Xu Zhengquan - Representative Inheritor of Twelve-beast Dance Project in Shuju Town, Chuxiong

Xu Zhengquan (1971 – ) is a provincial-level representative inheritor of the Yi Twelve Beasts Dance (彝族十二兽舞), a provincial intangible cultural heritage of Jiujie Village, Shuju Township (树苴乡九街村), Chuxiong City, Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture (楚雄市, 楚雄彝族自治州), Yunnan Province (云南省). His artistic career spans the critical period during which this central Yunnan traditional dance moved from being endangered to systematic preservation. As the fifth-generation inheritor of the Xu Bimo family (徐氏毕摩世家), Xu has devoted over 50 years to safeguarding and innovating this ancient art, bringing it from mountain sacrificial rituals to national cultural stages, earning the title “Guardian of the Tiger Totem in the Depths of Ailao Mountains”.

1. Family Background and Early Training

• Born into a Bimo family (毕摩世家), Xu was immersed in Yi religious culture from childhood.

• At 15, he studied the Yi Twelve Beasts Dance under his grandfather, Xu Youliang (徐有亮), and at 18, apprenticed under Lu Shifan (鲁世藩), the 12th-generation Bimo of Chuxiong Prefecture, undergoing five years of rigorous training.

• He mastered the full sacrificial procedures and Bimo ritual system of the Twelve Beasts Dance.

• His performances combine the solemnity of Bimo ceremonies with the liveliness of Yi “jumping songs” (跳歌), forming an art style that is both rigid and flexible, mysterious and archaic, especially excelling in tiger roar-like vocalizations and animal-inspired body movements.

• At 19, he independently led his first sacrificial ceremony and has since presided over more than 300 ceremonies, becoming one of the most respected Bimos locally.

2. Core Skills and Artistic Breakthroughs

a) Living Guardian of Primal Rituals

• Ritual Procedures: Strict adherence to the “Receiving Mother Tiger Spirit → Welcoming Mother Tiger → Sacrificing Tiger Spirit → Sending Off Tiger Spirit” (接母虎神 — 迎母虎 — 祭虎神 — 送虎神) process.

• During the annual ceremony on the 8th day of the first lunar month, he leads a team of 37 participants to complete face-painting with beast motifs, donning rattan animal costumes, and playing long horns.

• In the “Mother Tiger Arrival” segment, left-foot first stepping, yin-yang alternating dance steps, and tiger-like vocalizations recreate the original Yi tiger totem worship.

• Dance Features: Integrates agricultural movements through 16 segments like plowing, harrowing, and hemp planting, embedding Yi daily life wisdom into the art. In the “Single Beast Fury” segment, his seven-step tiger claw technique and tail-swinging dust effect vividly portray the power and wildness of beasts.

b) Innovator of Modern Narrative

• Expanded the dance beyond its religious limits, creating new works like Songs of Yi Mountains (《彝山欢歌》) and Border Trade New Rhythms (《边贸新韵》).

• In Border Trade New Rhythms, he integrates modern tap dance with traditional beast dance, using shoulder shakes and bamboo flute-electronic music fusion, depicting frontier trade prosperity. This performance won Third Prize for Choreography at the 2019 Chuxiong New Drama Festival.

• Introduced “Human-Beast Separation” technique: the lead Bimo recites scriptures while dancers focus on choreography, adding ritual and artistic layers.

3. Multi-Layered Transmission System

• Family Transmission: His son Xu Wenbin (徐文斌) trained under him, now independently leading core rituals like Sacrificing the Tiger Spirit, as the sixth-generation inheritor.

• Ritual Practice: Leading annual large-scale ceremonies, training 12 beast performers and 4 assistant Bimos, forming a stable performance team.

• Community Teaching: Established Xu Zhengquan Twelve Beasts Dance Workshop (徐正权十二兽舞传习所) in Jiujie Village, using hearth-side teaching, training over 20 apprentices, two of whom can independently perform core pieces like Frenzy of the Beasts (《群兽狂舞》).

4. Cultural Promotion and Modern Innovation

a) National-Level Cultural Ambassador

• Official Recognition: In 2017, selected as a Yunnan Provincial representative inheritor; featured on CCTV Explore & Discover program (《探索・发现》), TikTok teaching videos exceeded 1 million views.

• Awards: Led a team at the 2019 Yunnan Ethnic Folk Arts Festival; starred in Beacon Fire at Baicaoling (《百草岭烽火》), winning Caiyun Silver Award and Best Performance Award.

b) Cultural Tourism Integration

• Scenic Application: Designed Twelve Beasts Dance Immersive Experience Center at Zixi Mountain Scenic Area, allowing visitors to paint beast patterns, wear animal costumes, and participate in simple performances, serving over 20,000 visitors annually, increasing local income by 800 RMB per capita.

• Festival Empowerment: Organizes Shuju Twelve Beasts Dance Cultural Festival (树苴十二兽舞文化节) during the Yi Torch Festival (彝族火把节), innovating cross-genre works like Yi-Han Harmony (《彝汉同辉》), attracting over 300,000 online viewers.

5. Heritage Protection and Policy Engagement

a) Systematic Preservation Projects

• Digital Archiving: Partnered with Yunnan Minzu University to create a 3D scanned digital archive of 20 core dance movements; developed a VR teaching system on Study Xi (学习强国).

• Play Revivals: Led restoration of endangered works like Dou Yi Xia Ke (《窦仪下科》) and Burning the Mill (《火烧磨房》), integrating modern stage lighting and design.

b) Policy and Social Support

• Funding: Secured provincial heritage funds for workshop construction, equipment purchase, and monthly apprentice stipends (500 RMB).

• Mechanism Innovation: Established Huashan Twelve Beasts Dance Propaganda Team, integrating Party policies into Bimo chants; produced Carrying the National Emblem into Yi Villages (《背着国徽进彝寨》), recognized by Yunnan Provincial Department of Culture.

6. Challenges and Innovative Solutions

Challenges:

• Talent gap: learning cycle 10–15 years; mastery of Bimo scriptures required; average apprentice age 42, only 2 under 30.

• Market limitations: high-end sacrificial events restricted; cultural products popular but low-profit.

Innovative Responses:

• Technology Empowerment: Collaborated with Huawei’s Digital Intangible Heritage project, developing VR teaching systems with over 1.5 million views.

• Cross-Genre Integration: Combined dance rhythms with modern music, releasing New Tiger Roar Rhythms (《虎啸新韵》); single Night Tales by the Hearth (《火塘夜话》) exceeded 3 million TikTok views.

• School Engagement: Weekend courses at Shuju Township Central Primary School using fun games + scenario acting, training over 120 students.

7. Cultural Value and Contemporary Significance

• Historical Research: Preserved Bimo scriptures and rituals provide living examples for studying Yi original religion and social structure.

• Cultural Cohesion: In multi-ethnic Chuxiong City, Twelve Beasts Dance fosters unity among Yi, Han, and Lisu communities, earning Yunnan Model Team for Ethnic Unity and Progress recognition.

• Educational Innovation: His “traditional skills + modern education” model has been promoted in 16 prefectures by the Yunnan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism.

As Xu Zhengquan says:

“Twelve Beasts Dance is not just jumping—it is the cultural DNA engraved in the bones of the Yi people.”

By balancing tradition and innovation, he has spent half a century bringing Yi Twelve Beasts Dance from mountain valleys to the international stage, exemplifying the diverse unity of Chinese civilization.