Tujia Folk Art in Zhangjiajie: Daliuzi
Daliuzi, commonly called "da jiahuo," is a unique folk instrumental music of the Tujia people. A full set consists of four percussion instruments: small gong (also called gou gong), first cymbal, second cymbal, and large gong. Some pieces also add suona and ban drum accompaniment. It is indispensable at Tujia weddings, festivals, New Year celebrations, and hand-waving dances. Some Tujia even play it for no particular occasion.
This article has been compiled from historical materials on 'Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network' (33519.com · Specialty Foods / Cuisine / Customs section). Prices, business hours, administrative divisions, and statistical data mentioned in the text may already be outdated. Before traveling, please refer to the latest announcements from merchants, scenic areas, and local competent authorities; the parts involving folk legends and folk customs are local historical and cultural anecdotes, provided for cultural reference.
Daliuzi, commonly known as "beating the instruments," is a unique folk instrumental music of the Tujia people.
A full set of liuzi consists of four percussion instruments: the small gong (also called the hook gong), the first cymbal, the second cymbal, and the large gong. Some tunes also add suona and clapper drum accompaniment. It is indispensable on festive occasions such as Tujia weddings, New Year and festivals, and the New Year hand-waving ceremony. Some local people even play daliuzi for self-entertainment whether they have something to do or not, so it is widely circulated among the people.
The key to playing daliuzi is tacit cooperation, and also, according to the prompts of the tune's melody, using unique performance techniques to imitate various natural sounds such as the call of the mountains, the sound of flowing water, the warbling of birds, and the galloping of beasts, making people feel as if they are there in person. Examples include "Myna Washes Itself," "Ants Climb a Tree," "Pheasant Flaps Its Wings," and "Toad Spits Bubbles."
Because the themes and ideas of daliuzi come from nature, with a strong rustic flavor and extraordinary performance, it has made a great splash in the international music world. Foreign experts praise the Tujia daliuzi as a symphony of nature.
In 2007, through scientific investigation and demonstration, Xiangxi Prefecture identified six items with very important cultural, historical, folk, and social value—Tujia Sheba Day, Tujia brocade, Tujia daliuzi, the Cattle Sacrifice Festival, Miao drums, and Luxi Chenhe high-pitched tunes—as candidates for the first batch of national-level intangible cultural heritage representatives.
Note: Daliuzi is an ancient Tujia percussion music spread in the Xiangxi region. Many contemporary folklorists, ethnologists, and musicologists have produced abundant research results on Tujia "daliuzi." They have actively organized and explored the artistic features of "daliuzi," such as performance techniques, band combinations, tunes, and structure, adding luster to Chinese ethnic music art. "Daliuzi" differs from other types of percussion music; it has unique personality and characteristics, and also a certain harmonic effect. If one participates in practice oneself, one will find it full of wit and endless joy.
Daliuzi has many names in Xiangxi: In the Tujia areas of Xiangxi, "daliuzi" is also called "beating the instruments," "beating the earth-pressed cymbals," "beating cymbals and gongs," and so on. According to the research of folklorists and ethnologists, these names may originate from the primitive fishing and hunting era, when people, having hunted animals, would beat fishing and hunting tools and "instruments" such as pots, bowls, basins, and jars to add to the fun. The Tujia scholar Yang Changxin once wrote in the book Tujia Customs (Central University for Nationalities Press, 1989): "To this day, in Tujia mountain villages there still remains the ancient Tujia custom of beating basins and drums to drive away the so-called 'heavenly dog' that swallows the moon; they still have the customary activity of beating basins and bowls to 'break the drum and save the moon.'" From this it can be seen that Tujia "daliuzi" is a form of percussion performance with a long history, and its names also come from the labor and life of the Tujia people.
2. Daliuzi is a custom of the Tujia people in the Xiangxi region: Whenever there are festival gatherings, house completions, weddings, birthday celebrations, or good news announcements, the joyful sound of "daliuzi" rings out in Tujia mountain villages. Tujia "daliuzi" reflects the passionate, humorous, and honest character of the Tujia people. It arose from the daily life of the Tujia people and is closely related to their life customs. "Daliuzi" has become a custom in Tujia mountain villages and is passed down from generation to generation. While appreciating "daliuzi," we also find that its tune names are very interesting. They are often accompanied by folk activities and carry auspicious names with strong folk flavor, such as "Magpies Tease the Plum," "Celebrating the Birth," "New Door Entry," and "Dragon Raises Its Head."
