Lusheng

The ''lusheng'' (, ; Vietnamese: ''Khèn Mông''; also spelled ''lu sheng''; spelled ''ghengx'' in standard Hmong and ''qeej'' in Laotian RPA Hmong) is a Hmong musical instrument. It has a long history of 3000 years in China, traced back to the Tang Dynasty. It is a mouth organ with multiple bamboo pipes, each fitted with a free reed, which are fitted into a long blowing tube made of hardwood. It most often has five or six pipes of different pitches and is thus a polyphonic instrument. Its construction includes six parts ( mouthpiece, air feed pipe, ''sheng dou'' (笙斗, body), ''sheng guan'' (笙管, pipes), reed, and resonator tube). It comes in sizes ranging from very small to several meters in length.

The ''lusheng'' is used primarily in the rural regions of southwestern China (e.g. Guizhou, Guangxi, and Yunnan) and in nearby countries such as Laos and Vietnam, where it is played by such ethnic groups as the Miao ( Hmong-Hmyo-Hmao-Hmu-Xong) and Dong. The ''lusheng'' has special cultural significance in the Miao regions due to its role in marriage and religious ceremonies. At the ''lusheng'' festival (September 27–29), performers often dance or swing the instrument from side to side while playing. Since the late 20th century, a modernized version of the instrument has been used in compositions, often as a solo instrument. The ''lusheng'' production technique has been recorded in China's ''State-Level Non-Material Cultural Heritage List'' since May 20, 2006.

History

The ''lusheng'' can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty with a history of 3000 years in China. It is originated from the Central Plains Region of China. After spreading to the rural regions of southwestern China, ''lusheng'' became one of the favorite traditional instruments in several Chinese minority ethnic groups (in particular, the Miao, Yao, Dong, and Yi).Shu. (2001). Mouth Organ of the Southwest: The Lusheng. ''Chinese Music'', 24(2), 38. ISSN: 0192-3749 It is believed to have evolved from the Yu (wind instrument), which is a free-reed wind instrument originated in the Han nationality.叶飞燕, & 张歌 (2020). 民俗学视野中的苗族芦笙音乐文化研究 ''教育教学论坛'', 30, 243–244. ISSN: 1674-9324

In the Miao region, there is a folk legend about the origin of the ''lusheng''. According to the legend, the world had nine suns in ancient times that caused heavy drought. People struggled to survive and built huge bows and arrows, shooting down eight of the nine suns. This scared the last sun, which kept itself hidden in the clouds. Without the sunshine, there was always night and crops failed to grow. To induce the last sun to come out, people produced the ''lusheng'' and played music. The beautiful melody from the ''lusheng'' successfully attracted the sun to come out again. After that, playing ''lusheng'' became a tradition and cultural expression of the Miao people.

Modern development of ''lusheng''

On May 20, 2006, the production techniques on ''lusheng'' of the Miao nationality group was approved by China State Council and listed in the State-Level Non-Material Cultural Heritage List. The production techniques used to produce the ''lusheng'' advanced techniques of reed musical instruments production in ancient China, connecting Chinese Miao and other Miao ethnic groups around the world.

Construction

A traditional ''lusheng'' consists of six parts: mouthpiece, air feed pipe, ''sheng dou'' (笙斗, body), ''sheng guan'' (笙管, pipes), reed, and resonator tube. The mouthpiece is thin bamboo, which is connected to the air feed pipe and the ''sheng dou'' (笙斗, body); six bamboo-made ''sheng guan'' (笙管, pipes) of different lengths and with reeds at the bottom are inserted into the ''sheng dou (''笙斗, body)'','' each of which has a press hole and is equipped with a bamboo resonator tube at the upper or lower end of the different bamboo pipes.欧阳平方 (2014). 贵州雷山苗族芦笙传统制作技艺及其声学性能分析 ''文化艺术研究, 4'', 77–87.
ISSN: 1674-3180

''Sheng dou''

Sheng dou (笙斗), which is also called a gas box, is the body of the ''lusheng''. It is mostly made of cedar, pine or ''wu tong'' (梧桐) wood. It has a spindle shape, with 46~56 cm in length, 4 ~ 9 cm in width, and 3.5 ~ 8 cm in height. During the production, a whole piece of blank material is split into two halves, and each inner chamber will be hollowed out respectively.阿土 (2011). 芦笙的制作工艺（一） 贵州民族研究, 2, 18–18.
ISSN: 1002-6959 Then two halves will be glued after loading into the ''sheng guan'' (笙管, pipes) with seven turns of thin gabions around the outer part. The ''sheng dou'' (笙斗) often has the color of light yellow, decorated with tung oil on the outside. Its beautiful appearance made ''lusheng'' has the reputation of "''golden sheng''".国家非物质文化遗产：苗族芦笙制作技艺 (2012). 原生态民族文化学刊, 4(3), F0002–F0002
ISSN: 1674-621X

