China News Agency, Nanning, December 22. Question: How does the bronze drum connect the past and future of the cultural integration of China and ASEAN?

　　——Interview with Jiang Tingyu, Chairman of Ancient Chinese Bronze Drum Research Association and Former Director of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Museum

　　China News Agency reporter Meng Mingming

　　Bronze drums are percussion instruments and sacrificial objects in ancient China. They have a history of more than 2,700 years. They are cultural symbols and symbols of many ethnic groups in southern China. A large number of bronze drums with similar shapes and patterns have been unearthed in Southwest China and ASEAN countries.

Jiang Tingyu, chairman of the Ancient Chinese Bronze Drum Research Association and former curator of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Museum, recently accepted an exclusive interview with China News Agency's "East and West" to talk about how the bronze drum connects the past and future of the integration of Chinese and ASEAN cultures.

The interview transcript is summarized as follows:

China News Agency reporter: As an ancient percussion instrument, when did the bronze drum first appear?

How has it evolved and what role has it played?

Jiang Tingyu:

Bronze drums are artifacts created by ancient ethnic groups in the Lingnan and Southwest regions of China. The earliest bronze drums discovered by archeology are unearthed from the Wanjiaba Ancient Tombs in Chuxiong County, Yunnan Province. They belong to the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, about 2,700 years ago.

　　The emergence of the bronze drum is also quite interesting. It evolved from the copper pot (copper pot) used for cooking at that time.

In ancient times, the ancestors of the southwest tribes scooped up the rice in the pot, and after they were full, they turned the pot (cauldron) over and beat it, singing and dancing, and the copper pot became a musical instrument.

The sound of this kind of copper pot is powerful, and it can also be used to call people.

　　Since then, the copper pot has continued to evolve, the bottom surface has been flattened and expanded, turned upside down, and used as a special musical instrument, it has become a bronze drum.

After facing up, decorations were added, and the shape gradually became fixed. The decorations gradually increased and became more and more complicated. They were generally used in ethnic activities such as sacrifices and celebrations, and finally became symbols and symbols of power.

Bronze drums are similar to tripods in the Central Plains, and the number and size of bronze drums are used to symbolize power.

This is the real bronze drum.

Bronze drums in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Museum.

Photo by Zhang Lei

　　The bronze drums unearthed from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period to the Qing Dynasty have been found in every period.

Bronze drums unearthed in various periods and places vary in shape, size, and ornamentation, but the overall image is that the whole body is made of copper, flat and curved, with a face at one end, hollow without bottom, and four ears attached to the side.

　　In China, bronze drums are divided into eight types, with the Beiliu type being the largest.

Beiliu type bronze drums were popular in the Han Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, mainly distributed in Guangdong and Guangxi, and are characterized by their huge size.

The Shuiyongan bronze drum unearthed in Beiliu, Guangxi is the largest bronze drum known in the world so far. The diameter of the drum is 165 cm, and an adult can lie on it.

The bronze drums in the original form unearthed from the Wanjiaba ancient tombs in Yunnan have very small drum heads.

Second, the frog statues on the drum surface are very distinctive. Since the Han Dynasty, three-dimensional frog statues began to appear on the drum surface of the bronze drum.

Third, drum ears also have their own characteristics. The ears of other types of bronze drums are bridge-shaped flat ears, while the ears of Beiliu-type bronze drums are solid ring ears.

These characteristics make it easy to distinguish.

　　The decorations on the drum surface and drum body are also different in different eras and regions.

In general, from simple and plain to complicated.

　　The ancient bronze drum is not only a musical instrument, used to accompany singing and dancing; it is also an artifact, used to compete with gods and pray for disasters; Three, you can arrogate yourself to be the king."

A bronze drum on display at the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Museum.

Photo by Zhong Xin

China News Agency reporter: In archaeology, bronze drums have been found in ASEAN countries. How are they different from the bronze drums found in China in terms of shape?

What are the connections?

