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Passing On the Heritage by Mo Rui Qiu
F or over twenty years, Wáng Míng Fù (王明富) has worked to
collect audio recordings and photographs that capture pieces of
his Nong Zhuang cultural heritage. Now, he has over 100 hours of recorded songs on tapes. He is concerned about preserving these recordings before the precious data is irretrievable from this near-extinct media format. His personal treasure trove also boasts over 10,000 photographs he took at a variety of Zhuang cultural events. Certainly, other researchers and cultural enthusiasts would prize published versions of these photos, yet finding funding to publish hard copies of this valuable data is always a challenge.
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Wang Ming Fu records a traditional incantation.


Wang Ming Fu continues speaking his dialect of Zhuang, seeing his language as a piece of their heritage. When asked who inspired him to value and preserve his own language and culture, he says that foreign researchers who are studying his culture influenced him significantly. Throughout the process of his own research, he has observed how few young people are willing to learn their cultural customs. He has watched the older generation, a cache of living culture, die one-by-one, taking their wealth of knowledge to the grave with them.

For over four years, he has served as the chairman for the Wenshan Zhuang-Miao Autonomous Prefecture Folk Artists Associations (文山壮族苗族自治州民间文艺家协会). This organization aims to link up people who value their traditional culture. They focus on cultural expressions like: folk music, song lyrics, handicrafts, paintings, legends, and traditional stories. The group attracts people who are personally interested and are willing to spend their own time on the topic. As of January 2009, they have about one hundred members, some of whom are ethnic minorities themselves and others who are Han Chinese. Wang Ming Fu is involved at the provincial and national levels in similar associations. He is also the vice-director of the Wenshan Prefecture Zhuang Research & Development Association (副会长，文山州壮学发展研究会). The government approves and oversees these organizations, but the groups still need to seek funding from other sources.

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Ancient Zhuang writing carved on bone.

As an editor for the Ancient Manuscripts Office of the Wenshan Prefecture Ethnic Affairs Committee (文山州民族事务委员会古籍办), Wang Ming Fu had the privilege of participating in some landmark discoveries. In 1984, they discovered bone carvings of ancient incantation texts in his hometown area. The carvings preserve ancient Zhuang calendars, which religious priests use for calculating auspicious dates.

Another significant find is the Mo Gaeq'kaen 《摩给坤》, an encyclopedic record that informs us about the ancient Goū Dīng Kingdom (句町古国). It records the ancient Nong Zhuang societal organization, agricultural and material development, religious beliefs, literary and artistic traditions, wars, and relations with other ethnic groups. In his article, "An Analysis of the Mo Religious Classic "Mo Gaeq'kaen" dedicated to the King of Gouding and the Societal Development the Zhuang of Yunnan," (祭句町王摩经 《摩给坤》 与云南壮族社会发展探析), Oct. 18, 2008, Wang Ming Fu explores the origins of Nong Zhuang religious rituals directed to their king. Based on records from the Western Han dynasty, in 81 B.C. the Han Emperor Zhāo Dì (昭帝) issued a decree confirming that the Gouding king was Wubo. At that time, the Gouding Kingdom was already the dominant ruling power in southwest China. Perhaps during that king’s reign, or sometime after another Gouding emperor’s death, Nong Zhuang priests started sacrificing to their king, as a primary spiritual being in their pantheon. Local people built temples dedicated to worshipping the Gouding emperor. This practice coined a term, which in Chinese reads “jì zhòu” (祭“宙”), and means “sacrificing to the lord.” Today’s Guǎng Nán county town (广南县城) was the central area where the Nong Zhuang practiced sacrificing to their Gouding emperor. To this day, the concept of the emperor as deity, or “宙” remains deeply embedded in the Nong Zhuang worldview. Nong Zhuang religious priests continue to use the incantations found in Mo Gaeq'kaen at significant community events in some areas. In present day, for example, at some adults' funerals, it’s imperative that a religious priest chant selections of the Mo Gaeq'kaen.

Clearly, Wang Ming Fu is an ardent advocate for his native language and culture. In late January 2009, he looks forward to the release of a bilingual book introducing Yunnan's Zhuang. The book is titled Yunnan Zhuang Cultural and Linguistic Heritage, 《壮族文化遗产及语言研究》. Wang Ming Fu partnered together with an American researcher, Eric Johnson, to prepare this work that provides an overview of the Yunnan Zhuang tangible and intangible culture heritage including their languages, through text and numerous photos taken by Wang Ming Fu. This book is another significant way Wang Ming Fu is contributing to the goal of passing on the Nong Zhuang cultural heritage.