Zhang Qiulan

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Zhang Qiulan, Female, Han, from Henan, is a fifth-batch national representative bearer of Qu Opera (Ⅳ-68). The tradition is documented in Henan. Within the regional tradition and school record of Qu Opera in Henan: Quju is the second largest genre in Henan; outside Henan it is also distributed in Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, Hubei, Anhui, Jiangsu and other provinces. Henan quju, also called 'gaotai qu' (high-platform qu), developed and took formal shape around the 1920s on the basis of Henan quzi melodies and the performance of stilt-walking (caigaoqiao).

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

Female, of Han ethnicity, born in July 1935 in Luoyang City, Henan Province. She studied successively under Liu Weisheng, Feng Zhaolu and Li Jinbo, and is one of the earliest actresses of Henan Qu opera; she witnessed the period in which Qu opera moved from informal song onto the stage. Over several decades she has accumulated a substantial artistic foundation and a solid grounding in the traditional repertoire. She built her career on the qingyi role type while also performing other categories, and has a thorough command of Qu opera acting and stagecraft. She enjoys considerable recognition and influence within Qu opera circles and among audiences. Her representative works include dozens of traditional plays, such as Hua Ting Hui (The Garden Gathering), Qin Xianglian and Kou Zhun Bei Xue (Kou Zhun Carries the Boots). Within the documented technical tradition of Qu Opera in Henan: Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Hu Erjie Opens a Shop": After several decades of development a body of representative works has been accumulated, including Hu Erjie Opens a Shop, Anan Delivers Rice, The Little Lantern-Viewer, Beating the Kitchen God, Li Huozi's Divorce, Chen Sanliang Appeals to the Court, The Rolled Mat, Matched in Wind and Snow, Kou Zheng Carries the Boots, Going to the Countryside, Donkey Carrying and Touring the Village; well-known performers include Zhang Xinfang, Wang Xiuling, Gao Guizhi, Hai Lianchi, Ma Qi and others. "Anan Delivers Rice": After several decades of development a body of representative works has been accumulated, including Hu Erjie Opens a Shop, Anan Delivers Rice, The Little Lantern-Viewer, Beating the Kitchen God, Li Huozi's Divorce, Chen Sanliang Appeals to the Court, The Rolled Mat, Matched in Wind and Snow, Kou Zheng Carries the Boots, Going to the Countryside, Donkey Carrying and Touring the Village; well-known performers include Zhang Xinfang, Wang Xiuling, Gao Guizhi, Hai Lianchi, Ma Qi and others. "The Little Lantern-Viewer": After several decades of development a body of representative works has been accumulated, including Hu Erjie Opens a Shop, Anan Delivers Rice, The Little Lantern-Viewer, Beating the Kitchen God, Li Huozi's Divorce, Chen Sanliang Appeals to the Court, The Rolled Mat, Matched in Wind and Snow, Kou Zheng Carries the Boots, Going to the Countryside, Donkey Carrying and Touring the Village; well-known performers include Zhang Xinfang, Wang Xiuling, Gao Guizhi, Hai Lianchi, Ma Qi and others. "Beating the Kitchen God": After several decades of development a body of representative works has been accumulated, including Hu Erjie Opens a Shop, Anan Delivers Rice, The Little Lantern-Viewer, Beating the Kitchen God, Li Huozi's Divorce, Chen Sanliang Appeals to the Court, The Rolled Mat, Matched in Wind and Snow, Kou Zheng Carries the Boots, Going to the Countryside, Donkey Carrying and Touring the Village; well-known performers include Zhang Xinfang, Wang Xiuling, Gao Guizhi, Hai Lianchi, Ma Qi and others.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

She is a national representative bearer of Qu Opera, a fifth-batch national intangible cultural heritage project. Beginning in the 1980s she held nearly ten Qu opera training classes, training more than 150 students who are now dispersed throughout Henan Province. She continues to devote her energies to the protection and transmission of Qu opera.

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. Zhang Qiulan · National Representative Bearer Archive