


















































Journal of Green Learning


Journal of Green Learning, e-ISSN 2807-890X 

Vol. 2, No. 2, 2022, pp. 121-132.  
DOI: 10.53889/jgl.v2i2.165 

-------------------------------------------------------- 

 

Xishuangbanna Teacher Worship and Perception of Zhang Ha 

Tradition and Culture 
 

Shengchuan Ruiji
1
  

 
1
Department of Music, Faculty of Music, Bangkokthonburi University, Thailand 

 

Article Info  ABSTRACT 

Article history: 

Received December 13, 2022 

Revised  December 25, 2022  

Accepted December 30, 2022  

 

 This paper uses the phenomenon research methodology to 

study the teacher worship ceremony and perception of the 

Zhang Ha tradition culture at Xishuangbanna, which is the Dai 

culture of the students. Zhang Ha students were representatives 

and volunteers for informal interviews and conversations; there 

were 20 people for the study of the perception of Zhang Ha and 

field data collection in August 2021. The results show that 1) 
the ceremony represents respect for kindness in the learning of 

Zhangha and that 2) the organizing of a teacher worship 

ceremony is not only a tradition but also an activity to 

strengthen the spirit of students who are studying knowledge 

that has been accumulated and transmitted from ancient times. 

2) Zhang Ha students revealed that the teaching activities of 

Dai culture inheritance, the motivation of teenagers in this area 

to learn culture, the cognition and contact channels of culture, 

and the feedback they received from culture. 

 

Keywords: 

Culture 

Perception 

Teacher worship  

Zhang Ha    

This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA license. 

 
Corresponding Author: 
Shengchuan Ruiji 

Faculty of Music 

Bangkokthonburi University  

Thailand 

Email: shengchuanruiji@gmail.com 

 

1. INTRODUCTION  

 Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China, is famous for 

its tropical rain forest natural landscape and ethnic minority customs and culture. It also has 

obvious geographical advantages. It is connected not only to Laos and Myanmar but also to 

Thailand and Vietnam. There are 13 ethnic minorities in this area, and the Dai are the main 

ethnic group in this area. In 2010, researchers began to learn Zhang Ha's singing. Under the 

leadership of Zhang Ha's famous teacher, researchers began to participate in Zhang Ha's 

activities and performances. From 2019 to 2021, in order to better learn and understand the 

teaching inheritance of the Dai Zhangha culture in Xishuangbanna Autonomous Prefecture, 

researchers came to the Yuguang Zhangha Cultural Heritage Hall in Jinghong City, the capital 

of Xishuangbanna Autonomous Prefecture, to conduct a field survey on the teaching activities 

of the Dai Zhangha cultural inheritance (Wang & Qin, 2017; Qu, 2018a). 

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


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 In Jinghong, the capital of Xishuangbanna, researchers randomly interviewed five 

young Dai people to ask their opinions on these three questions (Xiao, 2016; Yang, 2017). 

Their answers can be summarized as follows: 

 (1) Dai teenagers in urban areas attend public schools. Since primary school, the 

mainstream language used in school and life is Chinese, so listen to and sing Chinese pop 

songs. 

 (2) Xishuangbanna is now a tourist city. Influenced by foreign culture and pop 

music, young people in the city and Dai villages are more inclined to listen to and sing pop 

music. 

 (3) As for Zhang Ha's changes, they only know that Zhang Ha did not have a 

microphone when singing, but now he has a microphone, and sometimes he has dance moves. 

 Through a random interview on the streets of Jinghong City, the researchers found 

that young Dai people in Xishuangbanna, especially those living in Jinghong City, knew little 

about Zhangha and its changes. In fact, Zhang Ha is one of the important carriers of Dai 

culture. It is a cultural heritage created by the Dai people in Xishuangbanna through 

generations of inheritance and dissemination over a long history (Xiao, 2016; Qu, 2017; 

Yang, 2017). 

