“Luban Lurao” is a profoundly influential folk narrative epic. Together with Cuoban Tu (Genesis) and Dong’ai Shue (Black and White War), it is hailed as one of the three shining gems of Naxi Dongba literature. The word “Lú” (with a high-level tone) originally referred to unmarried young men and, by extension, the ethnic group, here broadly meaning young men and women; “Lù” (with a falling tone) means to herd or graze; “Bān” means migration; and “Ráo” means to come down. The title thus conveys “young herders migrating down.”
Story
The poem focuses on the love story of a young man and woman during a time of nomadic herding and migration. Yulepai and the maiden Jiumi, together with their companions, break free from parental restraints and resolve to migrate to a better land. However, Yulepai is intercepted by his parents, and the two lovers are forcibly separated, ultimately resulting in a tragic double suicide. The work passionately praises the spirit of independence and the pursuit of a new life among the young herders, exalting the unwavering love between the protagonists while condemning the bondage of patriarchal control over marriage.
On a highland pasture, a group of young men and women (in some versions, they are herder slaves) are grazing livestock. They pitch tents, play flutes and mouth harps, and live in mutual affection. The parents in the valley (or the herder lords, in other versions) worry the youth may stir up trouble on the pasture and urge them to come down from the mountains, but the youth refuse. Multiple attempts are made to retrieve them, all unsuccessful. Fearing they might flee to distant lands, the parents (or lords) build high stone walls to imprison them. One day, the young people lose a sheep and, during their search, discover a magical jeweled tree. They decorate themselves with treasures from the tree and plan an escape. They topple the stone wall, build a bridge across the river, and flee in migration.
Zhugu Yulepai is called back by his parents halfway through the journey and is forcibly separated from his beloved Kangmei Jiumi Ji. Jiumi sends messages to Yulepai via parrots several times, asking him to come marry her, but only receives curses from his parents in return. After long waiting and disappointment, she believes she hears the call of the goddess of lovers’ sacrifice and hangs herself at the Slope of Twelve Cliffs. When Yulepai finally arrives, it is too late. In grief, he lights a pine and cypress fire and sacrifices himself to join his beloved in death.
This epic poem, recorded in Dongba pictographic script within the ancient Dongba scriptures of the Naxi people, carries the ancient memories, emotions, and wisdom of the Naxi community. It records their traditional ways of life and cultural thought and forms an essential part of the Dongba Canon—an encyclopedic treasure trove of ancient Naxi society.
Central theme discussion
“Luban Lurao” is the first tragic elegy of romantic sacrifice in Naxi culture and stands as the pinnacle of Naxi literature on tragic love. From the perspective of tragic aesthetics, the work first strikes the soul by portraying the brutal trampling and destruction of beautiful ideals and pure love in human life and nature. At the same time, it implies the sharp conflict between the sudden changes in social systems brought by historical transitions and the long-standing indigenous Naxi traditions. It condemns the cruelty and darkness of hierarchical systems, feudalism, patriarchal rites, and class oppression. The poem reflects the spontaneous struggles and unyielding resistance of Naxi youth striving to break free from the shackles of marriage.
The tragic love of Naxi youth originates from the marriage realities of the time: young men and women were free to love before marriage but lacked the freedom to marry. Especially after the Naxi came under Yuan Dynasty rule in 1253, with the onset of centralized feudal control in the region, feudal customs such as “child betrothal” and “arranged marriages before birth” were forcibly imposed on Naxi society. Known for their devotion to loyalty, righteousness, freedom, and romance, Naxi youth chose to die for love, risking their lives to resist the dehumanizing social system. The fates of protagonists Zhugu Yulepai and Kang Meijiumi Ji vividly represent the widespread love tragedies in Naxi society. The work condenses and elevates these painful life tragedies with intense artistic power, culminating in the irreversible tragic end where the protagonists sacrifice their young lives for the ideal of love. This climax deeply moves the audience, evoking boundless pity and sympathy, and achieves a powerful emotional effect described as “purifying the soul with tears.”
The tragic conflicts depicted involve struggles over life, thought, will, and death—unavoidable and uncompromising. These conflicts directly lead to the sorrow and destruction of love and life, stirring profound anguish in the protagonists and others, producing a heart-rending and soul-shattering impact, which is the tragic appeal of this epic poem.
“Luban Lurao” pioneered Naxi literature on tragic romantic sacrifice and represents a key work of tragic art in Dongba culture. As a tragedy, its surface conflict is between love and reality, its deeper conflict lies between pure human emotions and social institutions, and its foundation is cultural clash during times of social change. The work successfully embodies the essential characteristics of Dongba tragic aesthetics in the core aspects of depicting tragic conflict, shaping tragic characters, and describing tragic settings.