Jiang Tingyu:

Through archaeological discoveries, bronze drums are mainly distributed in southern China, including Sichuan, Chongqing, Yunnan, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Guangxi, Guangdong, Hainan and other provinces (regions, cities); abroad, they are mainly distributed in Southeast Asia.

Among the ten ASEAN countries, nine countries have unearthed bronze drums. Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, including Indonesia, which is far away from China, and even Irian Island, which borders Indonesia and Oceania, also have bronze drums. Bronze Drum Discovery.

　　Bronze drums unearthed in Southeast Asian countries are not the same in shape, and bronze drums unearthed in the same country are also different in different ages.

For example, under the influence of Buddhist culture, the bronze drums of Thailand, Myanmar and other countries have obvious Buddhist cultural symbols on the drum heads and body ornaments, while the bronze drums unearthed in Indonesia can be seen with elephant and coconut tree decorations, with local culture color.

　　However, the bronze drums in ASEAN and southern China basically have the same overall shape. They are all copper, flat and curved, with a face at one end, hollow and bottomless, with four ears attached to the side. It is clear that they are of the same origin.

Because in ancient times, Indochina Peninsula and Southeast Asia were inextricably linked with southern China in terms of ethnicity and culture, and some of them had the same origin.

In the history of political and cultural development and exchanges, bronze drums, as a symbol of power, were often entrusted by the chiefs at the time and passed on to more chiefs and tribal leaders.

　　For example, the earliest Wanjiaba-type bronze drum was only popular in China and northern Vietnam, while the Shizhaishan-type bronze drum evolved from the Wanjiaba-type bronze drum was called Dongshan Bronze Drum in Vietnam, and it was popular in Malaysia, Indonesia and other places. It became a bronze drum with a frog statue on the drum.

Later, the localization of Indonesian bronze drums produced the Moko drum, which is elongated and has faces on both ends, which is different from the original bronze drums.

The frog shape on the bronze drum.

Photo by Wang Yizhao

China News Agency reporter: At present, how is the use of bronze drums and related cultures in the national life and cultural activities of China and ASEAN countries?

How can China and ASEAN jointly excavate and inherit the bronze drum culture?

Jiang Tingyu:

Bronze drums were first used as percussion instruments, then developed into sacrificial supplies, and finally evolved into symbols of power and wealth.

In the historical process of China and ASEAN countries, bronze drums have common and consistent functions, and they were all used for sacrifices and demonstrations of power at that time.

　　Bronze drums unearthed in China and ASEAN countries show a clear cultural context.

For example, frogs are used as totems on the decorations on the drum surface. The drum surface has sun patterns and Xianglu patterns, and the drum body has boat patterns and feathered people dancing patterns. These illustrate common living customs and cultural beliefs.

The frog shape on the bronze drum.

Photo by Wang Yizhao

　　Southern China and ASEAN countries mainly cultivate rice, and the same cultural symbols and totems of rice cultivation are also on the bronze drum.

In many periods of history, the two sides were basically the same in terms of life, production, politics and culture.

For example, a bronze drum unearthed in a rice field in Laos has the same shape and decoration as the bronze drum unearthed in Xilin, Guangxi, with boat patterns, deer patterns, and elements of water life and rice farming.

　　At present, there are some gaps between ASEAN countries and China in the excavation, protection and inheritance of bronze drums.

Except for Vietnam, other countries lack research on bronze drums, and have not yet clarified the origin and development of their bronze drums, so they do not know how to protect and inherit them, and cultural exchanges are needed.

The bronze drum culture is common in China and ASEAN countries, and has a common basis for mutual integration.

In the past 30 years, Chinese scholars have visited Vietnam and Thailand many times, and inspected bronze drums in Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Indonesia. Scholars from Southeast Asian countries come to conduct academic exchanges and promote mutual trust and understanding.

Now it is increasing exchanges and cooperation with ASEAN countries in the research of bronze drums and the excavation, sorting, inheritance and personnel training of bronze drum culture.

China News Agency reporter: What is the current situation of intangible cultural inheritance related to bronze drums between China and ASEAN?

