Mali - Representative Inheritor of Tengchong Yangqin Project in Tengchong City, Baoshan 

Ma Li (1962– ) is a provincial-level representative inheritor of Tengchong Yangqin (腾冲扬琴), a traditional musical art form from Guanyintang Community (观音塘社区), Tengyue Town (腾越镇), Tengchong City (腾冲市), Baoshan (保山市), Yunnan Province (云南省). Her artistic career spans the critical period when this Western Yunnan performing art transitioned from traditional to modern forms. Known for her “Golden Voice Yangqin”, Ma Li has elevated Tengchong Yangqin from teahouse performances to a nationally recognized intangible cultural heritage icon through vocal innovation, talent cultivation, and cultural tourism integration.

I. Artistic Heritage and Innovations

Born into a Hui Muslim family in Tengchong (腾冲), Ma Li was immersed in the multicultural environment of Western Yunnan from an early age.

• Early Training: In 1978, she joined the Tengchong Lantern Opera Troupe (腾冲县花灯剧团) and systematically studied traditional performing arts.

• Mentorship: In 1994, she became a disciple of Li Chungui (李春贵), a master of Tengchong Yangqin, inheriting the three core vocal systems: Yang Diao (阳调), Daoqing (道情), and Sanban (三板).

Her singing style combines the high-pitched “Hua’er” folk melodies of the Hui people with the gentle silk-string techniques of Han music, particularly excelling in modern pieces like Flowers of Border Trade (《边贸之花》) and Tengchong Is a Great Place (《腾冲是个好地方》). China Quyi Chronicle (《中国曲艺志》) praised her for “preserving the most authentic rustic charm of Yangqin.”

Vocal Innovations

Ma Li pioneered the “Separated Playing and Singing” technique, using:

• Left hand: bamboo sticks to strike Yangqin strings

• Right hand: mallets to produce layered melodies

She also fused Tengchong dialect with Mandarin to create new works such as Secretary Ninuo Pa (《支书尼努葩》), reflecting frontier development. This piece won the Performance Award at Yunnan’s Second Traditional Drama & Quyi Festival.

II. Transmission and Education

Ma Li established a multi-layered inheritance system: professional troupe + schools + community.

1. Professional Troupe Development

As a core member of Tengchong Ethnic Cultural Work Team (腾冲市民族文化工作队), she has trained over 10 core inheritors, including He Xiuming (贺秀明) and Yang Jing (杨憬), with three winning city-level competitions, forming an intergenerational talent pipeline.

2. School Programs

Partnering with Tengyue Town Central Primary School (腾越镇中心小学), she adapted traditional pieces like Wamula (《挖木拉》) into classroom exercises, training over 200 young inheritors. This teaching model has been recognized as an Excellent Case of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Yunnan Schools (云南省非遗进校园优秀案例).

3. Community Training

At the Ma Li Yangqin Workshop (马丽扬琴传习所) in Guanyintang Community (观音塘社区), she teaches bamboo-stick Yangqin techniques and lyrical structures, training nearly 500 amateur performers across Tengchong (腾冲) and Kachin State, Myanmar (缅甸克钦邦).

III. Cultural Promotion and Modern Innovation

1. National Platform Representation

• Audio-Visual Recordings: In 1998, she collaborated with Tengchong Cultural Center (腾冲市文化馆) to record Tengchong Yangqin Classic Pieces (《腾冲扬琴经典唱段》), featuring 12 works including Law Cannot Escape (《法网难逃》), widely circulated among Southeast Asian Chinese communities.

• Media Coverage: Featured in CCTV’s Homeland (《乡土》) and Yunnan TV’s China Intangible Heritage Tour (《非遗中国行》), with instructional videos exceeding 1 million views on TikTok (抖音), attracting international enthusiasts.

2. Cultural Tourism Integration

• Tourism Projects: Designed immersive Yangqin experiences at Heshun Ancient Town (和顺古镇) and Rehai Scenic Area (热海景区), allowing visitors to learn bamboo-stick techniques and perform simple pieces. Over 30,000 participants annually, increasing villagers’ income by ~1,000 RMB per capita.

• Festival Engagement: Organized special Yangqin performances during the annual Tengchong Border Trade Fair (腾冲边交会), innovatively combining Southeast Asian musical elements in productions like Silk Road Melodies (《丝路琴韵》), attracting visitors from Myanmar, India, and beyond.

IV. Heritage Preservation and Policy Advocacy

1. Systematic Protection

• Documentation: Collaborated with Yunnan Arts University (云南艺术学院) to compile Anthology of Traditional Tengchong Yangqin (《腾冲扬琴传统剧目汇编》), covering 80 classic scripts.

• Digital Archiving: Employed 3D scanning to create high-precision digital records of 20 representative works.

2. Policy and Funding Support

• Secured 100,000 RMB in provincial intangible cultural heritage funds for workshop construction and equipment.

• Served as a member of Tengchong CPPCC (政协委员), contributing to the legislation of the Tengchong Yangqin Protection Regulations (《腾冲扬琴保护条例》).

V. Cultural Value and Legacy

Ma Li’s contributions carry threefold significance:

• Historical Research Value: Her preserved rhythms and ritual practices provide insights into the evolution of Ming dynasty Yiyang Opera (弋阳腔) in Southwest China.

• Cultural Identity: In the Sino-Myanmar border region, Yangqin unites multi-ethnic communities, including Hui, Han, and Dai performers, promoting cultural coexistence.

• Educational Innovation: Her “traditional skills + modern education” approach has been recognized by the Yunnan Department of Culture and Tourism and promoted across 16 prefectures.

As Ma Li declares:

“Yangqin is not merely the sound of silk strings—it is the cultural DNA of the people of Tengchong, embedded in our very bones.”

Through half a century of dedication, she has elevated Tengchong Yangqin from intimate teahouse performances to the international stage, becoming a vibrant emblem of China’s multicultural heritage.