Pu Wenxue - Representative Inheritor of Yi Opera Project in Dayao County, Chuxiong 

Pu Wenxue (1970 – ) is a national-level representative inheritor of Yi Opera (彝剧), an intangible cultural heritage of Santai Township (三台乡), Dayao County (大姚县), Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture (楚雄彝族自治州), Yunnan Province (云南省). His career spans the crucial period when Yi Opera transitioned from traditional folk art to modern living heritage, earning him the title “Guardian of Yi Opera’s Living Legacy.” Known as a “Yi Opera All-Rounder,” he has elevated this “mountain-valley theater” from rural stages to national recognition through playwriting, talent cultivation, and cultural promotion.

I. Family Background and Early Training

Pu Wenxue was born into a Yi Opera family in Sanhe Village (三合村), Santai Township (三台乡), Dayao County (大姚县).

• Early Influence: From age 5, he studied Yi songs, dances, and traditional instruments under his father, Pu Guodong (普国东), a local folk performer.

• Musical Skills: By age 10, he could perform classic Yi tunes such as Meige (《梅葛》) and Mamoruo Diao (《玛莫若调》), and mastered instruments including the suona, bamboo flute, and four-stringed hu.

• Formal Mentorship: At 15, he apprenticed under Yi Opera master Yang Sen (杨森), systematically learning performance techniques. He became the first inheritor to integrate Yi epic narratives into theatrical performances, using Han-Yi dialect singing (汉语彝腔) and metaphorical storytelling to convey emotions.

II. Core Techniques and Artistic Breakthroughs

1. Master of Performance Systems

• Pu Wenxue specializes in sheng roles (male leads), blending the liveliness of Yi “jumping songs” (跳歌) with the structured techniques of Han opera, creating a robust-yet-natural style.

• In Village Head and Friends (《伙子村长》), he uses unique steps such as welcoming steps (left foot half-step forward, right foot follows with slight tremor) and mountain climbing labor steps (bending at knees and torso) to portray Yi grassroots leaders. The play won the Silver Award at Yunnan Provincial Folk Culture Caiyun Award.

• In Baicaoling Ensemble (《百草岭组合》), he innovatively applies banqing (chorus support), enhancing narrative tension while preserving Yi Opera’s authentic mountain-style charm, praised in Chinese Opera Annals (《中国戏曲志》).

2. Innovator in Playwriting

• Believing that “Yi Opera should tell Yi stories,” he wrote and directed over 30 modern Yi operas, including Pecan Harvest (《山核桃熟了》) and Meige by the Hearth (《火塘边的梅葛》).

• Meige by the Hearth integrates epic segments with modern life and won the Caiyun Award at the 5th Yunnan Ethnic Folk Art Festival.

• He incorporates Yi folk elements such as Asu Zha mountain songs (阿苏找) and Left Foot Dance (左脚舞), expanding Yi Opera’s musical system from single-melody singing to multi-part, multi-layered arrangements, laying the foundation for modern Yi Opera.

III. Transmission Practices and Social Contribution

1. Multi-Layered Transmission Network

• Family Transmission: His son, Pu Guiju (普贵菊), began training at age 6 and can fully perform Shepherding in the Forest (《牧羊在林中》), becoming one of the youngest Yi Opera inheritors.

• School Programs: At Santai Township Central Primary School (三台乡中心小学), he adapted traditional plays like The Wolf is Coming (《狼来了》) into classroom exercises, creating “Yi Opera Rhythm Exercises”, training over 200 young inheritors.

• Community Training: Established the Pu Wenxue Yi Opera Workshop (普文学彝剧传习所) in Sanhe Village, teaching drum and gesture scores, training over 30 apprentices, with 5 becoming county-level inheritors.

2. Benchmark in Heritage Protection

• Documentation: Contributed to Dayao Yi Opera Traditional Play Collection (《大姚彝剧传统剧目汇编》), recording classics such as Midnight Sheep Calls (《半夜羊叫》) and Manmo and Maruo (《曼嫫与玛若》).

• Digital Archiving: Collaborated with Yunnan Minzu University (云南民族大学) to create 3D digital archives of 20 core tunes and a VR teaching system on the Study Xi platform (学习强国).

• Policy Advocacy: As a Dayao CPPCC member (政协委员), promoted the Yi Opera Protection Regulations (《彝剧保护条例》), securing 120,000 RMB in national heritage funds for equipment and workshops.

IV. Cultural Promotion and Modern Innovation

1. National and International Representation

• International Exchange: In 2019, led a team to the Malaysia International Folk Culture Festival, performing Silk Road Yi Charm (《丝路彝韵》) blending Southeast Asian musical elements, winning Best Cultural Exchange Award, featured by Malaysian national TV.

• Media Exposure: Covered by CCTV’s Homeland (《乡土》) and Yunnan TV’s China Intangible Heritage Tour (《非遗中国行》), with TikTok (抖音) teaching videos exceeding 1 million views.

2. Cultural Tourism Integration

• Immersive Experiences: Designed the Yi Opera Immersive Experience Center at Baicaoling Scenic Area (百草岭景区), allowing visitors to try costumes and perform simple scenes, attracting over 30,000 participants annually and increasing local income by 1,000 RMB per capita.

• Festival Empowerment: During the annual Yi Torch Festival (彝族火把节), organizes the Santai Yi Opera Cultural Festival, innovating cross-genre works like Yi-Han Harmony (《彝汉同辉》), reaching over 500,000 online viewers.

V. Challenges and Innovative Responses

Challenges include:

1. Talent Gap: Yi Opera training takes 8–10 years; current apprentices average 45 years old, with only 2 under 30.

2. Market Limitations: Aging audiences limit high-end performance opportunities and economic sustainability.

Innovative Solutions:

• Digital Empowerment: Collaborated with Huawei’s “Digital Intangible Heritage” project to develop a Yi Opera VR teaching system, achieving over 2 million views on Study Xi, attracting young audiences.

• Cross-Genre Fusion: Integrated Yi Opera with Yi “Aluju Re” epic, creating Night Tales by the Hearth (《火塘夜话》), winning gold at the Yunnan Ethnic Folk Art Festival.

• Youth Engagement: Weekend workshops at Dayao Youth Activity Center, using interactive games + role-play, training over 80 students.

VI. Cultural Value and Legacy

Pu Wenxue’s work holds threefold significance:

• Historical Research: Preserved Nine Beats Thirteen Tunes (九板十三腔) and ritual procedures, offering material evidence for studying the Ming dynasty Yiyang Opera (弋阳腔) in Southwest China.

• Cultural Cohesion: In multi-ethnic Dayao County (大姚县), Yi Opera fosters unity among Yi, Han, and Lisu (傈僳族) communities, earning the title Yunnan Model Team for Ethnic Unity and Progress (云南省民族团结进步示范团队).

• Educational Innovation: His traditional skills + modern education model is recognized by the Yunnan Department of Culture and Tourism and promoted across 16 prefectures.

As Pu Wenxue says:

“Yi Opera is not just the sound of drums—it is the cultural DNA of the Yi people, protected with our lives.”

Through half a century of dedication, he has brought Yi Opera from mountain valleys to international stages, exemplifying the diverse and unified heritage of Chinese civilization.