Pulanguoerzi
01 · Historical Records
Guoerzi is transmitted in Pulan County of the Ali Prefecture. It is a song-and-dance form depicting the battles of ancient Tibetan soldiers, and the time of its performance is fixed to the two religious festivals of Xide Monastery in Pulan County: the eighth day of the waning moon of the second Tibetan month each year is called the small "Cijie" and the ninth day the great "Cijie". The small "Cijie" is a rehearsal, presenting only six sections to an audience of at most thirty or forty, most of them the performers' families; the great "Cijie" is the formal performance, with an audience of more than three hundred and twenty sections presented in all, the programme content revolving around the founding history of Xide Monastery, with Guoerzi placed in the eleventh section. The song and dance itself has four levels: the opening is slow in tempo, accompanied mainly by drums; it is followed by a slow-tempo song and dance whose lyrics praise the images of the sun, moon, stars, eagles and soldiers; then the tempo quickens and the lyrics explain the origin and use of the armour worn by the dancers and the shields and swords they hold; the ending is a supple, fast-tempo song and dance praising the soldiers.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Guoerzi is transmitted in Pulan County of the Ali Prefecture; it is a song-and-dance form depicting the battles of ancient Tibetan soldiers. The eighth and ninth days of the waning moon of the second Tibetan month each year (called the small "Cijie" and the great "Cijie") are two important religious festivals of Xide Monastery in Pulan County, and Guoerzi is performed during this period. At the small "Cijie" there is one rehearsal presenting six sections, with Guoerzi as the last section. At the rehearsal the audience numbers at most only thirty or forty, and most of them are the performers' family members. The great "Cijie" is the formal performance, with an audience of more than three hundred. On that occasion twenty sections are performed, and the programme content unfolds around the founding history of Xide Monastery. Of these, Guoerzi is the eleventh section. The song-and-dance performance of Guoerzi has four levels: 1. at the opening the tempo is slow, accompanied mainly by drums; 2. a slow-tempo song and dance whose lyrics mainly praise such images as the sun, moon, stars, eagles and soldiers; 3. a faster song-and-dance section whose lyrics mainly explain the origin and use of the armour worn by the dancers and the shields and swords they hold, displaying and praising weapons; 4. the ending, a fast-tempo song and dance with nimble dance movements, mainly expressing praise of the soldiers.
The lesser and greater Tseje
The eighth day of the waning second lunar month is the lesser Tseje, a rehearsal of six sections, and the ninth the greater Tseje, a full performance of twenty sections.
The four layers of the dance
It unfolds in four layers: a slow drum-led opening, a slow section praising sun, moon, stars and eagles, a faster passage on armour and weapons, and a brisk closing in praise of soldiers.
The monastery's founding history
The twenty sections of the greater Tseje recount the founding of Xide monastery, and the Guerzi dance forms its eleventh and most martial passage.
Armour, shield and sword
Dancers wear armour and carry shield and sword while the lyrics explain the origin and use of each item, keeping the image of the ancient warrior alive.
Dancheng Yixi
Dancheng Yixi, born in 1959 in Purang, has led the singing of the Guerzi dance since 2000 and knows the lyrics and melodies thoroughly.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Pulan Guoerzi takes Pulan County of the Ali Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, as its centre of transmission; protection is undertaken by the Ali Prefecture Mass Art Centre, and the performances are organised around the two "Cijie" festivals held by Xide Monastery in the second Tibetan month of each year. Pulan County lies in the Kongque (Peacock) River valley in southern Ali and was the passage between ancient Ali and Nepal and India; the props such as armour, shields and swords in Guoerzi and the lyrics praising soldiers still preserve the appearance of the ancient Tibetan military song and dance. Most of the performers are Tibetan men from around Xide Monastery; the lyrics are transmitted in Tibetan, and the lead singer sets the opening of each piece. Dancheng Yixi has been the lead singer of the local Guoerzi dance since 2000.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Pulan Guoerzi not only has unique artistic and aesthetic value but is also precious living material for the study of traditional Tibetan culture. Dancheng Yixi (official archival record of the associated inheritor): Male, Tibetan ethnicity, born in March 1959, from Pulan County, Tibet Autonomous Region. He has served as the lead singer of the local Guoerzi dance since 2000. He remembers the lyrics clearly, is skilled with the tunes and has a deep command of singing; he is thoroughly familiar with the religious rites and prayers in the dance and highly skilled in the dance steps. Representative inheritor of Pulan Guoerzi, a national-level intangible cultural heritage project in the fifth national-level batch.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Danchengyixi 05-2291
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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