Sun Sanmin

01 · Lineage & Regional School

He is the sixth-generation transmitter of Luojuan Opera in Runan, Henan. Within the regional tradition and school record of Luojuan Opera in Runan, Henan: Luojuanxi's recitation mostly uses the local dialect and Zhongzhou rhymes, and its melodic line approaches the rhythm of local folk speech, giving it a very distinct local character. Luo opera came to Runan in the early Qing, its music made up of singing music, wind music and percussion. Juan opera originated in the late Ming at Yantingdian, Chupu and Daitang village in Runan county, evolved from the temple music “juan diao”. After the Republican period the people around Runan habitually called it “luojuanxi” or “juanluoxi”.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

Male, Han ethnicity, born in September 1944 in Runan County, Henan Province. His instrumental technique is consummate, and he has a thorough command of both the acting and the vocal music. Deeply devoted to the art of Luojuan Opera, he has collected, recorded and organized a large number of old scripts and scores on the verge of being lost, gathered from veteran artists. With a rich artistic accumulation, he is a living dictionary and keeper of archival materials for Juan Opera music and a leader in transmitting the music of Luojuan Opera. Within the documented technical tradition of Luojuan Opera in Runan, Henan: Luojuanxi, popularly called “horn opera”, was formed by the fusion of the two genres “luo opera” and “juan opera”. Its singing music is a composite system in which the qupai and banqiang forms coexist; its wind music is led by the great suona popularly called the “big flute”, and its percussion, besides the small five pieces common to opera bands—great gong, second gong, hand cymbals, bangzi and drum-clapper—also disposes two pairs of great nao and two pairs of great cymbals, popularly the “four great fans”. Luo opera's singing is rough and bold, vehement and ringing, suiting mythological plays, court plays and martial plays of war, and its music is made up of singing, wind and percussion music led by the small suona popularly called the “small flute”, mostly performing folk legend, rustic custom and love subjects. Juan opera excels in civil-scene plays and luo opera in martial-scene plays; to attract audiences and achieve completeness in both civil and martial and mutual complement, the two genres often performed together and gradually fused into one. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Li Cunxiao Crosses the River": One of the representative plays of luojuanxi. "Rescuing the Emperor at the Muddy River": One of the representative plays of luojuanxi. "The Small Five Pieces and the Four Great Fans": The signature percussion arrangement of luojuanxi: besides the “small five pieces” of great gong, second gong, hand cymbals, bangzi and drum-clapper, it adds two pairs of great nao and two pairs of great cymbals.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

He is a representative bearer of Luojuan Opera, a fifth-batch national intangible cultural heritage project. For many years he has been devoted to the protection and rescue of Luojuan Opera, actively passing on its techniques and training students, and often leading them in performance practice in villages and on school campuses, so that this endangered genre now has successors.

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. Sun Sanmin · National Representative Bearer Archive