''Sheng guan''

Sheng guan (笙管, pipes) is mostly made out of white bamboo, which has a thin diameter (1.2 cm), long joints (40~50 cm), uniform thickness, and thin walls. They are inserted longitudinally at an angle of 75° to 90° into the ''sheng dou'' (笙斗). The height of ''sheng guan'' (笙管) varied based on a different level of tones: soprano ''lusheng'' is 14.5 cm ~ 30 cm high, alto ''lusheng'' is 30 cm ~ 58 cm high, bass ''lusheng'' is 58 cm ~ 105 cm high, times bass ''lusheng'' is 105 cm ~ 210 cm high.

Reed

Reed is the soundbox of ''lusheng,'' mostly is made from ringing copper. Its size varies depending on the pitch: The pitch of c, c1, c2 has the length of 4 cm, 3.5 cm, 2.5 cm, and the width of 0.25 cm, 0.2 cm, 0.15 cm, respectively. The ''lusheng'' reed can also be made of brass, while it is not as crisp as the sound of copper.

Resonator tube

The resonator tube acts as the "microphone" of the ''lusheng.'' It is a bamboo tube set on the upper end of the ''sheng guan'' (笙管) and is mostly made of Moso bamboo. Two types of resonator tube are used in the production, which is movable and fixed. Its length varied with different pitches: c, c1, c2 have length of 60 cm, 30 cm, 15 cm, respectively.

Culture and Festivals

In marriage custom

The ''lusheng'' plays an important role in pursuing love in Miao culture. Among traditional Miao (Hmong), intermarriage is prohibited between people of the same surname. Instead, Miao people usually choose their mates through collective activities. During annual spring farming periods, Miao people will build ''lusheng'' fields in Hmong villages as places for people to choose their spouses. In the ''lusheng'' fields, young men and women from different villages gather together, playing ''lusheng'' and dance to get to know each other. When a Miao man picks his mate, he will play ''lusheng'' songs like ''"asking for a flower belt"'' and ask for a love token from the woman.

In religion custom

In the Miao religion, they believe ''lusheng'' is a spiritual instrument (an animism belief) and has a certain effect on the gods. Between the beginning of spring and autumn harvest, ''lusheng'' playing is prohibited. During that period, Miao people will wipe the ''lusheng'' clean and tie it with red cloth, plugging the ''sheng guan'' with cotton flowers and placing it in the reed-pipe hall. Otherwise, it is believed that the sound of ''lusheng'' during harvest season will offend the gods. Violators are subject to reprimand by the elders of the tribe.

''Lusheng'' can be used in funerals, as its sound signifies death. In the funeral ceremony, Miao people will play ''lusheng'' to release the souls of dead people from suffering. They believe ''lusheng'' symbolizes a strong blood tie between the Miao people and their ancestors.

''lusheng'' festival in Miao

Miao ''lusheng'' festival (also called ''lusheng'' fair) occurs on September 27 and lasts for three days. It has become a traditional festival with hundreds of thousands of Miao people participating.程建昆 (2002). 苗年里的芦笙节 东方艺术, 4, 20–23.
ISSN: 1005-9733 During the festival, a ''lusheng'' competition takes place among individuals and among teams composed of five people. They play ''lusheng'' music and dance in ritualized forms (''lusheng'' dance). The players with more tunes and brighter sounds will win and their ''lusheng'' will be hung with red ribbons, as a symbol of honor in the village. Other activities also take place during ''lusheng'' festival to increase the jubilant atmosphere, including horse racing, bird-fighting, and cock fighting.

See also

* Sheng (instrument)
* Khene
* Yu (wind instrument)
* Hulusheng
* Mangtong
* Music of China
* Traditional Chinese musical instruments

References

External links

Lusheng page
(Chinese)

Video

Traditional Hmong ''lusheng'' performance in GuizhouTraditional Hmong ''lusheng'' performance in GuizhouTraditional Hmong ''lusheng'' performance in Rongshui, Liuzhou, GuangxiModernized ''lusheng'' performance

{{Traditional Chinese musical instruments

Chinese musical instruments
Sets of free reeds
Laotian musical instruments
Mouth organs