RaosanlingFolk Arts of Raosanling

Raosanling processions are organized by village, and each group forms a flowing “single-file long-snake formation.” The Raosanling dance ensemble includes four forms: the Zhishu Dance, Bawangbian Dance, Octagonal Drum Dance, and Shuangfeiyan Dance. The procession follows a fixed order. Two people carrying willow branches lead the way; one serves as the principal singer and the other provides humorous interjections. This is known as the “Zhishu Dance,” and is popularly called “Daboqu” or “Dabaiqu,” while the willow branch itself is also called “Dabo.” They are followed by several performers singing Bai tunes, playing short flutes, and whistling or blowing on leaves, collectively known in folk usage as “Hualiuqu.” Behind them comes the main body of the dance procession.

At the front of each group are an elderly man and woman—sometimes two men or two women—known as the Hualiu Tree Elders. They wrap their heads in large white headcloths, wear snow-white front-opening garments, brightly colored silk trousers, and multicolored sandals decorated with red pom-poms, creating a highly playful appearance. Together they support a willow branch from which hang a gourd and a strip of colored silk. The gourd symbolizes the maternal womb, while the red silk symbolizes menstrual blood. One holds a fly whisk, while the other carries a red fan or waves a white towel; as they dance, the two exchange lines of the Bai “Hualiuqu.”

The different dances within the Raosanling ensemble are distinguished by their props. In the middle of the procession are male and female dancers performing with bawangbian, octagonal drums, and Shuangfeiyan props. At the rear is one performer blowing on a leaf, followed by several dozen women who both sing and dance while carrying fans or straw hats. Led by the Hualiu Tree Elders, the entire group forms a “single-file long-snake formation,” creating a spring outing involving tens of thousands of participants.

In the Bai language, each of these three dances has its own distinctive name. “Bawangbian” is called “Dawangbian” or “Dedidouxue”; the “octagonal drum” is called “Jinjigu”; and “Shuangfeiyan” is called “Shuangfeiyi.” Their movements are based on actions recorded in Qing-dynasty sources such as “臂旋转” and “拍身承击.” Through modern evolution, techniques such as wrist-turning and shoulder-swaying have been added, forming more than ten standardized movement patterns including “蛇蜕皮” and “心连心.”

Cultural Significance

Bawangbian Dance is one of the most representative traditional dances of the Bai people and the most central dance form within the Raosanling ensemble. As a traditional Bai folk dance, it carries rich historical and cultural memories of the Bai people. Within Raosanling processions, Bawangbian Dance, Octagonal Drum Dance, and Shuangfeiyan Dance together form the principal body of the dancing contingent.

The core undergraduate course 《中国民间舞（4）》 in Dance Studies at Yunnan University includes Bawangbian Dance as one of its principal teaching subjects, and it is also one of the sections with the strongest ethnic characteristics. Bawangbian Dance is therefore not merely a folk art form, but also an important marker of Bai cultural identity.

Form and Movement

The bawangbian is made of bamboo and measures about one meter in length. It is a hollow bamboo implement divided into four sections, with three groups of copper coins at the head and two groups at the tail. During the dance, women hold the middle section of the bawangbian, while men hold one corner of a money drum and dance opposite them. The bawangbian is struck against the ground, kicked with the feet, and brushed or struck against different parts of the body to produce sound. The dance has an exceptionally strong rhythmic character, with the dancers using varied striking movements to make the copper coins ring with a clear metallic sound.

Bawangbian Dance includes movements in which men and women stand back to back, heart to heart, or hook their feet together, freely expressing intense emotion. During Raosanling, an elder leads the participants in Bawangbian Dance, dancing all the way from Dali Ancient Town into the landscape between Cangshan and Erhai, creating a magnificent and spirited scene. Performed during Raosanling and other folk activities, Bawangbian Dance forms an important part of the grand springtime gatherings of song and dance held by the Bai people before the busy agricultural season begins.

Octagonal Drum Dance

The Octagonal Drum Dance is one of the principal Bai dances and is often performed together with Bawangbian Dance and Shuangfeiyan Dance to form the Raosanling dance ensemble. During Raosanling and other festival activities, these three dances are performed together and jointly constitute the main body of the dance procession.

