Liu Jianyang

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Liu Jianyang, Male, Han, from Shaoxing, Zhejiang, is a fourth-batch national representative bearer of Shaoju Opera (Ⅳ-109). The tradition is documented in Shaoxing, Zhejiang. Within the regional tradition and school record of Shaoju Opera in Shaoxing, Zhejiang: Shao opera is popular in northern Shaoxing in Zhejiang and in Xiaoshan, Zhuji and Shangyu and the adjoining provinces; because its troupe scale is larger than the “parrot troupes” that staged “dramatic fooling” pieces with one dan and one chou in the Daoguang and Xianfeng reigns it is called the “Shaoxing grand troupe”, and it has always been the chief content of local village-sacrifice and temple-stage performance. In the 1960s Three Battles with the White Bone Demon toured the whole country and went abroad in Chinese-foreign cultural exchange.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

Male, Han ethnicity, born in June 1961, a native of Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province. An expert receiving the special government allowance of the State Council. As a child he entered the Shaoju training class of the Shaoxing region, where he studied under masters such as Chen Hegao, Fu Machao and Dai Zutang; he later joined the Zhejiang Shaoju Troupe and took Liu Ling Tong (Zhang Zongyi) as his teacher. Building on Liu Ling Tong's art of the Shaoju monkey play while drawing on features of dance and martial arts, he brought the Shaoju monkey play to a new stage of development in the contemporary era. His representative works include Huo Yan Shan (Flaming Mountain), Sun Wukong Da Nao Qiankun (Sun Wukong Wreaks Havoc in Heaven and Earth), Sun Wukong Dazhan Honghaier (Sun Wukong Battles the Red Boy) and Zhen Jia Wukong (The Real and the False Wukong). Within the documented technical tradition of Shaoju Opera in Shaoxing, Zhejiang: Shao opera, also called “Shaoxing luantan”, is popular in northern Shaoxing in Zhejiang and the adjoining provinces. Its sheng, dan, jing and chou roles are complete, mostly robed and tablet-holding performances of emperors, generals, ministers and battles; its troupe organisation and performance scale being larger than those of the “parrot troupes” that staged “dramatic fooling” pieces with one dan and one chou in Shaoxing in the Daoguang and Xianfeng reigns, it is called the “Shaoxing grand troupe”. Actors of every role are highly masterly, gathering in the troupe like a heap of jade, so that the Shaoxing grand troupe is often called “Yucheng”. Shao opera has always been the chief performance at Shaoxing village sacrifices, the luantan troupes singing loudly on temple grass stages and in village squares amid clanging drums and gongs before thousands of spectators, expressing such themes as punishing the wicked and wiping out shame in ringing, vehement singing and acting, their dense and stirring notes shaking the four quarters and rousing the crowd against greed and cruelty. Its music is plain and rough-hewn, its singing noted for being ringing and vehement with many soul-stirring long lyrical arias; its performance is bold and free, capable in both civil and martial parts, especially excelling in martial plays with steady posturing, masterly combat technique and fierce, spectacular fighting. Among these, Three Battles with the White Bone Demon, drawn from Journey to the West, perfectly shapes a Sun Wukong combining “man, god and monkey” and attains a very high artistic level, making Shao opera famous throughout the world and much favoured by audiences; the colour opera film made from the stage play has been shown in seventy-two countries and regions with unanimous praise. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Three Battles with the White Bone Demon": One of the representative plays of Shao opera, shaping a Sun Wukong combining “man, god and monkey”; the colour opera film made from the stage play was shown in seventy-two countries and regions. "Journey to the West (Thirty-Six Serial Volumes)": The serial plays performed in succession by Shao opera in the 1940s, in which the role of Sun Wukong created the southern school's “living and nimble” style of monkey play. "The Flaming Mountains": One of the representative works of Shao opera monkey play. "Sun Wukong Storms Heaven and Earth": One of the representative works of Shao opera monkey play.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

National representative bearer of Shaoju Opera, a fourth-batch national intangible cultural heritage project. In 2004 he received the Ministry of Culture's Wenhua Performance Award. He has trained students including Chen Bingcan, Zhang Jie, Wang Haoshuang and Yang Qinfeng.

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 Jianyang · National Representative Bearer Archive