 The Dai ethnic group originated from the ancient Baiyue ethnic group as a cross-

border ethnic group. The Dai people living in China are mainly distributed in the southwest of 

the country. They mainly live in Xishuang banna, Dehong, Gengma, Lahu, and Wa 

Autonomous Counties of Menglian in Yunnan Province. The Dai language belongs to the 

Zhuang Dai language branch of the Zhuang Dong ethnic group of the Han Tibetan family 

(Zhang, 2018; Qu, 2018b). The origin of the Dai language is the Brahminic language of 

ancient India (Qu, 2011). Therefore, Xishuang Banna Dai Le belongs to the Dai branch. The 

DaiLe people of this branch used two languages before 1954: (1) Lan Na language (also 

known as the Old DaiLe language or Tua Tham scripture), which was created in 1277 A.D. 

(2) The Tua Fak Kham Language, a secular text in contrast to scripture, first appeared in 

Lanna in 1411 and finally ceased to be used in 1581. After the founding of the People's 

Republic of China in 1949, Fu Maoji, a linguist sent by the government of the People's 

Republic of China, created a new Dai language for the Dai people in Xishuangbanna. As a 

result of the promotion of administrative means after 1954, the "new Dai language" has been 

rapidly popularized in Xishuangbanna. At present, "new Dai language" is one of the official 

languages of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, also known as "Xishuangbanna Dai 

language" (Chi,  2004; Li, 2013; Qu, 2017). 

 The Dai nationality in Xishuangbanna has a distinct and stable national gene, and it 

is also inclusive. While being influenced by the Han culture, it absorbed the cultural elements 

of ancient India, localized Theravada Buddhism, and maintained the ancestor worship of the 

original religion, so it formed the Dai culture of Xishuangbanna with unique regional 

characteristics. Pagodas and temples are everywhere in the Dai area. In the 21st century, the 

Dai tribe in Xishuangbanna mainly believes in Theravada Buddhism, while the other part 

believes in both Theravada Buddhism and primitive religion, while a few believe in Islam and 

Christianity. Throughout history, in the villages of the Dai ethnic branch in Xishuangbanna, 

Zhangha was the messenger of the Dai ethnic branch to promote and spread the traditional 

culture of the Dai people (Liu 2004, Li 2013; Qu 2017). There is a close relationship between 

DaiLe music and the DaiLe language, and DaiLe music is often combined with poetry.  

As early as more than a thousand years ago, the ancestors of the Dai people wrote many 

beautiful and touching myths, fables, novels, poems, etc. on Parchment and cotton paper. 

There were more than 550 long poems written in the script. "Zhao Shu Tun and Nan Mu Na 

Nuo," "Gourd Letter," and other masterpieces have been adapted into dances, movies, and 

Zhangha dramas, which are well liked by the Dai people. The Dai people in Xishuangbanna 



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like to live by the mountains and rivers. People in Dai villages think: "Where there are Dai 

people living, there are Dai songs.” "Wherever Dai is, there is Zhangha." "In Yunnan, China, 

as the unique "zhangha" or "zan ha" of the Dai ethnic groups in Xishuangbanna, its singing 

form is a folk art popular among the Dai ethnic groups. Zhangha has been playing a certain 

role in the dissemination and promotion of traditional Dai culture (Dai poetry, Dai patra-leaf 

scripture), the promotion of economic development, social progress, national unity, and 

border stability of Xishuan Banna and Dai township (Yan, 2012; Cobbey, 2016;  Xiao, 2016; 

Qu, 2018b). 

 The Dai Zhangha originated in the middle of the 15th century and spread to the Dai 

villages of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Simao City, Jiangcheng, Menglian, 

and Jinggu. The Dai people's chanting and singing abilities are organically combined. When 

singing, they are soft and lyrical, smooth and pleasant, and have strong ethnic customs. The 

representative plays are "Lan Ga Xi He" and "Wu Sha Ma Luo." In China, "Zhangha" is also 

called "Zanha." By collating relevant data, the author found that before the 1950s, most ethnic 

historians in China called the artistic form of the DaiLe branch performance in 

Xishuangbanna as “Zhangha” (Xiao, 2016; Ruiji, 2022). 

