Guangxi's millennium bronze drum has regained its "new life" and "sounded" the note of cultural integration between China and ASEAN

Hechi, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) -- Guangxi's millennium bronze drum has regained its "new life" and "sounded" the note of cultural integration between China and ASEAN

Written by Wei Jiaxiu

Giving drums, blessing god cloth bag drums, sacrificial prayer gourd drums... In the Donglan Folk Bronze Drum Collection Hall in Donglan County, Hechi City, Guangxi, there are 150 copper drum collections cast in various historical periods in China since the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Recently, the "2023 Cross-Strait Media Magnificent Guangxi Tour" interview group walked into the Donglan Folk Bronze Drum Collection to learn about the unique cultural symbol of the Zhuang nationality and watch the copper drum performance on the spot.

The copper drum is a percussion instrument and sacrificial object popular in ancient China, with a history of more than 2700,612 years. According to reports, there are as many as <> copper drums used by folk heritage in Donglan County, accounting for a quarter of the total number of copper drums in the world.

Recently, in Donglan County, Hechi City, Guangxi, Chen Zhenyang, director of the Donglan Folk Copper Drum Collection, introduced the "treasure of the town hall" for the "2023 Cross-Strait Media Magnificent Guangxi Tour" interview group, a double-sided copper drum produced in the Ming Dynasty. Photo by Jiang Xuelin

Folk copper drum lovers are persistent in "guarding"

Chen Zhenyang, director of the Donglan Folk Bronze Drum Collection, said in an interview with reporters that this collection is a "treasure" left to him by his father Chen Yaoling.

Chen Zhenyang introduced that some of the copper drums collected by Chen Yaoling were donated to the surrounding villagers. From the early 20s to the late <>s of the <>th century, Chen Yaoling often went from village to village, using traditional Chinese medicine Zhuangyao medicine to treat villagers. "Some villagers knew that my father liked the copper drum, so they gave him the family copper drum as a reward."

With a love for copper drums and a responsibility to inherit the copper drum culture, in 2011, Chen Zhenyang took over his father's "baton". However, running the Bronze Drum Collection is not an easy task. "Since the beginning of this year, the visitor ticket income of the collection hall has been about <>,<> yuan, which can be said to be a drop in the bucket for the funds required for daily maintenance."

In this regard, Chen Zhenyang began to seek a new way out, cooperating with local copper drum manufacturers and selling copper drums on behalf of others to alleviate financial pressure.

"In Donglan County, copper drums are beaten every happy event, and now more and more people are buying copper drums." Chen Zhenyang said that some of the copper drums produced in Donglan County were purchased by locals, and some were sold to Yunnan, Guizhou and other places.

In recent years, a number of copper drum manufacturing plants have emerged in the local area. Luo Mingjin, the founder of the Donglan Inheritance Folk Copper Drum Factory, said: "Last year, more than 2000,500 sets (of copper drums) were sold, and <> sets were sold in Donglan County alone. ”

The millennium bronze drum has been reborn

In addition to the efforts of the people, the official of Donglan County has attached great importance to the protection and inheritance of copper drum culture in recent years.

Wei Wanzi, deputy director of the Donglan County Culture, Radio, Television, Sports and Tourism Bureau, said that since the beginning of this year, Donglan County has carried out 18 monthly copper drum meetings in combination with opera activities in the countryside, with more than 40,<> viewers; During the Zhuang Antchum Festival, intangible cultural heritage display and performance activities are carried out in combination with the copper drum culture to attract tourists to stop and watch.

In addition, Donglan County adopts the model of "copper drum + tourism", integrates the shape of copper drum into the local scenery, and creates the first bay observation deck of Hongshui River; In Baying Village, Bachou Township, Donglan County, we will build a cultural tourist attraction of Antui, develop research routes, and let the copper drum culture burst out with new vitality.

Wei Wanzi said that the county is committed to producing better quality music drums and cultivating talents who are good at playing music drums. At present, there has been a breakthrough in the production and performance of music copper drums.

Tan Anyi, a mathematics teacher at Donglan County Middle School, and Ya Yunyong, an art teacher, are the makers of Donglan music copper drums, and the musical copper drums they produce can interpret the complete seven-tone scale, overcoming the problem of narrow vocal range and incomplete scale of the handed down copper drums, so that the copper drums can play different pieces and play with more instruments.

Recently, in the Donglan Folk Copper Drum Collection Museum in Donglan County, Hechi City, Guangxi, a wonderful copper drum is being staged. Photo by Zhai Liqiang

On the same day, Taiwanese self-media person Cai Ruyu walked into the Donglan Folk Copper Drum Collection to learn to beat the music copper drum. She said: "I learned a song called "Water Tune Song Head", and it was amazing to use the brass drum I had first contact to hit the music that I was familiar with. ”

Cai Ruyu said that through traditional folk performances and intangible cultural heritage displays, she has a better understanding of traditional Chinese culture, "I think this form of cultural experience can make people on both sides of the strait have a stronger emotional connection." She said.

China and ASEAN Copper Drum Culture "Blending"

"Nine of the 10 ASEAN countries have unearthed copper drums." Chen Zhenyang introduced that China's copper drums and the copper drums spread in ASEAN countries have a high similarity in shape, style, ornamentation and other characteristics.

In 2006, the Zhuang bronze drum custom was included in China's first batch of national intangible cultural heritage. "Some ASEAN countries also have intangible cultural heritage related to bronze drums, and their scholars have visited the collections." Chen Zhenyang told reporters that China and ASEAN have a common copper drum culture, and they are also facing the same problem of protecting and inheriting the copper drum culture.

Wei Wanzi introduced that in late December this year, Donglan County plans to hold the Hongshui River Basin (Guangxi) Copper Drum Culture Forum, inviting experts and scholars from Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou and ASEAN countries to participate in the meeting to discuss the development of copper drum culture.

Jiang Tingyu, president of the Ancient Chinese Bronze Drum Research Association and former director of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Museum, said that China and ASEAN can hold a bronze drum culture forum during the China-ASEAN Expo for in-depth discussions and exchanges. "I believe that the sound of beating the copper drum for thousands of years will continue to reverberate between China and ASEAN." (ENDS)