Fang Yuanwang

01 · Lineage & Regional School

From the age of three he studied under Fang Chunxing, a renowned master of the second generation of folk shiyin music, and subsequently under the third-generation master Fang Jiuyang, his clan uncle, and the fourth-generation master Fang Wenhua, becoming the fifth-generation transmitter of Huiyang shiyin. Within the regional tradition and school record of Shifan Music in Putian, Fujian: Huangshi Huiyang shiyin is circulated mainly in Putian City, Fujian Province and in neighbouring Fuqing, Huian and other parts of the Puxian-speaking area, and spreads to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao and to the places where Puxian overseas Chinese have settled, such as Singapore and Malaysia; it is known as the "elegant music of central Fujian" and the "lingering tones of the primal ancient". A Huiyang shiyin ensemble generally consists of ten to twelve people; its instruments fall into the bowed-and-plucked group and the wind-and-percussion group, including the four-string hu, the measure hu, the old hu, the single-string fiddle, the eight-cornered zither, the single-string small sanxian and the floating flute, and it is closely bound up with the Puxian dialect, with folk customs, and with activities such as the consecration of a new temple, weddings and birthday celebrations. Huangshi Huiyang shiyin took shape and developed during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and reached its height in the late Qing and early Republican period.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

Male, of Han ethnicity, born in October 1934 in Putian, Fujian Province. He is especially accomplished in the piaodi, a high-pitched bamboo flute, and has superb technique; he took part in the Fujian Provincial Shifan Music Competition of Distinguished Works and won a silver award. Within the documented technical tradition of Shifan Music in Putian, Fujian: Shifan music is also called "ten classes" or "five pairs", taking its name from the ten instruments played, which are made of silk, bamboo, leather, wood and metal. This music is light and lively, strongly rhythmic, harmonious in pitch and pleasing to the ear, and it is widely circulated in Fujian, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and other parts of China. Most shifan melodies come from folk minor tunes and huapa (suona pieces); they have also drawn much nourishment from opera, quyi storytelling and song tunes. Their performing forms are divided into seated performance, marching performance and dancing performance, and the player in charge of the clapper boards normally acts as the conductor. Huangshi Huiyang shiyin has a long and far-reaching history, being known as the "elegant music of central Fujian" and the "lingering tones of the primal ancient". It is circulated mainly in Putian City, Fujian Province and in neighbouring Fuqing, Huian and other counties of the Puxian-speaking area, and spreads further to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao and to the places where Puxian overseas Chinese have settled, such as Singapore and Malaysia. Transmitted through the ages from generation to generation, Huangshi Huiyang shiyin still preserves a batch of ancient instruments and tune patterns today, and is acclaimed as a "living fossil of Nanqu". A Huiyang shiyin ensemble generally consists of ten to twelve people, and the instruments used in performance are rather distinctive, falling into the bowed-and-plucked group and the wind-and-percussion group, including the four-string hu, the measure hu, the old hu, the single-string fiddle, the eight-cornered zither, the single-string small sanxian, the floating flute and so on. Its representative pieces, Meng Dao · Feng Ru Song, Gu Tai Xu, Gu Tai Lan and the like, are all famous tunes transmitted through the ages. When Huiyang shiyin is performed the bowings are even and orderly, the timbre is sweet, the rhythm is bright and clear and the atmosphere is lively; it has both the soft, graceful style of Jiangnan sizhu music and the bold features of northern music. It not only enriches and completes the history of Chinese music but also occupies a place in the history of world music. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Meng Dao · Feng Ru Song": Its representative pieces Meng Dao · Feng Ru Song, Gu Tai Xu and Gu Tai Lan are all famous tunes transmitted from generation to generation. "Gu Tai Xu": Its representative pieces Meng Dao · Feng Ru Song, Gu Tai Xu and Gu Tai Lan are all famous tunes transmitted from generation to generation. "Gu Tai Lan": Its representative pieces Meng Dao · Feng Ru Song, Gu Tai Xu and Gu Tai Lan are all famous tunes transmitted from generation to generation.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

He is a representative bearer of Shifan Music (Huangshi Huiyang Shiyin), a fourth-batch national intangible cultural heritage expansion project. He has trained several transmitters and is devoted to collecting shiyin instruments and scores, preserving a large amount of valuable material objects and written documentation for Huiyang shiyin.

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. Fang Yuanwang · National Representative Bearer Archive