 On August 1, 1958, Beijing held the first exhibition performance of traditional 

Chinese opera, and the word “zanha” began to appear. Foreign scholars do not call this type 

of music Zhangha or Zanha. When studying the type of Dai folk singing music, foreign 

scholars mostly use khap. Miller (1985) mentioned in the text that different dialects have 

different appellations for khap, which are mainly divided into two types: khap, mohlam, and 

soso. On the Chao Phraya River (in Thailand), Khap and Lam exist and are used 

simultaneously. Southwestern Yunnan, China, northern Laos, and northern Thailand are all 

called Khap. Some Western scholars have pointed out that Khap lue, a singing lue, is similar 

to the form of music in southern Laos called Mor-Lam. Mor-Lam is a traditional Lao form of 

folk song in Laos and Isan (in Thailand). Mor lam means “expert song” or “expert singer,” 

referring to the music or artist, respectively. Other romanizations used include Mor-Lam, 

Maw Lam, Maw Lum, Moh Lam, Mor Lum, and Molum. In Laos, music is simply referred to 

as “lam”; “morlum refers to the singers and musicians; and “Khaplue” or “Khapthom” refers 

to the Southern Buddhist subculture and has a similar form of rap. The sound in Central and 

Northern Laos music (Southern Laos Khaplue, of which Chiang Mai Province Khaplue is 

mainly concentrated in the Doi Ministry called lam), which is specifically used to refer to 

Saket, is generated from the designated text voice tones; in Nan Province, Khap lue is mainly 

concentrated near the nong pua melody. Kammuang is recognized in northern Thailand, in the 

regions of Chiang Mai, Lamphun, Lampang, Nan, Parae, Phayao, and Chiang Rai. seven 

provinces until they can be linked together and expressed as Khaplue Sooyoo.  

 In his traditional music of the Lao, Miller (1985) identifies five factors that helped to 

produce the various genres of lam in Isan: animism, Buddhism, storytelling, ritual courtship, 

and male-female competitive folksongs; these are exemplified by lam phi fa, a nangsue, lam 

phuen, and lam gon (for the last two factors), respectively. Through research and analysis, the 

author finds that foreign scholars mainly focus on macrostudies that span different dialect 

regions and different types of Khap (An, 2008; Chao, 2015).  

 Xishuangbanna is located at the northern edge of the tropics, with a tropical monsoon 

climate. Xishuangbanna governs one county-level city and two counties (Luo, 2014). In 2019, 

Xishuangbanna has a population of 790,300 ethnic minorities. Dai is the main ethnic group, 

and 13 ethnic groups live around the world (Xiao, 2016; Zhang, 2018). According to the data 

of the seventh census, on November 1, 2020, the permanent resident population of 

Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture was 1,301,407.  

 However, this is a continuation of Ruiji’s (2022) study of the “June spring warm look 

forward to lovers,” which was composed by Yuguang in Ga Sa Village, Xishuangbanna Field 



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Study in 2021, using an anthropological approach to explain characteristics of Yuguang's. 

contemporary compositions, based on Dai culture and Zhangha cultural symbols. The study 

results were as follows: “Zhangha, a cultural symbol, constitutes the materialized carrier of 

people's concept of the harmonious particular culture of people under the unique context and 

religious spirit of the Dai people. There are two interesting musical characteristics: 1) It 

vividly depicts the lively and jubilant scene of guests arriving to celebrate the new year in the 

Dai New Year, with a beautiful, vivid melody and passionate lyrics. That describes the happy 

and sweet mood of lovers when they get together. 2) The song's musical structure is a typical 

multi-period variation structure. At the same time, the rhythm of the whole song is distinct, 

and the melody range changes freely. 

