Wang Genxing

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Wang Genxing, Male, Han, from Yanyijituanxijutuan, Jiangsu, is a fourth-batch national representative bearer of Xiju Opera (Ⅳ-103). The tradition is documented in Yanyijituanxijutuan, Jiangsu. Within the regional tradition and school record of Xiju Opera in Yanyijituanxijutuan, Jiangsu: Since the Qianjia reign of the Qing dynasty, tanhuang in the Wu language has flourished, and by the Daoguang reign professional or semi-professional tanhuang performers had appeared. On the basis of long practice this folk art of singing and narration gradually developed and transformed into an independent operatic genre with its own vocal system.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

Male, Han ethnicity, born in September 1940, a native of Wuxi, Jiangsu Province. A National First-Class Performer. He studied under the celebrated Xiju performer Wang Binbin and specialises in xiaosheng (young male) roles; his singing is high-pitched and fluent, vigorous and upright, clear and unrestrained. He played the leading role in traditional works such as Zhen Zhu Ta (The Pearl Pagoda), Yu Qingting (The Jade Dragonfly), Shuang Zhu Feng (The Twin Phoenixes), Meng Jiangnü and Huo Zhuo Wang Kui (The Capture of Wang Kui), as well as in newly written works including Shajiabang, Han Qiao Lei (Tears at the Cold Bridge), Wan Shifang and Nan Gui Ji (Record of the Return to the South). He released cassette recordings of Meng Jiangnü, Antang Ren Mu (A Mother Recognised in the Nunnery), Ba Lan Hua (Pulling Up the Orchid), He Zhu Ji (The Joined Pearls) and Xue Di Chan Zi (Giving Birth in the Snow). Within the documented technical tradition of Xiju Opera in Yanyijituanxijutuan, Jiangsu: Xiju, formerly called “tanhuang”, is one of the principal operatic genres of Jiangsu province. Its place of origin is said by one account to be in the northeastern countryside of Wuxi city and by another to be the De'anqiao area of Changzhou city, hence the names “xi tan” and “chang tan”. The vocal music of xiju takes “huangdiao” as its basic tune, while also incorporating dozens of tunes such as “dalu ban” and “linglingdiao”. Over years of performance xiju has formed a number of vocal schools with strong artistic individuality — the Yao (Cheng) school, the Wang (Lanying) school, the Shen (Peihua) school, the Wang (Binbin) school, the Mei (Lanzhen) school, the Wang (Hanqing) school and the Wu (Yatong) school — which have actively driven the development of the genre. The role types of xiju centre on huadan and xiaosheng; such representative plays as Double Mill Push, Meeting in the Nunnery Hall, Recognising the Mother in the Nunnery Hall and Twin Pearl Phoenix have all been filmed as xiqu cinema feature films. Besides its traditional repertory, xiju also has a body of fine modern plays, among which The Red Seed is the most highly praised. In recent years the traditional play The Pearl Tower, re-created by a new generation of xiju performing artists, won the Ministry of Culture award for new repertoire, marking a further stage in the development of xiju in the new period. The tunes of xiju are elegant and lyrical, rich in the flavour of everyday life and distinctive of the Jiangnan water-town style, a precious treasure in the storehouse of Wu culture. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Double Mill Push": The role types of xiju centre on huadan and xiaosheng; such representative plays as Double Mill Push, Meeting in the Nunnery Hall, Recognising the Mother in the Nunnery Hall and Twin Pearl Phoenix have all been filmed as xiqu cinema feature films. "Meeting in the Nunnery Hall": The role types of xiju centre on huadan and xiaosheng; such representative plays as Double Mill Push, Meeting in the Nunnery Hall, Recognising the Mother in the Nunnery Hall and Twin Pearl Phoenix have all been filmed as xiqu cinema feature films. "Recognising the Mother in the Nunnery Hall": The role types of xiju centre on huadan and xiaosheng; such representative plays as Double Mill Push, Meeting in the Nunnery Hall, Recognising the Mother in the Nunnery Hall and Twin Pearl Phoenix have all been filmed as xiqu cinema feature films. "Twin Pearl Phoenix": The role types of xiju centre on huadan and xiaosheng; such representative plays as Double Mill Push, Meeting in the Nunnery Hall, Recognising the Mother in the Nunnery Hall and Twin Pearl Phoenix have all been filmed as xiqu cinema feature films.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

National representative bearer of Xiju Opera, a fourth-batch national intangible cultural heritage project. For many years he was the principal teacher in the Xiju department of the Jiangsu Provincial Opera School, training large numbers of leading performers and company directors for Xiju troupes throughout Jiangsu; among his students, Zhou Dongliang won the China Drama Plum Blossom Award and the Ministry of Culture's Wenhua Performance 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. Wang Genxing · National Representative Bearer Archive