Kouzi

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: kuozi

Applicant: Qushui County, Tibet Autonomous Region

Project No.: 686

Project No.: Ⅲ - 89

Time of publication: 2008 (second batch)

Category: traditional dance

Region: Tibet Autonomous Region

Type: new item

Applicant: Qushui County, Tibet Autonomous Region

Protected by: Qushui culture and Tourism Bureau (Qushui Cultural Relics Bureau)

Introduction to kouzi

Applicant: Qushui County, Tibet Autonomous Region

Kouzi is a kind of entertainment song and dance of Tibetan boatman. It is popular in JUNBA village, Qushui County, on the North Bank of the intersection of Lhasa River and Yarlung Zangbo River in the hinterland of Tibet Autonomous Region. Its history can be traced back to at least before the fifth Dalai Lama. In Tibetan, "Kuo" means cowhide boat, "Zi" means dance, so Kuo Zi is also called "cowhide boat dance".

Cowhide boat is the main means of water transportation in Tibet since the Tubo Period. About two thousand years ago, the Tibetan people used cowhide boats to ferry and transport goods. During the Tubo Period, there were historical records of cowhide boats racing on the Yarlung Zangbo River and Lhasa River, which were also depicted in the murals of Sangye temple, potala palace and loprinka.

When the traditional festivals such as the Sheraton Festival and the wangguo Festival come, the boatman will carry the cowhide boat on their back for the kuozi performance. Kuozi dance mostly comes from local Guoxie, which is flexible and changeable. The first part of the dance is "shudaobai", the second part is "zhongzi" (Bison dance), the third part is "tiaohada", and the fourth part is "blessing song". The whole dance is sonorous, powerful, rough and simple, showing a distinctive regional style.

Kuozi is rich in local characteristics and folk characteristics, which integrates entertainment, artistry, locality, spontaneity and nationality. It is of great value in the study of national culture, folklore, history and culture.

At present, there are only two old artists who can dance kuozi in JUNBA village. Because kuozi was formed under the special historical background and living conditions, the performance is difficult, the learning time is long, and the props are extremely heavy. Modern people, especially young people, are not willing to learn. As a result, kuozi has no successors and is in an endangered state, which needs the rescue and support of the government.