Wang Zhengang

01 · Lineage & Regional School

At the age of thirteen he became a pupil of Shi Siduan, learning both the singing and the instrumental accompaniment of Shandong Qinshu. Within the regional tradition and school record of Shandong Qinshu Balladry in Heze, Shandong: Shandong Qinshu Balladry is divided into the southern, northern and eastern lines, of which the southern line of Heze is the earliest. Within the southern line of Shandong Qinshu Balladry, the most representative school was founded by Ru Xingli. Shandong Qinshu Balladry is also called "chang yangqin" ("singing to the yangqin") or "Shandong yangqin"; it originated in the Heze area of southwestern Shandong and has a history of more than two hundred and fifty years to the present day. Building on the southern line, Shang Xiuling, founder of the Shang school, created the eastern line of Shandong Qinshu Balladry in Jiaodong, while Deng Jiuru, founder of the Deng school, created the northern line in Jinan.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

Male, Han ethnicity, born in December 1951 in Juancheng County, Shandong Province. In 1963 he joined the Juancheng County costumed zhuizi troupe, in 1971 the Juancheng County quyi troupe, and in 1976 he transferred to the Heze Prefecture quyi troupe. His representative works include Duan Qiao (The Broken Bridge), Shui Man Jinshan (The Flooding of Jinshan), Liangshan Jiaoxia (At the Foot of Mount Liang), Dalin Huan Jia (Dalin Returns Home) and Haoshi Duoduo (So Many Good Things). Within the documented technical tradition of Shandong Qinshu Balladry in Heze, Shandong: As the birthplace of the southern line of Shandong Qinshu Balladry, Heze has always been an important area in which this fine folk art developed and circulated. The singing of the Ru school has a deep and resonant vocal line and precise, heartfelt diction, and its pieces mostly express indignation at the world. The music of the southern line of Shandong Qinshu Balladry preserves a large number of Ming- and Qing-period folk tune patterns; more than a hundred tune patterns already collected, including Fengyang Ge, Duoziban, Meihualuo, Hunjianglong, Kuhanjiang, Daotuichuan, Changlongwei, Mandihong and Dieduanqiao, are materials hard to come by for the study of music. Its vocal style is built up by linking tune patterns one after another; it generally opens with Shangduan Diao or Fengyang Ge and closes with Duoziban or Meihualuo, while in between, tune patterns whose mood suits the expression are chosen and combined freely, with no fixed formula. The southern line of Shandong Qinshu Balladry shows a high artistic standard in its vocal method and in the technique of instrumental playing, and it exerted an important influence on the development of qin opera. The southern line has a large repertoire: long-form works include The White Snake and The Yang Family Generals, while medium-form works include Wang Dingbao Borrowing on Pledge and Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai (The Butterfly Lovers). Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "The White Snake": The southern line of Shandong Qinshu Balladry has a large repertoire: long-form works include The White Snake and The Yang Family Generals, while medium-form works include Wang Dingbao Borrowing on Pledge and Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai (The Butterfly Lovers). "The Yang Family Generals": The southern line of Shandong Qinshu Balladry has a large repertoire: long-form works include The White Snake and The Yang Family Generals, while medium-form works include Wang Dingbao Borrowing on Pledge and Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai (The Butterfly Lovers). "Wang Dingbao Borrowing on Pledge": The southern line of Shandong Qinshu Balladry has a large repertoire: long-form works include The White Snake and The Yang Family Generals, while medium-form works include Wang Dingbao Borrowing on Pledge and Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai (The Butterfly Lovers). "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai (The Butterfly Lovers)": The southern line of Shandong Qinshu Balladry has a large repertoire: long-form works include The White Snake and The Yang Family Generals, while medium-form works include Wang Dingbao Borrowing on Pledge and Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai (The Butterfly Lovers).

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

He is a national representative bearer of Shandong Qinshu Balladry, a fifth-batch national intangible cultural heritage project. Blessed with a fine voice and given to diligent study, he reached a high level in both qinshu singing and instrumental accompaniment, and has won awards repeatedly in national competitions. Over several decades in the profession he has kept performing and training students, and has taught outstanding Southern Route qinshu performers such as Bi Mei and Kong Lushun.

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 Zhengang · National Representative Bearer Archive