Zhang Zhanu - Representative Inheritor of Lahu Lusheng Dance Project in Lancang County, Puer 

Zhang Zhanu (1952 – ) is a national-level representative inheritor of the Lahu Lusheng Dance (拉祜族芦笙舞), a national intangible cultural heritage of Banshan Village, Fubang Township (富邦乡半山村), Lancang Lahu Autonomous County (澜沧拉祜族自治县), Pu’er City (普洱市), Yunnan Province (云南省). His artistic career spans the critical period when this traditional southern Yunnan dance evolved from folk entertainment to systematic cultural preservation. As the fifth-generation inheritor, Zhang has devoted over 70 years to preserving and innovating this ancient art, bringing it from remote villages to national cultural stages, earning the title “Guardian of the Lusheng Fire in the Depths of Ailao Mountains”.

1. Family Background and Early Training

• Born into a Lahu family in Banshan Village, Zhang was immersed in Lusheng culture from childhood.

• At age 15, he apprenticed under his father, Zhang Zapo (张扎迫), for three years, mastering the Nine-Board, Thirteen-Tune singing system (九板十三腔) and Han-Yi dialect performance (汉语彝腔).

• His performance style blends Lahu “jumping song” traditions (跳歌) with the formalized techniques of Han opera, forming a robust, natural, and expressive style, especially skilled in metaphorical storytelling (比兴) and ensemble singing (帮腔) to enhance dramatic tension.

• In 1985, representing Lancang County at the Pu’er City Arts Festival, he won Second Prize with Hunting Dance (《狩猎舞》), marking the start of his professional career.

2. Core Skills and Artistic Breakthroughs

a) Living Guardian of Traditional Techniques

• Ritual Procedures: Strictly follows ancient rituals such as Lighting Ceremony, Garment Offering, Welcoming the Saint, Sending-off Ceremony (团灯、卦衣、迎圣、送灯), presiding over solemn springtime sacrifices.

  • Example: During funerals, he leads 12 ceremonial processes including Ancestor Worship, Death Tune Performance, and Mingjia Tune Execution, with melodies like Daguoshan (大过山) and Xiaoguoshan (小过山) believed to guide souls to the afterlife.

• Dance Characteristics: Incorporates martial arts-inspired routines such as “Four-Gate Duels” (四门斗) and “Plum Blossom Formation” (梅花阵), using techniques like “Horseback Step” (alternating feet with subtle body tremors) and “Blade Flower Technique” (刀花技法) to vividly depict historical battles.

b) Innovator of Modern Dance Styles

• Expanded traditional Lusheng dance storytelling, creating new works such as Celebrating the Harvest (《庆丰收》) and Wedding Dance (《迎亲舞》).

• In Border Trade Song (《边贸欢歌》), combined Lahu “jumping song” with modern disco steps, using tongue clicks and shoulder shakes to depict border trade prosperity. This piece won the Caiyun Silver Award (彩云奖) at the 2019 Yunnan Ethnic Folk Arts Festival.

• Innovated “Lusheng Strike-and-Sing Separation” technique, striking the reed with bamboo sticks in the left hand while plucking the string with the right, enriching melodic layers.

3. Multi-Layered Transmission System

• Family Transmission: His son Zhang Zasi (张扎思) trained under him from childhood and is now a key member of the Lancang County Intangible Heritage Protection Center, skilled in Lusheng instrumental performance.

• School Outreach: Long-term Lusheng dance courses at Fubang Township Central Primary School, adapting traditional works like The Wolf is Coming (《狼来了》) into “Lusheng Rhythm Exercises”, cultivating over 200 young inheritors.

• Community Teaching: Established the Zhang Zhanu Lusheng Dance Workshop (张扎努芦笙舞传习所) in Banshan Village, using hearth-side teaching, training over 50 apprentices, including the 15th-generation inheritor Luo Zhahei, who can independently perform core works such as Battle of Tongguan (《战潼关》).

4. Cultural Promotion and Modern Innovation

a) National-Level Cultural Ambassador

• Official Recognition: In 2017, selected as a Yunnan Provincial representative inheritor; performances featured on CCTV’s Xiangtu program (《乡土》), TikTok teaching videos exceeded 1 million views.

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

b) Cultural Tourism Integration

• Scenic Application: Designed Lusheng Dance Immersive Experience Center at Wuliangshan Scenic Area (无量山景区), offering mask painting, costume trials, and simple performances for over 30,000 visitors annually, increasing local income by 1,000 RMB per capita.

• Festival Empowerment: Organizes Fubang Lusheng Cultural Festival (富邦芦笙文化节) during the annual Lahu Torch Festival, creating cross-genre plays like Yi-Han Harmony (《彝汉同辉》), attracting over 500,000 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 Lusheng melodies, developing a VR teaching system on Study Xi (学习强国).

• Play Revivals: Led restoration of endangered pieces, enhancing stage lighting and set design for modern performances.

b) Policy and Social Support

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

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

6. Challenges and Innovative Solutions

Challenges:

• Talent gap: learning cycle 8–10 years; average apprentice age 45, only 2 under 30.

• Market limitations: high-end ceremonial plays limited by ritual constraints; cultural products popular but low-profit.

Innovative Responses:

• Technology Empowerment: Collaborated with Huawei’s Digital Intangible Heritage project, developing VR teaching systems with over 2 million views.

• Cross-Genre Integration: Combined Lusheng modes with modern music, releasing New Rhythms of Lusheng (《芦笙新韵》); the single Night Tales by the Hearth (《火塘夜话》) exceeded 5 million TikTok views.

• School Engagement: Weekend Lusheng dance workshops at youth centers using fun games + scenario acting, training over 80 students.

7. Cultural Value and Contemporary Significance

• Historical Research: Preserved traditional percussion scores and rituals provide evidence for Ming-era Yiyang Opera (弋阳腔) transmission in Southwest China.

• Cultural Cohesion: In multi-ethnic Lancang County, Lusheng Dance fosters unity among Lahu, Han, Yi 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 Zhang Zhanu says:

“Lusheng is not just the sound of bamboo—it is the cultural DNA engraved in the bones of the Lahu people.”

Through balancing tradition and innovation, he has spent half a century bringing Lahu Lusheng Dance from mountain valleys to the international stage, exemplifying the diverse unity of Chinese civilization.