 Therefore, the researcher went deep into the Dai villages of Xishuangbanna Dai 

Autonomous Prefecture to participate in the local Zhangha cultural entertainment activities, 

record in detail the process of the local Dai Zhangha cultural entertainment activities, and 

collect and sort out local Dai daily singing Zhangha songs. This is a field of music data 

collection that researchers contact to arrange for students to collect information in order to 

record knowledge and heritage. The main contents of this paper are as follows: 
 To study the teaching teacher’s perception of the Zhang Ha tradition’s worship 

ceremony. On August 10, 2020, I scheduled and conducted a field study on the COVID-19 
situation. At the same time, we interviewed 20 Zhang Ha volunteer students and five Zhang 

Ha specialists. It is hoped that the results of the report will be recorded and disseminated 

regarding the teacher worship ceremony and perception of the Zhang Ha tradition culture of 

the Dai people at Xishuangbanna. This paper aims to study the teacher worship ceremony and 

perception of the Zhang Ha tradition culture at Xishuangbanna.  

 

2. METHODOLOGY  
 The phenomenon research methodology is used in this paper by studying the teacher 

worship ceremony and perception of the Zhang Ha tradition culture for the Dai people at 

Xishuangbanna, which is the Dai folk culture of the students. Collecting folk culture data and 
enhance the experience of collecting data from the reality of studies in Chinese musicals 

employed. Instrument performance majors at Shenyang Normal University Research tools, 

structured interviews, observations, and formal and semi-formal audio and video recordings 

were used during data collection and descriptive analysis of the data (Luo, 2014). 

 Research process: the process of collecting or recording data at Dai villages, 

recording, collecting, and sorting out Dai Zhangha songs.  

  1. Contact and coordinate with information providers 

  2. Prepare students and teach data collection, especially structured interviews, 

video recordings, and observation and review of data 

  3. Field work on the COVID-19 situation (August 2021) 

  4. Presentation and review of informal interviews 

  5. Presentation of writing a report 

 The structured interview form was collected and conducted among 20 students who 

volunteered to participate in the informal small-group discussion. It comprehensively 

recorded the teaching activities of Dai Zhangha culture inheritance in Xishuangbanna, the 

motivation of teenagers in this area to learn Dai Zhangha culture, the cognition and contact 

channels of Dai Zhangha culture, and received feedback from Dai Zhangha culture learners 

on questions and word choices focusing on issues that need to be known and addressed, 

including: 

  1. The language pronunciation is different from the official Chinese pronunciation 

in China, and many students find it difficult to adapt. 



125 

 

  2. There is no systematic teaching material. The main teaching methods are oral 

and heart-to-heart. Although there are some paper materials, it is difficult to carry out 

systematic learning after class. 

  3. The teaching content is relatively scarce, and the teaching methods are not 

popular with young people. It can be seen from the questionnaire that the older local people 

prefer the traditional Dai Zhangha culture. Young and middle-aged people have little interest 

in the traditional Dai Zhangha culture. 
 

3. RESULT AND DISCUSSION 

 3.1 The traditional of Zhangha's singing 
 Zhangha is a solo performance by one person holding a fan in his right hand and half-
covering his face in some places, or by some actors. In order to let the audience see the whole 

picture of Zhangha's singing, the singer did not cover his face but put his hands on the handle 

of the fan in front of his chest to show his respect to the audience. performance by up to three 

people, sometimes less than three people Zhangha in Xishuangbanna has two forms: solo and 

duet, accompanied by another person. When singing solo, there are only two people on the 

stage; when singing in pairs, there are three people on the stage. Another person was playing 

the accompaniment of the folk music "she." They sit side by side and take care of each other, 

mainly singers. Duet singing is challenging. It is conducted in the form of one question and 

one answer, which is full of speculation.  

 Zhangha is the melody tone of the song, and the melody of the song is determined by 

the pronunciation of the lyrics. The audience mainly focuses on the singer's singing content 

and facial expression and pays less attention to the accompanist. Those who can't answer will 

lose, and those who win will be proud. In order to win the duet, Zhangha often flows 

everywhere to enrich their experience, increase their insight, and improve their singing art so 

as to be invincible in the song competition. In the past, during the feudal lord system, the four 

levels of Zhangha were produced through traditional duet forms. The feudal lords gave 

zhangha four grades: zaipaya's the highest level, lesa (high level), alon (intermediate level), 

and nawan (primary level); female zhangha is called Saibang or kanglangmie (highest level), 

lemeng (advanced level), Boya (intermediate level), and nawan (primary level). Those who 

win will be proud. In order to win the duet, Zhangha often flows everywhere to enrich their 

experience, increase their insight, and improve their singing art so as to be invincible in the 

song competition. In the past, during the feudal lord system, the four levels of Zhangha were 

produced through traditional duet forms. The feudal lords gave zhangha four grades: zaipaya's 

the highest level, lesa (high level), alon (intermediate level), and nawan (primary level); 

female zhangha is called Saibang or kanglangmie (highest level), lemeng (advanced level), 

Boya (intermediate level), and nawan (primary level). This challenging form of duet singing 

is rare, and most of them are solo forms. 

