Mu Tianguang - Representative Inheritor of  Spinning Top Project in Shuangbai County, Chuxiong 

Mu Tianguang (born 1970) from Shuangbai County (双柏县), Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture (楚雄彝族自治州), Yunnan Province, is the national-level representative inheritor of the Yi traditional sport of spinning tops (打陀螺). Coming from a family deeply rooted in this art, he has risen to national fame as the “Prince of Tops.” Through his athletic achievements, cultural teaching, and tourism integration, Mu has elevated the Yi spinning top from a village pastime to a national cultural symbol.

Mastery of Craft and Sporting Achievements

Born in Chudu Village (初都村), Mu Tianguang began learning at age five under his father’s guidance. He mastered the entire process: selecting Qingxiang trees (青香树), hand-carving the tops, and embedding steel balls for balance.

He created the “Three Stable, One Accurate” throwing method (steady spin, steady release, steady landing, accurate strike), allowing tops to spin for over 10 minutes—an industry benchmark.

Legendary Career Highlights

• National Triple Champion: From 1995 to 2003, he won three consecutive National Ethnic Minority Traditional Sports Games men’s singles titles, earning the reputation of “China’s No. 1 Top Player.”

• Provincial Success: He collected 4 gold medals at the Yunnan Provincial Ethnic Games and another 4 at provincial invitationals, leading his team in multiple international exchanges.

Safeguarding Heritage and Training the Next Generation

Mu Tianguang built a “home workshop + school program + community training” model for passing on the tradition.

Training Center

In Chudu Village (初都村), he established the Mu Tianguang Spinning Top Training Center (木天光陀螺传习所), systematically teaching top-making and competitive techniques. Over 10 core disciples—including Mu Xiulan and Fang Lixiu—have emerged, with 3 winning prefecture-level championships.

School Program

Partnering with Damaidi Central Primary School (大麦地镇中心小学), he launched top-themed courses and activities such as fun competitions and Top Culture Festivals. Over 200 young inheritors have been trained, and the program was recognized as a “Yunnan Best Case of Intangible Heritage in Schools.”

Digital Teaching

Using short-video platforms, Mu shares tutorials on top-making and performance. Some clips exceeded 1 million views, attracting followers from across China who now study remotely.

Cultural Tourism and International Promotion

Mu actively promotes the “Intangible Heritage + Tourism” model, turning spinning tops into a cultural attraction.

• Tourist Experiences: At Yuanmou Man World Park (元谋人世界公园) and Top Culture Square in Damaidi (大麦地镇陀螺文化广场), he created visitor programs such as rope-winding lessons and low-altitude throws. These projects draw over 50,000 participants annually, raising villagers’ incomes by about 1,500 RMB per person.

• Cultural Competitions: He organizes branded events such as the “Yunling Pomegranate Red Tournament (云岭石榴红)” and the “Xiaoliangshan Top Invitational (小凉山陀螺邀请赛).” With youth, adult, and women’s categories, these contests attract 200+ competitors and broaden the sport’s reach.

• International Stage: In 2023, he led a team to the Malaysia International Ethnic Sports Festival, astonishing audiences with a 30-meter high-altitude throw-and-catch performance. The team was honored as a “Yunnan Model Team for Ethnic Unity.”

Challenges and Innovative Breakthroughs

Despite his success, Mu faces two major challenges:

• Talent Gap: Training takes 5–8 years and requires 8 hours of daily practice. With apprentices averaging 45 years old, there are only 2 under 30.

• Material Shortages: Traditional Qingxiang trees (青香树) require long growth cycles and ritual harvesting, but urbanization has reduced their habitat by 30%.

His Solutions

1. Policy Support: In 2025, he secured 120,000 RMB in national heritage funding to build a Qingxiang tree planting base and purchase laser-carving tools, enhancing efficiency while retaining core handcraft methods.

2. Technology Empowerment: With Yunnan Minzu University (云南民族大学), he created a 3D digital archive of 20 advanced top techniques and developed a VR training system, now available on the Learning Power (学习强国) platform.

3. Cross-Industry Innovation: He launched top-themed cultural products—such as bookmarks and wooden ornaments—selling them nationwide via e-commerce. A single Douyin (抖音) livestream exceeded 50,000 RMB in sales.

Cultural Value and Contemporary Significance

Mu Tianguang’s work has far-reaching importance in modern China.

• Sports Innovation: By blending Yi spinning top games with modern sports rules, he helped make it an official event at the National Ethnic Minority Games and a key ethnic sport project in Yunnan.

• Craft Heritage: He preserved traditional methods such as the “Seven Bamboo, Eight Wood” material selection and the “Three Light, One Heavy” carving style. Experts hail his hand-made tops as “living specimens of western Yunnan metallurgy.”

• Community Identity: In Shuangbai (双柏), where Yi, Hani, and Han people live together, top culture has become a bond of unity. His diverse team reflects ethnic harmony and was named a “Yunnan Demonstration Team for Ethnic Unity and Progress.”

As Mu himself says:
“The spinning track of the top is the lifeline of Yi culture’s continuity.”

In the digital era, with both duty and innovation, Mu ensures that this thousand-year-old sport spins into the future as a vibrant part of Chinese civilization.