Liu Junying

01 · Lineage & Regional School

She began studying Hebei Bangzi in 1952, and in 1953 studied huadan (flower-girl) roles systematically under Jin Baohuan, receiving her personal transmission of the art. Within the regional tradition and school record of Hebei Bangzi in Tianjinhebeibangzijuyuan: Hebei Bangzi fully expresses the regional cultural characteristics of Hebei and has produced a group of famous performers who are deeply loved by audiences; Hebei Bangzi performances in Beijing and in Tianjin also each have a style of their own. Hebei Bangzi is the most representative local vocal operatic genre of Hebei Province. It has been known as "Jing Bangzi", "Zhili Bangzi", "Wei Bangzi" and "Qinqiang", and in 1952 it was formally given the name "Hebei Bangzi". Qinqiang and Shanxi Bangzi that had flowed into Beijing during the middle of the Qing dynasty combined with the dialects and folk music of the Hebei region, and Hebei Bangzi was formally formed during the Daoguang reign. It is now popular chiefly in Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin and parts of Shandong and Northeast China. From the 1930s onward, Hebei Bangzi began to show a trend of decline.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

Female, of Han ethnicity, born in April 1939 in Shulu County, Hebei Province. She is a National First-Class Actor. At the same time she successively received guidance from the senior artists Yin Dazi, Han Junqing and Liu Jinxiu, studying qingyi, guimendan and wudan (martial female) roles respectively. In 1958 she became a principal actress of the troupe, performing in all parts of the country and being received with warm regard by state leaders on several occasions. Her singing technique rests on a solid foundation, her vocal range is relatively wide, and her breath control is effortless. She is able to devise vocal lines of distinct inner content according to differences in a character’s age, status and emotions, and possesses exceptional vocal expressiveness. Her representative productions include A Pair of Phoenix Skirts (He Feng Qun), The Butterfly Cup (Hudie Bei) and The Injustice to Dou E (Dou E Yuan). For many years she has devoted herself to teaching, passing her skills on to young actors. At the same time she has taken an active part in public lectures of various kinds, expounding the history and vocal techniques of Hebei Bangzi. Within the documented technical tradition of Hebei Bangzi in Tianjinhebeibangzijuyuan: The singing music of Hebei Bangzi belongs to the banqiang system, with ban patterns such as the manban, erliu, liushui and jianban, together with various introductory and closing phrases. In performance the bangzi wooden clapper keeps the beat, accompanied by the banhu, flute, bangzi and sheng. The tone, while high, resonant and impassioned, constantly gives way to a gentle and plaintive quality, and the genre is adept at expressing lofty and tragic feeling. Hebei Bangzi has more than five hundred traditional plays, of which The Lotus Lantern, Qin Xianglian, Jinshui Bridge, Du Shiniang, The Butterfly Cup, The Injustice to Dou E, Teaching the Son, The Broken Bridge, Three Visits to the Bridge, Joyful Return Home, Beating the Golden Branch, Xun Guanniang, The Northern and Southern Union and Su Wu Herding Sheep have the greatest influence. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "The Lotus Lantern": Hebei Bangzi has more than five hundred traditional plays, of which The Lotus Lantern, Qin Xianglian, Jinshui Bridge, Du Shiniang, The Butterfly Cup, The Injustice to Dou E, Teaching the Son, The Broken Bridge, Three Visits to the Bridge, Joyful Return Home, Beating the Golden Branch, Xun Guanniang, The Northern and Southern Union and Su Wu Herding Sheep have the greatest influence. "Qin Xianglian": Hebei Bangzi has more than five hundred traditional plays, of which The Lotus Lantern, Qin Xianglian, Jinshui Bridge, Du Shiniang, The Butterfly Cup, The Injustice to Dou E, Teaching the Son, The Broken Bridge, Three Visits to the Bridge, Joyful Return Home, Beating the Golden Branch, Xun Guanniang, The Northern and Southern Union and Su Wu Herding Sheep have the greatest influence. "Jinshui Bridge": Hebei Bangzi has more than five hundred traditional plays, of which The Lotus Lantern, Qin Xianglian, Jinshui Bridge, Du Shiniang, The Butterfly Cup, The Injustice to Dou E, Teaching the Son, The Broken Bridge, Three Visits to the Bridge, Joyful Return Home, Beating the Golden Branch, Xun Guanniang, The Northern and Southern Union and Su Wu Herding Sheep have the greatest influence. "Du Shiniang": Hebei Bangzi has more than five hundred traditional plays, of which The Lotus Lantern, Qin Xianglian, Jinshui Bridge, Du Shiniang, The Butterfly Cup, The Injustice to Dou E, Teaching the Son, The Broken Bridge, Three Visits to the Bridge, Joyful Return Home, Beating the Golden Branch, Xun Guanniang, The Northern and Southern Union and Su Wu Herding Sheep have the greatest influence.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

Representative bearer of Hebei Bangzi, a fourth-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. Liu Junying · National Representative Bearer Archive