 3.2 Zhangha performers 

 Researchers found Zhangha Five highly qualified performers with more than 20 

years of experience to interview in Dai villages in Xishuangbanna for this fieldwork in 

August 2021 (Figure 1). They are: 

 1. Name: Yu Erbian; date of birth: February 1979 

 Experienced: Engaged in Dai Zhangha performance and inheritance for 20 years. 

 2. Name: Ai liang was born in November 1935. 

Experienced: Engaged in Dai Zhangha performance and inheritance for 56 years. 

3. Name: Ai Sanshuai was born on June 1972. 

Experienced: having been engaged in Dai Zhangha performance and inheritance for 28 

years. 

 4. Name: Ai Yingnan, Date of birth: July 1959 



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Experienced: Engaged in Dai Zhangha performance and inheritance for 22 years. 

 5. Name: Bo Hanbing, date of birth: May 1963 

Experienced: Engaged in Dai Zhangha performance and inheritance for 35 years. 

 Bo Hanbing, work unit: head of the Dai elephant foot drum and the Dai Wushu 

Training Institute. engaged in Dai Zhangha performance and inheritance for 35 years. (Dai 

elephant foot drum national inheritor, Dai martial arts provincial inheritor, and Dai elephant 

foot drum famous craftsman). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

       Yu Erbian             Ai liang      Ai Sanshuai Ai Yingnan    Bo Hanbing 

 

 Figure 1 Musician Zhangha performers at Dai villages of Xishuangbanna 
                (Source: Ruiji (August 3, 2021)) 

 

 3.3 Teacher worship 

 In this local study, the researchers learned about and recorded the teacher worship at 

the Zhangha Teaching Center in Xishuangbanna Autonomous Prefecture through fieldwork. 

To record and describe the learning difficulties of Zhangha, the pronunciation and tone of the 

Dai language in Xishuangbanna, and the pronunciation of the ancient Dai language and the 

new Dai language. 

 Teacher worship: as a traditional Dai folk art, Zhangha learners' teacher worship is 

the first step in learning Zhangha singing. Teacher worship is the only way to identify 

Zhangha's learners. By following Zhangha's teacher for 3 to 5 years and a large number of 

performances on the stage, Zhangha's learners can perform independently until Zhangha 

believes that they are successful (Figure 2).  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 2 The disciples pay their respects at the teacher worship ceremony 

                   (Source: Ruiji (August 3, 2021)) 

 



127 

 

 Teacher worship ceremony: it is used on the site. The researcher saw that the steps of 

Zhangha's students' teacher worship are as follows: the students should prepare two candles in 

advance, place white cloth, white rice, a wine glass, and money on the table, light the candles, 

let the big monk go home to read scriptures, and then Zhangha pray to the gods. After that, 

Zhangha began to teach students to sing Zhangha. At first, when Zhangha was teaching, he 

usually taught some simple things first and let the students go back to practice (Figure 3). 

When Zhangha students return to class and sing to Zhangha’s teacher, if Zhangha’s teacher is 

satisfied, they begin to teach Dai and enter the Zhangha singing learning stage. If Zhan Ha 

thinks the student is unqualified (e.g., lack of talent), he or she will no longer teach the 

student. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 3 Zhangha teacher and the artists who attended the ceremony 

        (Source: Ruiji (August 3, 2021)) 

 

 The teacher-worship ceremony is a symbol or representation of Zhang Hao, who is 

rooted in the mind. This is a ceremony to show respect to the benefactor. Such ceremonies 

can be found throughout Asia, especially in Southeast Asia. An offering is something that's 
easy to find. Flowers, joysticks, candles, and a small amount of money all represented the 

disciple's kindness. Many areas have different items, different details, and different prayers. 