The octagonal drum is made by arranging wooden strips into an octagonal or hexagonal frame, with goatskin stretched across one side. It measures about eighteen centimeters in diameter. A rectangular opening about one cun long is cut into the center of each wooden strip, with two copper coins placed inside. When the drum moves, the coins strike against one another and produce sound. Dancers strike the drum with the palm or shoulder, producing a repeated booming rhythm that is lively and distinct. In the Bai language, the Octagonal Drum Dance is called “Jinjigu.” When the octagonal drum is danced opposite the bawangbian, the performers bend forward and backward, stretch and contract, twist and turn—at one moment facing heart to heart, at another standing back to back—giving the dance an exceptionally rich expressive range.

Shuangfeiyan Dance

The Shuangfeiyan Dance is called “Shuangfeiyi” in the Bai language. It is the most agile and light-footed dance form within the Raosanling ensemble. Dancers hold Shuangfeiyan props, moving with grace and softness. Its supple elegance complements the vigorous strength of the bawangbian and the lively rhythm of the octagonal drum. When the three dances are performed together, strength and softness, speed and slowness balance one another, jointly forming the complete aesthetic system of Raosanling dance.

Performance Form of Hualiuqu

Hualiuqu is the most distinctive form of antiphonal singing in Raosanling and also serves as the opening of the entire procession. Hualiuqu consists of love songs sung or exchanged in the mountains and fields. Most are improvised and transmitted orally. In the traditional Bai narrative-and-singing genre 《大本曲》, there are also forms with ten-character lines. The currently popular “Shanhua-style” folk song is likewise known as “Hualiuqu.”

At the front of each Raosanling group are two elaborately dressed elders holding together a willow branch or bamboo pole, from which hang red silk decorations or a gourd. One waves a yak-tail whisk and leads the singing, while the other waves a brightly colored handkerchief and adds comic interjections. As they move along, they sing “Hualiuqu,” whose lyrics are rich in content and humor. Behind them stretches a long, snake-like procession: some performers blow leaves, some play flutes or suona, some play sanxian and yueqin, and some wave fans while singing Bai tunes. Men and women exchange songs with one another. Farther behind come dozens of pairs of dancers performing with bawangbian.

Cultural Meaning of Hualiuqu

The lyrics of Hualiuqu are rich, varied, humorous, and witty. The melodies are also filled with romantic and sensual sentiment. Singers respond to one another line by line, with lively humor and playful wit. Hualiuqu is both a love song and a song of laughter—it fills the three-day procession with joy and amusement. A Bai folk song from the Ming dynasty praises the gathering in these words: “唱尽人间欢乐歌，男女老少共享乐，三都盛会古人定，情合意也合”. Hualiuqu is precisely one of the most vivid embodiments of this ideal of “唱尽人间欢乐歌”.

The Place of Bai Tunes in Raosanling

Bai tunes are the most widespread form of singing during Raosanling. Throughout the procession, Bai songs rise and fall without interruption. At the front are the humorous antiphonal exchanges of Hualiuqu; in the middle are the graceful and lingering melodies of Bai tunes; at the rear is the sonorous rhythm of the bawangbian. These three layers of sound interweave between Cangshan and Erhai, forming the distinctive soundscape of Raosanling.

Raosanling is a grand springtime gathering of song and dance held by Bai communities around Erhai before the busy farming season begins. People sing Bai tunes, mainly love songs. When they encounter other groups along the way, they also exchange and compete in antiphonal singing. Because Raosanling is organized by village, whenever two processions meet they often stop and sing back and forth, each answering the other as voices rise one after another. Such antiphonal singing is not only entertainment but also a form of competition—the group whose melodies are more skillfully sung and whose lyrics are more cleverly improvised wins the greater applause.

The Beauty of Improvisation

Bai tunes are often improvised. Singers respond to the scene before them, spontaneously weaving the mountains, water, flowers, and people around them into their lyrics. During the three-day Raosanling procession, Bai tunes accompany every step of the journey—people sing while walking by day and continue exchanging songs throughout the night. Over the course of three days, participants in “Raosanling” walk more than forty kilometers, playing instruments, singing and dancing, and answering one another in song. The singing is not only praise offered to the deities, but also an expression of love for life and the pursuit of love itself.

Bai tunes take many forms, including solo singing, antiphonal singing, and group singing. In exchanges between men and women, one side sings and the other responds, one asks and the other answers, moving from greetings to declarations of affection. Their voices echo between Cangshan and Erhai. The melodies are graceful and lingering, while the lyrics are simple yet deeply felt, making Bai tunes one of the most direct forms through which the Bai people express emotion.

