Khechin (Lhasa naruchechin)

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Xieqin

Applicant: Chengguan District, Lhasa City, Tibet Autonomous Region

Project No.: 680

Project No.: Ⅲ - 83

Time of publication: 2008 (second batch)

Category: traditional dance

Region: Gansu Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Chengguan District, Lhasa City, Tibet Autonomous Region

Protection unit: Lhasa Cultural Bureau

A brief introduction to khechin (Lhasa naruchechin)

Applicant: Chengguan District, Lhasa City, Tibet Autonomous Region

Xieqin is an ancient large-scale ceremonial song and dance of Tibetan people, which used to be performed in Grand religious ceremonies or important activities of secular life. It is popular in Shannan, Lhasa, Xigaze and other regions of Tibet. Among them, the Xieqin in the area of Naru village, Najin Township, Chengguan District, Lhasa city is called naruheqin.

It is said that Xieqin originated in the Tubo Dynasty in the 7th century. When the people of Yalong tribe respected niechizanpu as the leader, they carried him back to the place where the tribe was. From then on, people called him niechizanpu. "Nie" is the neck, "Chi" is the throne, "Zanpu" is the king, which means "the king on the shoulder". When people lift "Zanpu" with their shoulders, they regard themselves as horses, and then they shout out the horse cry, and from then on they begin to form "Xieqin".

Harmonizing and qinfusing poetry, music and dance is a large-scale, complex form and structure, usually self singing, self speaking and self dancing, without musical instrument accompaniment. Sing less dance, say dance enthusiasm, rich action, change more. A complete Xieqin structure has a large scale and is composed of many songs and dances with titles. The first and last music are "Xiegou" and "Zhaxi". Each piece of music is composed of Adagio and Allegro, or slow, medium and fast.

Xieqin used popular and vivid language and figurative metaphor to praise auspiciousness and spread all over the world. His performance was mainly music, with rich tunes, catchy words and easy to understand, bringing people the enjoyment of beauty. In the past, the actors were hereditary "bad performers" assigned by the local government of Tibet, nobles and pingkang (Grand Manor). The performance required 32 singing and dancing actors, half male and half female. Among them, the leading singer and dancer "Xiben" was also one male and one female. Naruhiqin is divided into male and female songs. At the beginning of the performance, he sings a few paragraphs first, but does not dance. But he can make some simple gestures combined with the content of the lyrics. After singing, he says a few paragraphs of confession and starts dancing at this time. The words and sentences are closely related to the dance, and the content can be changed according to the changes of the environment.

Naruhiqin has a simple and simple rhyme, unique performance, strong Tibetan customs and distinctive local characteristics, which is of high historical and cultural research value. With the passage of time, although Xieqin has developed, it has basically preserved the style and features of ancient Tibetan songs and dances due to the fact that the traditional etiquette, songs and dances can not be changed at will in Tibetan areas for many years. With the death of the old artists, the number of inheritors is decreasing. Naruhuchin, a simple performing art, is facing a survival crisis.