Organizing a teacher worship ceremony is not only a tradition but also an activity to 

strengthen the spirits of students who are studying knowledge that has been accumulated and 

transmitted since ancient times. In 2019-2022, COVID-19 caused activities and rituals to be 
curtailed and participants limited. But on the other hand, the pictures of the activities are 

published and gain more appreciation from the online community. Therefore, the small 
activity of a small group of people is accepted by online communities to encourage relevant 

parties to continue and increase their activities. 
 3.4 Culture learning 
 Student interview results: the researcher used a structured interview form to collect 

data from 20 volunteer students at the Xishuangbanna and Zhangha culture teaching centers 

and sorted out the collected information during August 2021, classifying the information by 

problem as follows: 

 Problem: 1. When did you first come into contact with Dai Zhangha culture? Where 

did you first come into contact with me? 



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  Answer: Among the 20 young Zhangha students, 9 came into contact with 

Zhangha culture for the first time with their parents in Dai villages when they were young. Six 

students grew up in Dai villages and were exposed to Dai Zhangha culture on a regular basis. 

Another four Zhangha students were in middle schools (Chinese junior middle schools, 12 to 

15 years old). The school's classroom is exposed to Dai Zhangha culture. Another student first 

came into contact with Dai Zhangha songs on the internet. The first question shows that most 

young Zhangha learners contact Zhangha in the daily life of Dai villages, and a small part 

comes from schools and the internet. It shows that Dai Zhangha culture is popular in Dai 

villages. 

  To summarize the issue, the students are aware that they have contact with 

Zhangha in their daily lives, through schools and the internet. 

 Problem: 2. Why do you want to learn Dai Zhangha culture? 

  Answer: Among the 20 young Zhangha students, six students from the Dai 

nationality think that as members of the Dai nationality, they should learn about contact the 

traditional culture of the Dai nationality. Eight students like to contact Zhangha culture 

because they like the life culture of the Dai nationality. They learn Dai Zhangha because they 

are interested in Dai culture. Four students want to make money while learning Dai Zhangha 

culture as a career. The other two students were asked to learn Dai Zhangha art because their 

families liked Dai Zhangha culture. 

   To summarize the issue, we can see that the motivation for young Zhangha 

learners to learn Zhangha falls into three categories: 1. interested in learning; 2. learning 

Zhangha art is necessary for future survival. 3. Because of their sense of national identity, 

they should learn and carry forward their national traditional culture. 

 Problem: 3. What parts of Dai Zhangha culture do you think attract you? 

  Answer: Among the 20 young Zhangha students, 14 students like Dai’s new 

Zhangha songs because they are not only easy to understand but also have a rhythm and 

melody that are relatively popular with young people. Some people even added modern pop 

music elements to the traditional Zhangha art. Four students came to learn Zhangha art 

because Dai Zhangha had a high status in Dai and because it was well known that Zhangha 

could earn a high income. They were attracted by the income. 

  To summarize, new Zhangha songs that are popular with young people, have a 

high status in Dai, and are well-known Zhangha could earn a lot of money. 

 Problem: 4. What are the difficulties you encounter in learning Dai Zhangha culture? 

  Answer: After collecting feedback from 20 young Zhangha students, the 

researchers sorted out the difficulties encountered by the 20 young Zhangha students in 

learning Zhangha art, mainly as follows: 1. The language pronunciation is different from the 

official domestic Chinese pronunciation, which is difficult for many students to adapt. 2. 

There are no systematic teaching materials. The main teaching methods are oral and heart-to- 

heart. Although there are some paper materials, it is difficult to carry out systematic learning 

after class. 3. The teaching content is relatively scarce, and the teaching methods are not 

welcomed by teenagers. 

 Problem: 5. What is the attitude of people around you towards Dai Zhangha culture? 