History and Cultural Position

Bai Dabenqu is a distinctive folk narrative-and-singing art unique to the Bai people of Dali and one of their most beloved forms of performance. Dabenqu uses Chinese characters to record the Bai language in songbooks. Because these works contain defined characters and plots, they are also known as benziqu. The art of performing Bai Dabenqu forms an important part of the folk customs of Raosanling.

Bai Dabenqu has a history of several centuries and has profoundly shaped the spiritual life of the Bai people. Whether for major or minor family occasions, or during important festivals such as Raosanling and the Torch Festival, Bai households often invite performers to sing Dabenqu. Its content commonly concerns principles of conduct and traditional Bai culture. During Raosanling, Dabenqu performance is one of the most important cultural activities of the night—elders drink tea while playing the sanxian and singing Dabenqu. Its subject matter includes historical legends, love stories, and reflections on life, making it an important vehicle of Bai culture.

Artistic Form

Dabenqu uses sanxian accompaniment to narrate and sing long stories. Bai communities around Erhai regard Dabenqu as one of their most precious forms of ethnic art. It is traditionally described as having “三腔、九板、十八调”: three basic vocal styles, nine rhythmic patterns, and eighteen melodies. This rich musical system enables Dabenqu to adapt to different plots and to the portrayal of different characters.

The traditional performance format consists of one person narrating and singing while another accompanies on the sanxian. The singer holds a fan and may perform seated or standing, shaping different characters through changes in vocal style and spoken recitation. Dabenqu songbooks are usually long narrative works whose subjects include historical legends, love stories, heroic deeds, and moral instruction. During Raosanling, performances often continue from dusk until late at night, with listeners seated in a circle, completely absorbed.

Guardians of Dabenqu

Zhao Piding, born in 1942, is a national representative inheritor of the Bai Raosanling tradition as intangible cultural heritage. He graduated from Dali County School of Literature and Art in 1960 and began participating in Raosanling cultural activities in 1964, when he also started performing Bai Dabenqu on stage. In recognition of his outstanding achievements in the art of Bai Dabenqu, he has received the titles “Yunnan Master of Ethnic and Folk Music” and “Dali Prefecture Master of Folk Art.” He is highly proficient in the sacrificial rites associated with Bai Raosanling as well as in antiphonal singing between men and women.

Zhao Piding grew up in a family of Bai folk Dabenqu performers. His great-grandfather, grandfather, and father were all practitioners of Bai Dabenqu. Immersed in the tradition from childhood, he developed a profound interest in Bai folk culture and art. A piece of golden sandalwood, a small wooden fish, a fan, and a songbook—wherever Zhao Piding goes, with these few belongings he can sit down and begin singing Dabenqu, while his partner starts playing the sanxian, and a full performance immediately comes to life.

Three generations of Zhao Piding’s family form what may be called a “performing-arts lineage” of Bai Raosanling and Dabenqu, with four representative inheritors at different levels among those three generations. They not only use Bai Dabenqu and “Bai Raosanling” to sing about the Party’s innovative theories, but also broaden channels of transmission by entering schools, communities, and online spaces, enabling more people to understand and identify with outstanding traditional culture. In the courtyards of traditional homes in Zuoyi Village, Xizhou Town, the melodious sound of the sanxian and the rich singing of the Bai dialect can often be heard. In recent years, Zhao Piding, one of Dali’s best-known Bai Dabenqu artists, together with three generations of his family, has used this distinctive folk art form to sing a new chapter in the protection and governance of Erhai in Dali Prefecture. As the years have passed, Zhao Piding, now over seventy and a national representative inheritor of Raosanling, understands deeply the weight of responsibility he bears for transmitting the tradition.

Leaf-Blowing and Short Flutes

Within Raosanling processions, blowing on leaves is one of the instrumental practices most distinctive to Bai culture. It is also one of the oldest folk musical traditions of the Bai people. A single leaf serves as the instrument; through control of the breath and coordination of the lips and tongue, the performer produces clear and pleasing tones. In the Raosanling procession, this ancient musical form appears near the rear, where one leaf-blower walks alongside several dozen women who sing and dance.

