Li Faming – Inheritor of Yi Suona-playing Skill in Yongsheng County, Lijiang 

Li Mingfa (李发明) is an inheritor of the Yi Suona performance art in Ren He Town (仁和镇), Yong Sheng County (永胜县), Lijiang City (丽江市). He has left a solid and profound mark in the protection and inheritance of the traditional Yi music culture. Born into a Yi family in Ren He Town, Li Mingfa developed a strong interest in Yi traditional music at a young age. Immersed in the rich local ethnic cultural atmosphere, he was exposed to the passionate, lively, and uniquely ethnic melodies of Yi Suona from an early age. As a teenager, he actively followed local veteran artists to learn Suona playing skills, from the basic flute-holding posture and breathing methods to complex tune playing and emotional expression. After years of persistent effort, Li Mingfa has become proficient in various techniques of Yi Suona performance and is a well-known Suona player in the local area.

The Yi Suona performance art has a long history in Ren He Town, Yong Sheng County. It is an artistic crystallization formed by the Yi people in their long-term production, life, and folk activities. On important occasions such as weddings, funerals, and festivals, the sound of Suona is always indispensable. It conveys the joys and sorrows of the Yi people through its unique musical language and carries rich ethnic emotions and cultural connotations. The performance style is passionate and unrestrained, with a brisk and changeable rhythm and highly infectious melody, often bringing the atmosphere of the scene to a climax. Li Mingfa can perfectly perform traditional classic pieces and also innovate by combining modern musical elements, giving new vitality to the ancient Yi Suona performance.

In order to pass down the Yi Suona performance art, Li Mingfa has spared no effort. He actively participates in various local folk activities and cultural performances, allowing more people to feel the charm of Yi Suona performance through live performances and attracting the attention of the younger generation to this traditional skill. He also takes on apprentices and patiently passes on his accumulated performance experience and skills to the young people. In the teaching process, he tailors his teaching methods to each student’s characteristics, providing careful guidance from theoretical knowledge to practical operation.

However, under the impact of modern diversified culture, the inheritance of Yi Suona performance art faces many challenges. Young people are more influenced by popular culture, and their interest in traditional skills is gradually decreasing, with fewer people learning to play the Suona. Faced with these difficulties, Li Mingfa has not been discouraged. He actively communicates and collaborates with local governments and cultural departments to bring Yi Suona performance art into schools, conduct relevant cultural lectures and interest classes, and let children get in touch with and understand this traditional skill from a young age. He also tries to use new media platforms to record performance videos and share teaching courses to expand the dissemination of Yi Suona performance art.

Li Mingfa, driven by his passion and commitment to Yi Suona performance art, continues to forge ahead on the path of inheritance and development. He is contributing his own strength to the protection and promotion of the excellent traditional Yi culture, striving to let this ancient skill shine with new vitality in the new era.