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). It is believed to have evolved from the Yu (wind instrument), which is a free-reed wind instrument originated in the Han nationality. 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.