  Answer: Among the 20 young Zhangha students, 8 students said that their 

grandparents liked Zhangha art, especially Zhangha drama art, which is very popular with the 

elderly, while 5 students were parents who liked Zhangha art, especially the new Zhangha 

songs. They said that their parents also received influence from their grandparents. Three 

students said that their parents and surrounding relatives were not very clear about Dai 

Zhangha culture before they studied Dai Zhangha. Four students said that their parents and 

grandparents knew Dai Zhangha-Art, but they were not very interested. 



129 

 

  Summing up this problem, Dai Zhangha culture is still an art that most people 

know and respect. 

 From taking lessons from the problems encountered by students. Researcher and 
experts on Dai Zhangha culture have a small group meeting to acknowledge the problems of 

Dai Zhangha culture, which is still an art that is well known and accepted by most people. 

Some students and parents are not paying attention to the growing urbanization and the 

diversity of social media, so experts suggest the following solutions: 

 1. Enhancement of Dai culture and Zhangha. 

  Enhancement of Dai culture and Zhangha means making Dai culture more widely 
known and in other forms, such as language, food, clothing, customs, and other activities of 

the Dai people. There are more outside circles. The more interested people will come to study 

first, and then the less interested people will follow. It will boost the local economy and 

cultural activities of the Dai people. 

 2. Creation and development of Dai culture and Zhangha guildbooks at different 

levels 
  Development of Dai culture and Zhangha guidebooks, as well as increased 

promotion of Dai culture. In the meantime, the insiders had to study and rehabilitate arts and 

culture at the same time. The creation and development of Dai textbooks, especially the 

distinctive Zhangha song, will help serve as a protective island and a framework for 

developing mutual understanding amongst insiders and outsiders. 

 3. Monthly and annual Dai culture events. 
  To reinforce and create greatness for the people, plan some large and small 

monthly activities to create a consistent trend in society. Events based on monthly or seasonal 

cultural calendars will evoke and highlight the diversity and grandeur of Dai culture as a 

tradition that is inherited every month. Organizing Dai culture events. Budget and circular 

economy, investment, travel, hotel accommodations, and food will all be brought by both 

organizers and tourists. These activities create business growth with minimal investment 

based on cultural capital and public relations. 

 4. An announcement honoring the arts, the person who is an artist of Dai culture, and 
Zhangha 

  Individual awards benefit both recipients and givers because they raise awareness 
of the activities and cause people to recognize and remember the person's reputation, 

particularly for the good that is Dai culture and Zhangha. constantly researching what Dai and 

Zhangha culture is, where it is, and what is good. A number of searches were generated, 

resulting in follow-ups and follow-up tourism. Furthermore, the award winners are 

encouraged to further promote Dai culture in various fields. Incidentally, the award is not a 

high investment, but the money should be given to encourage the recipient to be more 

encouraging. 

 5. Making information on Dai culture and Zhangha part of the national heritage and 
the intangible world heritage.  
  Preparing and writing reports on Dai culture and Zhangha information for national 
heritage. It is a joint task with internal and external scholars to produce documents for the 

cultural heritage departments at the city and national levels, up to the world level. There must 

be research reports on many issues, such as the preservation of primitive wisdom, the 

extension of awareness, transmission at various levels, the recognition and protection of local 

people, etc. This information must be passed through a certification seminar. Presentation to 

the Commission for assessment as a national heritage in the future. The result of this proposal 
is that research-backed national and global publicity will surely attract more and more tourists 

from around the world to experience such beauty and, of course, sustainable purchases. 



130 

 

 However, Dai Zhangha culture students discuss the challenges of learning: 1. The 
language pronunciation is different from the official Chinese pronunciation in China, and 

many students find it challenging to adapt. 2. There is no systematic teaching material. The 

primary teaching method is oral and heart-to-heart. Although there are some paper materials, 

it is difficult to carry out systematic learning after class. 3. The teaching content is relatively 

scarce, and the teaching methods are not popular with young people. It can be seen from the 

questionnaire that the older local people prefer the traditional Dai Zhangha culture. Young 

and middle-aged people have little interest in the traditional Dai Zhangha culture. 
 Therefore, there are other points of discussion. The Dai people have the obligation to 

protect their own national culture, but it is also the obligation of every individual, collective, 

and organization with a sense of pride and honor in their national culture to save the art form 

of Zhangha oral singing, which is more likely to disappear and become marginalized in the 

contemporary context. As members of the Dai nationality in Xishuangbanna, the researchers 

have a strong sense of responsibility for the cultural heritage of this nationality, so they put 

forward the following suggestions: 