The short flute is also commonly heard in Raosanling processions. After the Zhishu Dance come several performers singing Bai tunes, playing short flutes, and xiaoyin—blowing on leaves. The bright, clear timbre of the short flute answers the crisp sound of the leaf, together forming the music of the leading section of the procession.

Sanxian and Suona

The sanxian is one of the most important accompanying instruments in Raosanling. Within the procession, sanxian players perform as they walk. Its sound is lingering and resonant, providing accompaniment for Dabenqu and Bai tunes. The traditional accompaniment of Dabenqu itself consists of one sanxian player and one narrator-singer. The sanxian’s mellow, rounded tone complements both the graceful character of Bai tunes and the narrative quality of Dabenqu.

The suona is another common wind instrument in Raosanling processions. During the journey, suona players advance with the group, producing high, brilliant melodies. Its bright and penetrating tone carries over great distances between Cangshan and Erhai. During the ritual observances at the “Shendu” stop of Raosanling, the sound of the suona together with gongs and drums forms a complete system of ritual music.

Money Drums and the Sound of Copper Coins

The money drum is an important percussion instrument in the Raosanling dance ensemble. The octagonal drum is made from wooden strips arranged into an octagonal or hexagonal frame, with goatskin stretched across one side, and measures about eighteen centimeters in diameter. A rectangular opening approximately one cun long is cut into the center of each wooden strip, with two copper coins placed inside. When the drum moves, the coins strike against one another and produce sound. During the dance, the money drum is struck with the palm and shoulder, producing a repeated booming sound. The copper coins on the bawangbian answer those of the money drum, creating a distinctive metallic timbre within the dance—clear, pleasing, and strongly rhythmic.

Raosanling

Folk songs concerning Raosanling circulate widely among the Bai people. One well-known Bai folk song sings: “绕到弯桥歇一歇，绕到喜洲谈谈情。绕到庙头才住下，一夜唱到大天明。” The song directly describes the course of Raosanling—three days and nights of procession, antiphonal singing, courtship, and celebration. A Bai folk song from the Ming dynasty praises the gathering: “唱尽人间欢乐歌，男女老少共享乐，三都盛会古人定，情合意也合”. These lines express one of the core cultural meanings of Raosanling: everyone may participate, regardless of age or gender; everyone may share in the joy, regardless of wealth or status.

A folk song concerning the origins of Raosanling is also widely transmitted: “我们原来住东方，那里水天连成片，姑娘多得起堆堆，年年都吃姊妹饭。为了逃生向西迁，长别出嫁的姊妹，不知哪年才复还。我们来到新地方，我们还要邀起来，年年来吃姊妹饭，不忘我们姊妹情。” This song connects Raosanling with the migration history of Bai ancestors, making its songs and dances not merely forms of entertainment but also a means through which ethnic memory is transmitted.

Folk Legend

Among the Bai people, one legend concerning the origins of Raosanling is known as “接金姑.” According to the story, Jingu was the daughter of the Bai king Zhang Lejinqiu and married the hunter Xinuluo, the founding ruler of Nanzhao. Later, when Jingu returned to her parental home, the people joyfully escorted her. The procession first went to her mother’s home in Qingdong Village, the “Shendu,” to pay respects; then to Heyi Cheng Village, the “Xiandu,” to worship the Lingdi of the Er River; and finally, upon reaching Majiuyi, they happened to meet Xinuluo coming to welcome her. Everyone then gathered together in song and dance. This legend connects Raosanling with historical events surrounding the founding of Nanzhao, giving the festival an additional dimension of collective historical memory.

Intangible Cultural Heritage Recognition

On May 20, 2006, with the approval of the State Council, Bai Raosanling was included in the first batch of China’s National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The project was submitted by Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan Province, under project number Ⅹ-41, with the safeguarding unit listed as Dali.

In August 2009, China applied to have “Raosanling—Ritualized Cultural Space of the Dali Bai People” included on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Since Bai Raosanling was included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage in 2006, organizations such as the Dali Prefecture Bureau of Culture and Sports and the Dali Prefecture Bai Studies Association have organized donations from heritage holders and applied to local governments for subsidies. These efforts have supported comprehensive environmental improvements at the principal Raosanling activity sites and the installation of protective signage. Special investigations into Raosanling have also been organized, with related audiovisual materials and records of inheritors collected and documented. Representative inheritors such as Zhao Piding have opened training classes and transmission centers in local communities to teach performance skills associated with Raosanling.

