, so that it can be protected and inherited.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Suo Langciren 03-0946
- Ciwangdanzeng 03-0947
- Enwa 05-2277
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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