Beyond the Mountains

Although an integral part of China’s national heritage, Xueqiang remains alien to most people, partly because of the remote location of Derong. As popular culture dominates, this ancient art form needs to go beyond the mountains that confine it and undergo a revival. This is a real test for Derong people.

Now in his 80s, Tsering is no longer able to dance. But he hums Xueqiang ballads all day long and takes part in dance rehearsals, offering advice and giving instructions to the new generation of learners. The current troupe leader and Tsering’s apprentice, 53-year-old Tamdrin Norbu, began dancing at the age of 17. Now he focuses on promoting the dance and sharing his skills with young people.

“Xueqiang features strong local and ethnic characteristics,” Norbu said of his understanding of the dance. “It embodies the spirit and values of the Derong people that are recognized by artists and scholars.”

The artistic and academic values of Xueqiang have indeed aroused attention from the government. In 2003, the county allocated RMB 800,000 to collect, organize, record, categorize, and catalogue this arts heritage, and on that basis, to utilize multi-media tools to preserve as well as circulate and promote it.

To preserve the nation’s intangible cultural heritage, the culture and tourism department of Derong County awarded an annual grant of RMB 8,000 to Gema Tsering, encouraging him to continue to teach his skills.

In recent years, the Xueqiang Troupe of Derong has had more opportunities to perform throughout the country. In 2003, Temdrin Norbu led a troupe of 40 people attending the fourth Arts Festival of International Intangible Cultural Heritage in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province. The troupe’s dance was hailed as an excellent performance. In 2014, they were also invited to dance at the Garze Prefecture Spring Festival gala.

“Nowadays, most of our performances are for free,” said Norbu, “but we hope to have more opportunities for paid performances as the region’s tourism develops.”

Derong County has set up a cultural and arts association based on the original Xueqiang troupe. The members are aged between 20 and 50, and the team is growing. The development of tourism is energizing Xueqiang. “Unique to Derong, Xueqiang has a special appeal for locals as well as tourists,” Norbu said.

Farmers used to dance after a day’s hard work to entertain themselves. Nowadays, they dance to promote and pass down the unique ethnic performance art form. “My greatest ambition is to take my troupe to every corner of the country, so that more people can discover the dance,” Norbu said.