ABSTRACT
The Zhuang, one of the Tai-speaking peoples of Southwestern China, uses chanting in rituals and ceremonies, songs and tales about Buluotuo – the god of creation in Zhuang culture. By 2000s, to prevent the disappearance of Zhuang culture, the cultural images and meanings of Zhuang identity were embodied in the Buluotuo worship festival, leading to a state-sponsored “Buluotuo Cultural Tourism Festival” in Tianyang County, Guangxi.
The festival underwent an unprecedented growth in popularity, and Buluotuo became a brand in the domestic and international market. Locally, Zhuang intangible cultural heritage became an alternative channel in which local ritual traditions were legitimized and used as tools by the local people in order to negotiate with the authorities for a better share of the market. Another objective of the sponsored revival of the Zhuang is to foster relations with neighboring ASEAN countries by demonstrating a common historical imaginary.
