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CITY LIFE | 城事

Carrying forward the Lancang‑Mekong artistic legacy

传承澜湄艺脉

By Shu Wen □ 舒文 / 文

Water is the primal language of the Lancang-Mekong The joy born of the highlands finds its echo along the er.” In that moment, a question took shape: what if this
region, spoken by the winding river that nourishes both land riverside in Dai villages. Dai musician Yi Dangjiao grew free-spirited music were given a body, expressed not only
th
and culture along its banks. At the 13 Culture and Arts up with the sound of the hulusi flute. She still remembers through voice, but through movement?
Festival of Countries in the Lancang-Mekong River Basin, her first stage performance at age fifteen, during the Wa- Her opportunity arrived when her troupe staged the Dai
three “Xishuangbanna Culture and Arts International Vlog- ter-Splashing Festival—so nervous that she froze, the mel- Zhangha opera “Ushabala,” casting her as Princess Usha. It
gers” shared their stories. Deeply rooted in ethnic tradition, ody slipping from her mind. Just as panic tightened its grip, was only by stepping onto its stage that she truly entered the
they are now extending their branches toward a broader sky, her grandmother in the audience raised a string of jasmine world of Zhangha. To translate its essence into movement,
narrating tales of cultural inheritance and fusion. flowers and softly urged, “Listen to the sound of the water.” she first needed to grasp the meaning and narrative behind
At just twelve years old, Hani singer Men Shi first Yi turned her gaze toward the stream beside their bamboo the Dai lyrics, overcoming a language barrier to bridge word
picked up the hulusi flute, beginning a musical journey that house, and suddenly, the forgotten tune flowed back into her with gesture. More deeply, she sought to absorb the histor-
would shape her life. She went on to study performance heart. In that quiet moment, she understood: music lives not ical wisdom and life philosophy woven into Zhangha, en-
at university, and after graduating, returned to her roots in on the page, but in the gentle rhythm of everyday life. suring her interpretation was rooted, not merely decorative.
Jinghong to join the Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Pre- Later, Yi pursued formal training in the hulusi flute. The Most challenging of all has been finding the artistic balance:
fecture Ethnic Culture Troupe. A formative experience came moment her teacher solemnly presented her with an instru- merging the expressive power of dance with the relaxed,
in 2019 at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, where she ment meticulously wrapped in red silk thread, a profound lyrical flow of Zhangha—an ongoing quest that continues to
studied alongside 35 classmates from diverse ethnic minor- sense of belonging washed over her: “This is the sound of shape and define her practice.
ities across China, each bearing a unique cultural heritage our Dai people,” she realized, “the very taste of home.” Today, Zhangha has become inseparable from Yuan
that left a deep impression on her. “Many people don’t even Now a hulusi instructor herself, she teaches at private stu- Yihan’s artistic identity. “It has transformed my dance,”
know the Hani people live in Xishuangbanna, let alone dios and in local elementary schools. “My greatest joy,” she reflected. “What was once primarily a physical display is
understand our music,” she reflected. It was then that she re- she said, “is witnessing shy children, who once hesitated to now layered with cultural depth and narrative weight. Before,
solved to carry the voice of the Hani people far beyond their even blow into the instrument, gradually gain the confidence I focused on technical precision and beauty. Now, I ask a dif-
mountain homeland. to play complete melodies. When they find the rhythm and ferent question with every gesture: what story does it tell, what
Men Shi has since devoted herself to a delicate fusion, play along, it feels as if we are soaring together over Xish- emotion does it hold?” Like a Zhangha singer improvising in
weaving traditional Hani melodies with contemporary uangbanna’s emerald hills and clear waters. That feeling is the moment, she seeks to let her body become the narrative. “I
arrangements, a pursuit both challenging and profoundly utterly irreplaceable.” want my dance to have roots and a soul,” she said.
joyful. Her creative process was crystallized while com- During this year’s festival, Yi performed an impromptu During the festival, the three “Xishuangbanna Culture
posing “Meeting Is Destiny,” where she framed an ancient duet with a Myanmar actor. Though un-rehearsed, their har- and Arts International Vloggers” engaged in profound ar-
tune with modern instrumentation. “Hearing that ancestral mony was seamless. “The hulusi flute is like a cup of warm tistic exchanges with fellow performers from Myanmar,
melody find new vitality was indescribably moving,” she tea offered to guests,” she smiled. “It’s inviting, comforting, Thailand, Vietnam, and other Lancang-Mekong countries.
recalled. This thoughtful integration extends to her stage and opens the door to each other’s cultures.” In this creative confluence, the melody of the hulusi flute
presence. For performances today, she deliberately selects Art thrives not only in preservation but in creative fu- harmonized with traditional puppet theater, while the im-
her attire: simple work clothes for mountain folk songs, sion. For Dai Zhangha opera performer Yuan Yihan, this provisational strains of Zhangha found echoes in the classi-
and full ceremonial dress for ancient tunes. “The garments truth became personal the first time she heard Zhangha cal forms of Vietnamese Cai Luong opera. Reflecting on this
change,” she explained, “but my voice always carries the singing at a Water-Splashing Festival gala. “The voice was experience, Yi Dangjiao captured its essence: “True culture
echo of our mountains, that enduring Hani love for life and extraordinary,” she recalled. “The melodies flowed freely, is not about ‘you are you, and I am me.’ It is the recognition
nature.” Through every note and every detail, she proudly shaped entirely by emotion and story. That improvisation that ‘you have your beauty, I have mine—and together, we
projects her heritage to the world. pulsed with life, and it resonated deeply with me as a danc- create something greater still.’”