Li Zimin

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Li Zimin, Male, Unspecified, from Wenzhou, Zhejiang, is a third-batch national representative bearer of Ouju Opera (Ⅳ-106). The tradition is documented in Wenzhou, Zhejiang. Within the regional tradition and school record of Ouju Opera in Wenzhou, Zhejiang: Ou opera centres on Wenzhou city, Zhejiang, and is popular in the counties of Wenzhou and parts of Lishui and Taizhou, its influence reaching northern Fujian and north-eastern Jiangxi; because it is mainly luantan and also sings Kun, high-pitched, Hui, tanhuang and shidiao it was formerly called “Wenzhou luantan”, the troupes and plays of the various vocal styles coexisting and cross-fertilising within one genre. Ou opera is the most influential operatic genre of the Wenzhou region, formerly called “Wenzhou luantan”; it formed about the early Qing and circulates mainly through the counties of Wenzhou and parts of Lishui and Taizhou in Zhejiang, its influence reaching northern Fujian and north-eastern Jiangxi. Its repertory numbers more than four hundred and fifty pieces, mostly from nanxi, Yuan-Ming zaju and Ming-Qing chuanqi.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

Male, Han nationality, born in March 1930, a native of Taihe County, Anhui Province. An Ouju Opera composer. In 1948 he joined the art troupe of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. In 1959 he was appointed composer to the Wenzhou Ouju Opera Troupe. Over fifty years he published or publicly performed more than one hundred musical works and composed music for over one hundred and thirty operas, among them the principal Ouju works Gao Ji yu Wu Sanchun (Gao Ji and Wu Sanchun), Zhong Li Niangniang (Lady Zhongli), Diao Chan, Hu Die Bei (The Butterfly Cup), Yu Qing Ting (The Jade Dragonfly), San Da Tao Sanchun (Three Battles with Tao Sanchun), Lu Dang Huo Zhong (Sparks in the Reeds), Hong Hu Chi Wei Dui (The Red Guard Detachment of Honghu) and Dong Hai Xiao Shao Bing (The Little Sentry of the East China Sea). Through long practice he worked alongside performers such as Chen Chahua to resolve the question of male and female modal registers in Ouju singing, and created new tunes such as [Man Duo Ban] (slow metre), [Jin Duo Ban] (tight metre) and [Nu Die Ban] (women's layered metre). His writings include A History of Ouju Opera, An Introduction to the Art of Ouju Opera, Selected Common Tunes of Ouju Opera and An Introduction to the Music of Zhejiang Opera, the last co-authored. Within the documented technical tradition of Ouju Opera in Wenzhou, Zhejiang: Ou opera is a multi-vocal genre, mainly luantan and also singing Kun, high-pitched, Hui, tanhuang and shidiao. Its genuine traditional grand plays number eighty-four, known as “three Kun, four high, four Hui, four cold, five old”: the three Kun plays Lianhuan Ji, The Fisherman's Joy and Leifeng Pagoda; the four high-pitched plays Leigong Bao, Xunhuan Bao, Baoen Ting and Ziyang Guan; the four Hui plays Huilong Ge, Longfeng Ge, Shuangqiulian and Tianyuan Pei; and four cold plays seldom performed and five old plays. Its stage art is distinctive, its roles capable in both civil and martial parts: civil plays are fine and restrained, with such techniques as the “rubbing step”, “sparrow step” and “triple-jump step”; martial plays fuse “small southern boxing” staff and fist into the combat, fiery and vigorous with strong local character. Its make-up and facial designs use bold linear blocks to highlight colour contrast, while text-faces and animal-faces form a style of their own. The various vocal styles are sung with distinctive charm: Kun singing flowing and distant, luantan brilliant and vehement, Hui singing plain and level, tanhuang gentle and moving, shidiao plain and fluent, and high-pitched singing dry with choral support and drum-and-gong marking the beat, the ringing great gong, rich drum patterns and the unique striking of the ancient foot-drum giving Ou opera's music still greater character and displaying moving charm. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Lianhuan Ji": One of the “three Kun” of Ou opera, a traditional grand Kun-vocal play. "The Fisherman's Joy": One of the “three Kun” of Ou opera, a traditional grand Kun-vocal play. "Leifeng Pagoda": One of the “three Kun” of Ou opera, a traditional grand Kun-vocal play. "Leigong Bao, Xunhuan Bao, Baoen Ting, Ziyang Guan": The “four high” plays of Ou opera, traditional grand high-pitched-vocal plays.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

A national representative bearer of Ouju Opera, a third-batch national intangible cultural heritage project.

04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier

05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage

National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.

06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography

1. Li Zimin · National Representative Bearer Archive