Wang Zhongmei – Representative Inheritor of Zhuang Paper-horse Dance Project in Kaihua Town, Wenshan 

Wang Zhongmei (王忠美) is a native of Niutouzai Village (牛头寨), Kaihua Town (开化镇), Wenshan City (文山市), Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture (文山壮族苗族自治州). She was born in 1948 and is a provincial-level representative inheritor of the Zhuang Paper Horse Dance (纸马舞) project. Wang Zhongmei studied paper horse making for many years under the guidance of her husband, Wang Zhongwen (王忠文), a recognized folk artist of Yunnan Province (云南省民族民间艺人). She has mastered both traditional and modern techniques of paper horse craftsmanship. Her paper horses are characterized by their primitive simplicity, aesthetic appeal, and vivid lifelike forms.

Inheritance Activities

Family Transmission

After her husband’s death in 2007, Wang Zhongmei passed down the complete set of paper horse making skills to her grandson and granddaughter. Since then, her grandson has been responsible for constructing the framework, while Wang Zhongmei and her granddaughter handle the decoration of the paper horses.

Community Transmission

Encouraged by Wang Zhongmei, many Zhuang women from her village and neighboring villages have learned paper horse making from her. She generously shares her skills without reservation, allowing many Zhuang women to master the craft.

Media Promotion

Since 2008, Wang Zhongmei and her family have been featured numerous times by China Central Television (中央电视台) and various provincial, prefectural, and county-level media outlets. In 2004, their paper horse creations were exhibited at the International Bronze Drum Seminar (国际铜鼓研讨会), where they received high praise from both Chinese and international experts.

School Transmission

Wang Zhongmei actively participates in the “Intangible Cultural Heritage into Schools” (“非遗进校园”) initiative, bringing paper horse dance and craftsmanship into school classrooms and inspiring the younger generation’s interest in this traditional art form.

Promotion Activities

Performing Arts

The Zhuang Paper Horse Dance (壮族纸马舞) of Kaihua Town (开化镇) has participated multiple times in cultural performances at the prefectural, county, and township levels, often receiving media coverage. The dance has also been included in the Anthology of Yunnan Ethnic and Folk Dances (《云南民族民间舞蹈集成》).

Cultural Activities

The paper horse dance has evolved from a traditional funeral and sacrificial ritual dance into a popular form of communal entertainment. Performances can involve 20–30 dancers at a minimum and up to over a hundred participants. It is now performed not only during weddings, funerals, and festive celebrations but also at welcoming ceremonies for guests.

Through her tireless efforts in both transmission and promotion, Wang Zhongmei has ensured the continuation of the Zhuang Paper Horse Dance (壮族纸马舞) among younger generations, breathing new life into this traditional art form within modern society.

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