  (1) Strengthening cultural awareness is a prerequisite. Society and history are 

created by men, while culture is created and inherited by man. Therefore, the protection of 

Zhangha requires the universal participation of Zhangha inheritors, protection subjects, and 

the whole nation to enhance cultural awareness and improve the concept and quality of 

Zhangha protection. It is the condition for giving full play to the role of the main body of 

intangible cultural heritage protection and creating a good cultural space for the inheritance of 

Zhangha. The specific measures are to regularly hold traditional cultural activities, focus on 

the manifestation of traditional culture, and enhance national pride and confidence in national 

culture. 

  (2) The uniqueness and continuity of intangible cultural heritage are reflected 

through their corresponding cultural spaces. During the field investigation in Xishuangbanna, 

the author found that Zhang and Ha must sing together and play a ritual role in the annual 

sacrificial activities of Dai villages. The roots and continuity of these religious activities and 

ethnic customs in Dai society provide cultural support for Zhangha's inheritance.  

    The protection subject should fully respect the performance occasions of 

Zhangha culture, such as religious activities, festivals, wedding productions, etc., and actively 

create more performance occasions, such as organizing and planning Zhangha cultural 

performances, carrying out Dai students' visits, and supporting them to participate in social 

welfare activities. The purpose is to fully respect the inheritance law of intangible cultural 

heritage and realize the virtuous circle mechanism of the inheritance of Zhangha and 

Kazakhstan heritage. 

  (3) Respect the development laws of the inheritors of Zhangha and strengthen 

their protection. As the inheritor of singing content, singing skills, and singing knowledge, 

singing is a living cultural heritage and a core factor in the inheritance and development of 

singing. The premise is to give them material support, cultural respect, and social response so 

as to ensure that they pass on their skills to future generations. Only in this way can Zhangha 

continue to develop. 

  (4) Fully respect the development law of Zhangha as a thing and innovate while 

maintaining the original form as a product of the social development of the Dai collective. 

Zhangha has a fixed form and a cultural core, which means it is permanent. The content and 

form cannot be tampered with or subjectively erased at will. On the other hand, it has a 

cultural connotation and has undergone cultural innovation at various times while retaining 

the main body and spiritual core of the Zhangha tradition. 

  (5) Respect the development law of the inheritance mechanism, strengthen the 

training of the new generation of inheritors, and effectively communicate the essence of 



131 

 

Zhangha and the two generations. For example, Zhangha Communication College was 

established to absorb learners with high material returns and artistic charm, provide them with 

systematic and perfect Zhangha knowledge learning, and carry out high-level Zhangha 

learners' inheritance activities and practical exchange activities. 

  
4. CONCLUSION 

 The researchers describe their experiences studying and recording the Zhangha teacher 

worship ceremony at the Teaching Center in Xishuangbanna Autonomous Prefecture in this 

paper. To record and describe the teacher worship ceremony as an offering, it's something 

that's easy to find. Flowers, joss sticks, candles, and a small amount of money all represented 

the disciple's kindness, the learning difficulties of Zhangha, and the pronunciation of the 

ancient Dai language and the new Dai language. Organizing a teacher worship ceremony is 

not only a tradition but also an activity to strengthen the spirits of students who are studying 

knowledge that has been accumulated and transmitted since ancient times. 2) The results of 
interviews and small group discussions on problems and opinions about Zhangha revealed 

that the teaching activities of Dai Zhangha culture inheritance, the motivation of teenagers in 
this area to learn Dai Zhangha culture, the cognition and contact channels of Dai Zhangha 

culture, and feedback from Dai Zhangha culture learners on the difficulties in learning were 

all related.  

 

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