3. The combination forms of liuzi: In Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture, "daliuzi" has formed fixed band combination forms, generally consisting of small gong, cymbals, and large gong, all made of copper. When necessary, a suona is added, combining wind and percussion to add a lively atmosphere. The three-person liuzi is performed by three people, respectively playing the second cymbal, first cymbal, and large gong; the second cymbal leads, the first cymbal responds, and the large gong adds color and fills in the gong part. The three-person liuzi is comical, witty, vivid, and lively, and is mainly popular in southern Baojing County, in Duolong and Jiatong townships of Guzhang County, and in Wangcun and Gaoping townships of Yongshun County. The four-person liuzi adds a small gong (also called horse gong) on the basis of the three-person liuzi; the small gong only fills in the rhythm and provides contrast in timbre. If the four-person liuzi is arranged according to the traditional four-part harmony method, the small gong (horse gong) is equivalent to the supporting voice part, the large gong to the bass voice part, and the first and second cymbals to the melodic voice parts. The four-person liuzi is popular in northern Baojing County, southern Longshan County, and Zejiahu and Duishan townships of Yongshun County. The five-person liuzi adds a suona on the basis of the four-person liuzi, with the aim of adding to the atmosphere of the music. Because the suona was introduced to the Tujia region relatively late, the five-person liuzi formed much later than the three-person and four-person liuzi. The five-person liuzi is mainly popular in the northern half of Longshan County, parts of Baojing, and some townships of Yongshun and Guzhang.
4. The tune structure of daliuzi has formulas: The tune is the main content expressed by "liuzi." According to different tunes, the small gong, cymbals, and large gong have different ways of playing. When completing the content expressed by the tune, the liuzi players produce a spirit of light and heavy, slow and urgent, rising and falling, and several voice parts cooperate organically, producing rich harmonic effects. The cymbals are divided into methods such as Min striking, bright striking, side striking, kneading striking, squeezing cymbals, and covering the edge; the small gong is divided into single gong, flower gong, and other methods; the large gong is divided into pressing gong, open gong, muffled gong, and other methods, fully displaying their respective skills and characteristics.
The liuzi tune is mostly composed of four parts: introduction, head, liuzi, and tail, with several movements. The introduction generally has one or two musical phrases and is relatively simple. The head is ever-changing and is the theme of the tune. The liuzi does not change much; it is formed by stringing together the bridge and the liuzi, and its form is relatively fixed. The tail is the termination of the piece; at the end, because the tunes differ, the tails are almost all different.
The qupai (tune titles) of "Daliuzi" have formed a formulaic structure. Generally, a three-person liuzi consists of the touzi, qiaozi, liuzi, and weizi; a four-person liuzi consists of the yinzi, touzi, liuzi, touzi (repeated), liuzi (repeated), and weizi. The qupai structure of a five-person liuzi has no formula and is quite varied in form.
V. Classification of Daliuzi Qupai: After being sorted out, the qupai of "Daliuzi" have now been determined to number about one hundred or more. Based on the different content depicted by the "Daliuzi" qupai, some performers have divided them into three major categories: depicting sound, depicting form, and depicting meaning. Depicting sound mainly portrays the sounds of birds and beasts in the mountains; depicting form mainly portrays the expressions and postures of birds and beasts; depicting meaning mainly reveals and heightens the artistic conception and emotions of a specific theme, giving people a sense of comfort and auspicious beauty.
The sound-depicting category includes qupai such as "Thrush Pouncing on the Cage," "Horse Crossing the Stream Bridge," "Love of the Sun Bird," and "Hen Cackling Over Eggs"; the form-depicting category includes qupai such as "Myna Bathing," "Dog Chasing Sheep," "Fierce Tiger Descending the Mountain," and "Phoenix Nodding Its Head"; the meaning-depicting category includes qupai such as "Anqing Tune," "Meeting at the Magpie Bridge," "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea," and "Dragon Raising Its Head."
The Tujia people's "Daliuzi" reflects their rich zest for life. With this unique art form of their own, they display the Tujia people's optimistic, upward-looking, passionate, and fearless spirit. If you can visit a Tujia mountain village to watch "Daliuzi," the scene will surely enchant and delight you.
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