Jiang Tingyu:

The intangible cultural heritage related to bronze drums has been well excavated in China. For example, the bronze drum custom of the Zhuang nationality, which is mainly inherited in Donglan, Guangxi, was included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage lists in 2006; in 2008 In 2014, the copper drums of the Yao nationality in Nandan were included in the fourth batch of national intangible cultural heritage lists.

Visitors are visiting the bronze drum exhibits in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Photo by Zhong Xin

　　There are also some festivals derived from the bronze drum, such as the Frog Festival of the Zhuang nationality and the Zhuzhu Festival of the Yao nationality, which are listed on the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region-level intangible cultural heritage list.

Bronze drum music was unearthed in Tian'e County, Guangxi. There are 12 playing styles, reflecting the changes of the four seasons throughout the year, and different bronze drum music is played in twelve months.

　　Some ASEAN countries also have intangible cultural heritage related to bronze drums. For example, Vietnam has unearthed various dance elements from the patterns on bronze drums, which have become an important content of contemporary national dances. Bronze drum patterns are also woven or printed on clothing, chest T-shirts printed with the pattern of bronze drums are also very popular in the local area.

　　In the future, China and ASEAN countries can jointly apply for the World Intangible Cultural Heritage List of Bronze Drum Culture.

Visitors are visiting the bronze drum exhibits in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Photo by Zhong Xin

China News Agency reporter: China and ASEAN have a common bronze drum culture. Can the two sides use the platform of China-ASEAN Expo to strengthen cultural exchanges and cooperation, and even promote bilateral economic and trade cooperation?

Jiang Tingyu:

The main problem now is how to protect and inherit the bronze drum culture.

With the development of society, the original functions of bronze drums have also changed, and some functions have gradually disappeared.

How to make young people understand and be interested in it is a big problem.

Both China and ASEAN countries need to face this.

　　In Guangxi, some places have been classified as Tonggu Culture Protection Area, encouraging Tonggu culture to enter the campus, so that primary school students can learn about the history and culture of this land.

For example, several counties in the Hongshui River Basin teach students the skills of beating bronze drums and dancing bronze drums, so that young people can increase their affection for bronze drums and become interested in bronze drum culture.

In terms of the production process of bronze drums, restoring and using traditional techniques to cast bronze drums has enabled the cultural entities of bronze drums to be spread;

Visitors are visiting the bronze drum exhibits in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Photo by Zhong Xin

　　Similarly, ASEAN countries are also facing a crisis of young people losing interest in bronze drum culture.

Young people need to be educated about history and culture.

China-ASEAN Expo is a very good exchange and cooperation platform, which can form an annual fixed display and exchange opportunity to promote the development of bronze drum culture.

　　A Bronze Drum Culture Forum can also be held during the Expo for more in-depth discussions and exchanges.

Bronze drum culture is a common point between China and ASEAN countries. If there are more common points, the relationship will be closer, and the exchanges and cooperation between the two sides in culture, economy and trade will be deepened.

I believe that the sound of beating the bronze drum that has passed through the millennium will continue to echo between China and ASEAN.

(use up)

Respondent profile:

　　Jiang Tingyu, born in October 1939 in Xing'an, Guangxi, graduated from Peking University in 1964.

He used to be the curator of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Museum, the director of the Chinese Archaeological Society, and the director of the Chinese Ancient Bronze Drum Research Association.

The main research directions are Guangxi archeology and bronze drum research.

Author of "Bronze Drum History", "Bronze Drum", "Bronze Drum Art Research", "A General Theory of Ancient Bronze Drum", "Exploring the Mystery of Beiliu Bronze Drum", "Guangxi Bronze Drum Illustration", "The Beginning of Yangjiao Button Bronze Bell" and many other works on bronze drums. Vietnam, Laos and other Southeast Asian countries explore the history and culture of bronze drums in Southeast Asian countries, as well as the origin and connection of bronze drum culture in Southwest China and Southeast Asian countries.