Ethnic Arts

The 8 Sounds of Buyi: The so-called 8 sounds of Buyi refer to the traditional folk drama performance among Buyi people. They are also called “8-sound singing while sitting”. The performing group consists of 8 to 14 actors and actresses that play such roles as Sheng, Dan, Jing, and Chou, etc without makeup. The drama got its name as 8 musical instruments are used including the leg bones of cows, bamboo-made plucked instruments, vertical bamboo flutes, 3-stringed plucked instruments, gongs, gourds, and short flutes. The 8 sounds of Buyi are usually played at weddings, funerals, and birthday gatherings, upon the completion of new houses, and during festivals. The music for voices shall be sung in the Buyi language and the lines are mostly legends, folklores, stories, and love poems.

Miao Lusheng Dance: As early as during Song dynasty, the songs, dances, and Piaosheng in Yangke were very famous. In ancient times, the Miao people cut gourds into halves and the Piaosheng are gourds. To this day, the Miao people in Anshun still call the dipper-shaped part in Lusheng gourds. Piaosheng are the equivalent of Lusheng. In 995 AD, Yangke area (today’s Zhenning, Guanling, and Zhenfeng) sent a delegation to the court, which was received by Emperor Taizong. The emperor invited the group to put on a musical performance. The history recorded that “one blowed Piaosheng in a low, fine manner. After playing for a long time, dozens of dancers joined their sleeves and started dancing with their feet tapping the ground rhythmically. When inquired, they said that the name of the tune was called the ‘water tune’.” The Miao Lusheng dance in the 38 Miao branches in today’s Anshun is largely in accordance with the description. Besides, there are such forms as Lusheng Gundao (Lusheng-playing skills), Rooster Fighting (Dance Duet), and Lusheng Boxing (martial arts), etc. Lusheng tunes are mostly wordless. People today can only distinguish the ancient from the modern and the happy from the sad tunes, whereas the meaning of them remain largely in the dark.

Dixi is also called sorcerer’s dance. It was derived from the branch of the primitive Nuo dance, Junnuo. This ancient drama variety is popular in the villages in Tunbao and is integrated with drama, sacrifice, and entertainment. The Tunbao people build stages in front of the village entrance or on any vacant ground in the village. The drama tell ancient historical stories, myths, and legends in such classics as Gods of Honor, Civil War between Chu and Han, The Three Kingdoms, Xue Gang’s Revolt against Tang, and The Story of True Loyalty in the rustic, natural form of outdoors performance through singing, reciting, and fighting. The actors wear simple, exaggerated wooden masks on their foreheads, long gowns, and fighters’ skirt around their waists. They have their backs stuck with small banners and hands hold wooden short sabers or long spears. The actors sing in the primitive Yiyang voice in the accompaniment of a gong and a drum. One actor leads the chorus, and the rest follow him. The change in time and place is marked with the entrance and exit of characters. The one step or two on the stage may symbolize thousands of miles, the bamboo whip may stand for advanced weaponry, and the chairs and tables may represent fortresses and high mountains. The illusion is integrated with the reality in the fighting and boxing on the stage, which creates a fierce scene of ancient war. The local drama in Tunbao is called the “living fossil” in drama history for its unique artistic charms.