Xiang Hen - Artist of Dai Wall Painting in Ruili City, Dehong 

Xiang Hen (相很) is one of Yunnan Province’s first batch of provincial-level intangible cultural heritage (ICH) representative inheritors, and a key guardian of Dai ethnic mural art. Born in 1937 in Hansha Village (喊沙社), Jiedong Village (姐东村), Jiele Township (姐勒乡), Ruili City (瑞丽市), Dehong Prefecture (德宏州), Yunnan Province (云南省), he began his religious and artistic journey at age 7, becoming a monk at a Burmese temple. At age 19, he returned to secular life to farm, while continuing his study of Buddhist mural painting under the guidance of the Burmese monk Su Jida.

Since 1978, Xiang Hen has created Buddhist story murals and decorative patterns in multiple Zangfang (奘房, Buddhist temples) across Ruili, and from 1982, he began sculpting Buddha statues and story-based reliefs, making significant contributions to the preservation and development of Ruili Dai Buddhist art.

I. Personal Background

• Name: Xiang Hen (相很)

• Gender: Male

• Ethnicity: Dai (傣族)

• Year of Birth: 1937

• Hometown: Hansha Village, Jiedong Village, Jiele Township, Ruili City, Dehong Prefecture, Yunnan Province

Local Context

• Ruili City is located in western Yunnan near the China-Myanmar border, a key frontier city.

• Jiele Township is a Dai ethnic settlement in southeastern Ruili.

• Hansha Village (“Golden Resting Place” in Dai) lies just 2.5 km from the Sino-Myanmar border.

• The Dai in Ruili practice Theravada Buddhism; villages have Zangfang (Buddhist temples) decorated with murals depicting Buddhist myths, folklore, and local customs.

II. Learning and Transmission

Xiang Hen’s artistic development is closely tied to his religious experience:

Transmission Characteristics

• Religious Transmission: Learned mural painting in a temple environment under monastic guidance.

• Mentorship: While lacking formal apprenticeship rituals, Xiang Hen learned through observation and practical instruction.

• Practice-Based Learning: Mastery achieved through repeated mural and sculpture work, integrating tradition with innovation.

• Family Transmission: Skills passed to his son Tun Ye, who continues the tradition in mural painting, sculpture, and Dai-style house decoration.

III. Craft Characteristics and Works

Dai Mural Art Features

• Composition:

  • Narratives are depicted in a single frame without chronological or spatial constraints

  • Layout balances dense and sparse elements; no adherence to Western perspective

• Figures and Forms:

  • Human forms maintain structural accuracy while employing artistic exaggeration

  • Fluid, lively line work inspired by Chinese painting techniques

  • Simple yet expressive, conveying purity and folk simplicity

• Color:

  • Bright, vivid, and high-contrast

  • Use of gold and mineral pigments, contrasts of black/white and warm/cool tones

  • Harmonious with rhythmic visual impact

• Themes:

  • Buddhist stories (e.g., Five Buddhas, Shakyamuni’s Enlightenment, Heaven and Hell)

  • Mythology (e.g., Zhaoshutun, Zhaoxiangmeng, A Luan stories)

  • Folk customs (e.g., Village Excursion, Banquet Dance, Water-Splashing Festival)

  • Decorative motifs: pagodas, temples, peacocks, elephants, deer, flowers

• Regional Styles:

  • Xishuangbanna: folk-like, delicately refined

  • Menglian: simple, childlike, delicate

  • Dehong (including Ruili): stronger Han cultural influence, bolder style

  • Ruili: influenced by Burmese murals, exaggerated forms, vivid colors

Representative Works

• Murals: Painted from 1978 in Dama, Tunhong, Nong’an villages, depicting Buddhist stories and decorations on temple walls (brick and wood).

• Sculptures: Since 1982, collaborated on Buddha statues and story/animal reliefs in temples of Wandian Mangman Village, Shunha Village, Jiedong Village, Dabie Village.

• Stupas: Built small Buddha stupas in Mangyan and Mangsai Villages, symbolizing Dai Buddhist culture.

• Other Works: In 1997, created bamboo elephants and fish props for Dai folk dances at Shenzhen National Culture Village during Hong Kong’s return to China.

IV. Contributions and Impact

• Skill Transmission:

  • Passed on mural and sculpture techniques to son Tun Ye, now teaching his own child, forming three-generation inheritance.

• Art Creation:

  • Numerous murals preserved in Ruili Zangfang; enriched local Buddhist cultural heritage.

• Cultural Exchange:

  • Bamboo works exhibited at Shenzhen National Culture Village; murals and sculptures facilitate regional cultural understanding.

• Significance:

  • Cultural Protection: Preserves Dai ethnic diversity amid modernization.

  • Innovation: Combines traditional styles with contemporary elements.

  • Rural Revitalization: Skills contribute to local cultural industries; murals and exhibitions support tourism and local economy.

  • Hansha Village Recognition: 2015 named “One of China’s Top Ten Most Beautiful Villages”; established cultural centers for Peafowl Dance, folk painting, and crafts.

V. Conclusion

As a provincial-level ICH inheritor, Xiang Hen (相很) has dedicated his life to preserving Dai mural art. His artistic career, rooted in monastic training, fuses religion and folk art, producing works that are both spiritual and culturally symbolic. Through murals, sculptures, and family transmission, Xiang Hen ensures that traditional Dai mural art continues to thrive, connecting the past with modern society and inspiring future generations.