Cengjingui

01 · Lineage & Regional School

He first studied the erhuolian (secondary painted-face) role under the celebrated Xiangju actors Zhu Qinghong and Tan Bingkui, and later studied the dahualian (primary painted-face) role under He Huayuan and Liao Shengzhu, learning and performing such characters as Zhang Fei, Xue Gang, Bao Zheng, Xiang Yu, Cao Cao, and Hou Shangguan. Within the regional tradition and school record of Xiangju Opera in Changsha, Hunan: According to the region in which they circulate, Xiang opera is further divided into Changsha Xiang opera, Hengyang Xiang opera and others. Xiang opera is one of the local operatic genres of Hunan Province. It has a history of close to six hundred years and circulates mainly in Changsha, Xiangtan, Zhuzhou, Guiyang County and other places. Xiang opera has a rich traditional repertoire. Most of its plays come from the nanxi of the Song and Yuan dynasties, the zaju of the Yuan dynasty and the chuanqi of the Ming and Qing dynasties; a small number were created and adapted by performers themselves.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

Male, Han ethnicity, born in March 1938 in Zhiyuan Township, Yiyang County, Hunan Province (now part of Taojiang County). He is a national first-grade actor. In 1950 he joined the actor training class attached to the Second Xiangju Troupe of Changsha. In 1964 he crossed into wusheng and laosheng repertory, learning and performing such characters as Li Yuhe, Yang Zirong, Guo Jianguang, and Hong Changqing. In 1973 he also worked as a part-time director on The August First Storm (Bayi Fengbao) and Song of the Gardener (Yuanding zhi Ge). In 1976, when traditional plays were revived, he directed Zhui Yu Ji (The Fish Pursuit), Jin Wan Ji (The Golden Pill), and the excerpt plays Beimen Lou (The North Gate Tower) and Laohan Tuo Qi (The Old Man Carries His Wife). In 2013 he unearthed, collated, and directed the long-lost Thirteen Blessings (Shisan Fu) and adapted Zhang Fei Rolling the Drum (Zhang Fei Gun Gu). He has been awarded the titles of Outstanding Young Actor and Young Performing Artist at the provincial level. Within the documented technical tradition of Xiangju Opera in Changsha, Hunan: Xiang opera embraces four vocal systems — gaoqiang, tanqiang, kunqiang and dipai (low set pieces) — and has a rich repertory of percussion scores and inter-passage music. Its conventions are strict, and its performance, costume and facial makeup all carry a distinctive Huxiang local style. Large and small plays together number more than one thousand, of which gaoqiang and luantan plays account for more than 98 per cent. Representative plays include Chronicle of the Worship of the Moon, Chronicle of the Golden Seal, Chronicle of the Thrown Brush, Pipa Ji (The Lute) and Chronicle of the White Rabbit; among them, the gaoqiang “Four Great Serial Plays” and the “Six Chronicles” are the representative works staged earliest and preserved longest. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Chronicle of the Worship of the Moon": Large and small plays together number more than one thousand, of which gaoqiang and luantan plays account for more than 98 per cent. Representative plays include Chronicle of the Worship of the Moon, Chronicle of the Golden Seal, Chronicle of the Thrown Brush, Pipa Ji (The Lute) and Chronicle of the White Rabbit; among them, the gaoqiang “Four Great Serial Plays” and the “Six Chronicles” are the representative works staged earliest and preserved longest. "Chronicle of the Golden Seal": Large and small plays together number more than one thousand, of which gaoqiang and luantan plays account for more than 98 per cent. Representative plays include Chronicle of the Worship of the Moon, Chronicle of the Golden Seal, Chronicle of the Thrown Brush, Pipa Ji (The Lute) and Chronicle of the White Rabbit; among them, the gaoqiang “Four Great Serial Plays” and the “Six Chronicles” are the representative works staged earliest and preserved longest. "Chronicle of the Thrown Brush": Large and small plays together number more than one thousand, of which gaoqiang and luantan plays account for more than 98 per cent. Representative plays include Chronicle of the Worship of the Moon, Chronicle of the Golden Seal, Chronicle of the Thrown Brush, Pipa Ji (The Lute) and Chronicle of the White Rabbit; among them, the gaoqiang “Four Great Serial Plays” and the “Six Chronicles” are the representative works staged earliest and preserved longest. "Pipa Ji (The Lute)": Large and small plays together number more than one thousand, of which gaoqiang and luantan plays account for more than 98 per cent. Representative plays include Chronicle of the Worship of the Moon, Chronicle of the Golden Seal, Chronicle of the Thrown Brush, Pipa Ji (The Lute) and Chronicle of the White Rabbit; among them, the gaoqiang “Four Great Serial Plays” and the “Six Chronicles” are the representative works staged earliest and preserved longest.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

National representative bearer of Xiangju Opera, a third-batch national intangible cultural heritage project. He taught at the Changsha Xiangju Theatre and trained a large number of young actors.

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. Cengjingui · National Representative Bearer Archive