Inheritors

Zhao Piding, born in 1942, is a national representative inheritor of Bai Raosanling as intangible cultural heritage. In 2022, he was selected among the 100 candidates for “China’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Person of the Year.” Born into a family of Bai folk artists, he grew up surrounded by Dabenqu performance: his great-grandfather, grandfather, and father were all Bai folk Dabenqu performers. This lifelong immersion gave him a profound interest in Bai folk culture and art. Zhao Piding’s family is a “performing-arts lineage” of Bai Raosanling and Dabenqu, with four representative inheritors at different levels spanning three generations.

Contemporary Celebrations

In recent years, on the basis of extensive fieldwork and in conjunction with villages along the core transmission routes of Bai Raosanling and representative inheritors at different levels, sixteen Raosanling teams preserving relatively complete traditional forms have gradually been supported and restored in Xiaguan Town, Dali Town, Haidong Town, Xizhou Town, Wanqiao Town, Yinqiao Town, Shangguan Town, and other areas of the Cangshan–Erhai region.

Today, communities and schools in places such as Dali Town and Qingdong Village in Xizhou Town regularly organize Raosanling transmission activities on their own initiative, encouraging young people to learn the traditional culture and performing arts associated with Raosanling. In this way, the rich intangible cultural heritage that survives within this cultural space has been effectively protected and transmitted. Raosanling brings together a highly concentrated body of Bai intangible cultural heritage and vividly reflects the daily life and spiritual outlook of the people.

At Yunnan Ethnic Village, during the annual “Raosanling” folk gathering held around the May Day holiday, Bai young women and men in ethnic ceremonial dress form a “single-file long-snake formation.” Led by elders carrying willow branches, they sing and dance along the way, drawing large numbers of visitors to stop and watch. Bai Raosanling, transmitted for a thousand years, is the historical memory of a living Bai community and a source of nostalgia for the Bai people, expressing their love of life and reverence for nature.

The folk artistic expression of Bai Raosanling differs fundamentally from the “literati poetry” associated with Han festivals. It is not something “written” in words, but something “sung,” “danced,” and “performed” at the festival itself. It is not an external act of “watching” and “reflection,” but an internal act of “speaking” and “celebration.”

From the humorous antiphonal exchange of the Hualiu elders—“合扶一枝杨柳，一人挥牦牛尾帚主唱，一人甩着花手巾打浑”—to the ringing rhythms of “霸王鞭舞、八角鼓舞、双飞燕舞” within the “single-file long-snake formation”; from the narrative system of Bai Dabenqu with its “三腔九板十八调” to the antiphonal Bai tunes in which “你唱我和、你问我答”; from the clear sound of leaf-blowing to the lingering voice of the sanxian, from the piercing brilliance of the suona to the booming beat of the money drum—the folk arts of Raosanling take dance and song as their twin excellences, and entertaining the gods and entertaining the people as their dual core, forming a complete, living, and continuously renewing system of cultural expression.

Traditional Bai dance, antiphonal singing, Dabenqu, Dongjing ancient music, and other forms all continue to develop within the distinctive cultural space of “Raosanling,” a space that embodies freedom and equality among people as well as harmonious coexistence between human beings and nature, and between human beings and the divine. Raosanling is the activity in which Bai song-and-dance arts are most highly concentrated. Because of its important influence on folk cultural life, it has become a major stage for Bai folk singers and dancers to exchange skills and transmit their arts. Raosanling has a very early history in Qingdong Village: from its beginnings as a religious sacrificial rite associated with the Bai people’s primordial worship of the feminine, to the rainmaking purposes added during the agricultural era, and then to its use as a means of promoting Buddhism when Buddhism flourished during the Tang dynasty—the folk arts of Raosanling have continually enriched their meanings in step with the times.

When the bawangbian rings beneath Cangshan, when Hualiuqu echoes along the shores of Erhai, and when Dabenqu continues to be sung from generation to generation to the accompaniment of the sanxian, the Bai people are using their own voices, their own bodies, and their own dances to offer their deepest and most enduring declaration of “reverence” and “joy.” Raosanling has a long history of transmission, a deep popular foundation, a vast scale of participation, and an extensive procession space. It reflects the Bai people’s cultural capacity for openness and absorption, as well as a strong spirit of innovation. The folk arts of Raosanling are among the most vivid expressions of Bai culture—a cultural flame that never goes out between Cangshan and Erhai.

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