The custom of bronze drum of Zhuang Nationality

The name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Zhuang people's bronze drum custom

Applicant: Hechi City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region

Item No.: 509

Project No.: Ⅹ - 61

Time of publication: 2006 (the first batch)

Category: folk customs

Region: Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region

Type: new item

Applicant: Hechi City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region

Protection unit: Hechi Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center

A brief introduction to the custom of bronze drum of Zhuang Nationality:

Applicant: Hechi City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region

Some ethnic minorities in Guangxi have always been in the habit of beating bronze drums in festivals or sacrifices. This custom has been followed up to now. Now the Zhuang people in Donglan and Tian'e celebrate the third of March and the Spring Festival every year. The Yao people in Du'an, Bama and Dahua celebrate the festival. The Yao people in Nandan hold funerals and sacrifices. The Miao people in Zhongbao of Nandan have to beat bronze drums when they celebrate the Spring Festival or when they are happy The expression expresses the feeling of celebration or mourning.

Around the 7th century BC, the Pu people living in the Pearl River Valley of China created the percussion instrument bronze drum from the copper cauldron of cooking utensils. Since then, the bronze drum has been introduced to qiongdu, Sichuan, Guizhou, Guangxi and Guangdong, Vietnam, Myanmar and Thailand. Up to now, the bronze drum has been spread for more than 2000 years. It has been withdrawn from the stage of history in most areas and many ethnic groups, leaving only some traces and historical memories. However, some areas and ethnic groups still have the ancient history of using the bronze drum The old custom has left a "living fossil" for the bronze drum culture. The Hongshui River Basin, which borders on the south of Guizhou and the northwest of Guangxi, is the area where the bronze drum culture is most abundant. The ethnic groups that still use bronze drum include Zhuang, Buyi, Dai, Dong and Shui who belong to Zhuang and Dong languages, Miao and Yao who belong to Miao and Yao languages, and Yi who belong to Tibeto Burmese languages. After losing the function of power symbol, the bronze drum returned to the public and is still used among the people, becoming a living cultural heritage. The traditional cultural activities of various ethnic groups in the Hongshui River basin all use bronze drums, which has become a living witness of the existing cultural traditions of these ethnic groups. From different aspects, it reflects the economic situation, cultural outlook and psychological quality of the ethnic groups who use bronze drums in the Hongshui River Basin, as well as their unique creativity to adapt to the natural environment in the long historical process.

Bronze drum involves mining and metallurgy, casting, acoustics, history, art, and the related history of science and technology, archaeology, ethnology, anthropology, etc., which has important cultural value.