Melodies linger in the air, Miao New Year with courtesy

【Ideal Countryside · Leishan Miao New Year Shengge Festival】🍁 Melodies linger in the air, Miao New Year with courtesy Leishan County, under the jurisdiction of Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture in Guizhou Province, is located in the southwest of Qiandongnan Prefecture, between 107°55′—108°22′ E longitude and 26°02′—26°34′ N latitude, covering a total area of 1,204.36 square kilometers. Leishan County has a long history and still preserves rich traditional, ancient, and authentic cultural connotations. It is a living "textbook of Miao history and culture," and among these, the craftsmanship of the lusheng is a precious intangible cultural heritage of the Miao people. The lusheng is a skill passed down through generations of the Miao. A piece of bamboo, a sheet of copper, a pair of hands—under Master Mo’s fingertips, they condense into the timeless sound of the lusheng, a memory belonging to the Leishan Miao. In Paika Lusheng Village, Danjiang Town, six pipes with five notes, eight pipes with ten notes, and even twenty-four pipes, each pipe holds the heartbeat of the Miao people for thousands of years. The Miao lusheng selects bamboo that has been "frost-bitten through," old, thin, and brittle. The copper melting must maintain "unceasing fire." The master uses reed bamboo, brass, and wood to form the four parts of the lusheng: the reed, bamboo pipes, air chamber, and resonator. Hammering the reeds must be light; too much force will crack them, too light and they lack resilience. Master Mo says: to tune the volume, copper sheets must be shaved; even a slight difference in thickness changes the resonance of the bamboo pipes. Tuning is done by ear and breath; the bamboo pipes must be straight, the air chamber tight. Even a slight deviation in pitch means it cannot produce the Miao tune and is not a qualified lusheng. When tuning, one holds their breath to listen for the ancestors’ response inside the bamboo pipes. Through the lusheng melodies, we enter Leishan Miao New Year, the Miao people’s celebration of the lunar new year. It is the seasonal festival of the Leishan Miao, a solemn occasion in the cycle of time, a historical witness to the ancient Miao’s use of the ten-month solar calendar. Gods, humans, drums, and lushengs rejoice together; cattle and birds compete in games. Miao sons and daughters dress in their finest and gather to dance the lusheng dance to the lusheng tunes. In the grand parade of thousands, men play the lusheng and dance, women twirl gracefully around. The twelve turns of the lusheng dance embody the twelve months of the solar calendar’s rituals. Sometimes looking up, sometimes rolling continuously, they wear the entire history of the nation on their bodies, composing a living epic in melody. In Xijiang, time seems to truly stand still. Located in the northeast of Leishan County, Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village’s 2,000 years of history have stacked into layers of stilted buildings built along the mountains, and the ancient footsteps echo on the bluestone alleys. Surrounded by mountains on all sides, terraced fields stretch to the clouds, and the Baishui River flows through the village. Miao traditional farming, singing, and dancing have been passed down here for generations, preserving the vibrant "living intangible heritage" of the Miao people. From the parade, we dive into the 2025 Leishan Miao New Year intangible cultural heritage "Ten Thousand People Long Table Banquet." This is a high-standard, grand ceremony of the traditional Miao feast. The sour soup in the pot bubbles, and every dish here is a passionate confession from the Miao people. Some say intangible cultural heritage is an antique, something to be displayed in glass cabinets. But in Leishan, Guizhou, it dances on Master Mo’s bamboo pipes, breathes in the streets and alleys of Xijiang Miao Village, and flows in the cups of rice wine at the long table banquet. The lusheng sounds of Leishan still drift, floating over terraced fields and Miao villages, not limited to the Miao New Year. The Miao people quietly await the arrival of guests from afar~