Batang String Dance

Sichuan
🎧  Listen to Introduction

"Xianzi" is called "Gaxie" in Tibetan, also known as "Xie", "Ye", "Baye", etc., which means circle dance. It is one of the three major Tibetan dances. It is popular in eastern Tibet and Tibetan-inhabited areas in Yunnan, Sichuan and Qinghai. The most famous one is the Sichuan Batang Xianzi. Batang County is located at the junction of Sichuan, Yunnan and Tibet. It belonged to the White Wolf Kingdom in ancient times. The "White Wolf Song" of the White Wolf Kingdom is a ceremonial song and dance that integrates poetry, music and dance. Batang Xianzi is its legacy. After more than a thousand years of development, it has become a folk song and dance that the Tibetan people love very much. Batang Xianzi is a beautiful and lyrical Tibetan dance with the characteristics of "long sleeves and good dancing". During the performance, several men hold the stringed instrument "Biwang" (Huqin) in front of the team to play and lead the dance. The rest of the dancers sing and dance with them. "Three steps, one lift, one step, one lean" is the basic rhythmic feature of Batang Xianzi Dance. Its chest-holding, knee-trembling, and long-sleeved movements of circling, supporting, lifting, and covering form a unique regional dance feature. During festive occasions, after camping or working, people gather in "Linka" (clearing in the forest) or dams to dance Xianzi Dance, regardless of gender or number. Xianzi music is generally divided into three parts: prelude, interlude, and coda. The music is soft but firm, beautiful and lyrical, and the rhythm is full of dance. Batang Xianzi is the crystallization of the wisdom of the Batang people. Batang Xianzi Dance is rich in national culture and reflects rich national customs. It has high academic and artistic value. In May 2000, the Ministry of Culture officially named Batang County as "China's Folk Art Hometown". Batang String Music, with thousands of songs, has become the greatest treasure of Tibetan folk music. It is the best-preserved "living fossil" of Tibetan music. Its music and lyrics have penetrated into various other Tibetan literature and arts. Protecting Batang String Music is of great significance to protecting Tibetan song and dance art and studying Tibetan culture.

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