Huo Banzhu

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Huo Banzhu, Male, Han, from Huhehaote, Inner Mongolia, is a fourth-batch national representative bearer of Errentai (Ⅳ-73). The tradition is documented in Huhehaote, Inner Mongolia. Within the regional tradition and school record of Errentai in Huhehaote, Inner Mongolia: Taking Hohhot as the dividing line, the style schools of Errentai fall into a western route and an eastern route. Errentai is a folk small opera popular in the central and western regions of Inner Mongolia and in northern Shanxi, northern Shaanxi and Zhangjiakou in Hebei, and its original melodies are local folk songs. Taking Hohhot as the dividing line, it is split into a western route and an eastern route: western-route Errentai was originally called Menggu qu and was mainly popular in the city of Hohhot, the city of Baotou, Bayannur League, Yeke Zhao League as well as the Yulin and Xinzhou areas. As the centre of western-route Errentai, the Hohhot area carries the most prominent Mongolian folk-song element in its vocal styles; styles such as [Ala Ben Hua] and [Wang Ai Zhao] arose from there.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

Male, Han ethnicity, born in December 1956 in Tumd Right Banner, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. He is a National First-Class Actor. He studied Errentai under the celebrated veteran artists Liu Yinwei, Wang Jianguo, Cui Shufang, and Du Rongfang. In such representative Errentai works as Da Jinqian (Striking Coins) and Gua Hongdeng (Hanging the Red Lantern) his singing is high, resounding, and rich in nuance, while his acting combines martial and civil skills with a plain and delicate touch. He attached great importance to transmission. In 1996 he founded the Inner Mongolia Western Folk Art School, the first privately run secondary vocational art school in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and trained a great many students, most of whom became core members of Errentai performing groups in various places. He served as deputy editor-in-chief of Zhongguo Errentai Yishu Tongdian (A Comprehensive Guide to Chinese Errentai Art) and of Zhongguo Pashandiao Yishu Jicheng (Collected Chinese Pashandiao Art). Within the documented technical tradition of Errentai in Huhehaote, Inner Mongolia: Errentai is a folk small opera popular in the central and western regions of Inner Mongolia and in northern Shanxi, northern Shaanxi and Zhangjiakou in Hebei. Its original melodies are local folk songs: vocal styles developed from Han folk songs of the central and western regions of Inner Mongolia such as [Da Ying Tao] (Cherry-Striking), [Ya Gao Mian] (Pressing Cake Flour) and [Da Hou Tao] (Back-Harness); vocal styles developed from northern Shanxi folk songs such as [Zou Xi Kou] (Walking the West Pass), [Wu Ge Fang Yang] (Fifth Brother Herding Sheep) and [Zhen Zhu Dao Juan Lian] (Pearls Rolling Up the Blind); vocal styles developed from northern Shaanxi folk songs such as [Song Da Ge] (Seeing Off the Elder Brother), [Shi Li Dun] (Ten-Li Mound) and [Xiu He Bao] (Embroidering the Purse); vocal styles developed from Mongolian folk songs such as [Ala Ben Hua] and [Wang Ai Zhao]; the northern Hebei folk song [Shi Dui Hua] (Ten Flower Pairs); and Jianghuai folk songs such as Jasmine Flower and Beauty Yu. The paizi qu (banner tunes) also draw on many Jinju (Shanxi opera) tune patterns, folk wind-and-percussion music and religious music. Western-route Errentai was originally called Menggu qu and was mainly popular in the city of Hohhot, the city of Baotou, Bayannur League, Yeke Zhao League, the Yulin area and the Xinzhou area; eastern-route Errentai was first called "bengbeng" or simply Errentai and was mainly popular in Ulanqab League, the Yanbei area and the Zhangjiakou area. Traditional Errentai repertoire deals mainly with labour and production, exposes the darkness of the old society and sings of marriage and love; some plays tell mythological and historical stories. Western-route Errentai has plays such as Money-Striking, Cherry-Striking, Back-Harness, Climbing the Mountain Top and Ala Ben Hua, while eastern-route Errentai has Return from South of the Pass, Leading the Donkey, Picking Sichuan Pepper, Selling Malt Sugar and Lanzhou City. The performing forms of Errentai fall into three large categories: yingma xi, daibian xi and duichang. Yingma xi stresses singing, recitation and acting and demands a good voice from the performer; daibian xi stresses dance performance; duichang is sung alternately by two performers. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Money-Striking": Western-route Errentai has plays such as Money-Striking, Cherry-Striking, Back-Harness, Climbing the Mountain Top and Ala Ben Hua, while eastern-route Errentai has Return from South of the Pass, Leading the Donkey, Picking Sichuan Pepper, Selling Malt Sugar and Lanzhou City. "Cherry-Striking": Western-route Errentai has plays such as Money-Striking, Cherry-Striking, Back-Harness, Climbing the Mountain Top and Ala Ben Hua, while eastern-route Errentai has Return from South of the Pass, Leading the Donkey, Picking Sichuan Pepper, Selling Malt Sugar and Lanzhou City. "Back-Harness": Western-route Errentai has plays such as Money-Striking, Cherry-Striking, Back-Harness, Climbing the Mountain Top and Ala Ben Hua, while eastern-route Errentai has Return from South of the Pass, Leading the Donkey, Picking Sichuan Pepper, Selling Malt Sugar and Lanzhou City. "Climbing the Mountain Top": Western-route Errentai has plays such as Money-Striking, Cherry-Striking, Back-Harness, Climbing the Mountain Top and Ala Ben Hua, while eastern-route Errentai has Return from South of the Pass, Leading the Donkey, Picking Sichuan Pepper, Selling Malt Sugar and Lanzhou City.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

National representative bearer of Errentai, a fourth-batch national intangible cultural heritage project. Works for which he served as editor-in-chief received the Five-One Project Award.

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. Huo Banzhu · National Representative Bearer Archive