Wang Guohai

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Wang Guohai, Male, Han, from Kaifeng, Henan, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Gong and Drum Art (Ⅱ-123). The tradition is documented in Kaifeng, Henan. Within the regional tradition and school record of Gong and Drum Art in Kaifeng, Henan: Gong-and-drum music is a relatively common form of folk instrumental performance in China; it is widely distributed, and is found in Hebei, Tianjin, Shanxi, Shanghai, Henan, Hubei, Shanxi and other places. Kaifeng pan-gu is rooted in the folk and deeply loved by the local masses; it has long been active in the five counties of Kaifeng City and in the surrounding counties and cities, and together with folk arts such as the dragon dance, the lion dance, the dry-land boat and the bamboo horse it has become an important part of the life of local people, providing important reference for research in folklore and the development history of ethnic music. The history of Kaifeng pan-gu can be traced back to the Song dynasty; it shares its origin with the ya-gu music transmitted in Kaifeng during the four hundred years from Song to Ming, and after the Ming and Qing dynasties it gradually changed from military drum music into folk square drum-and-dance. It is performed at markets, sacrifices and festival activities, and in the Qing dynasty it was widely used in folk rituals such as praying for rain against drought; the ensemble ranges from a dozen-odd people to several hundred, striking as they march under the direction of the flag-bearer.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Wang Guohai is anchored in the documented technical standards of Gong and Drum Art in Kaifeng, Henan. Within the documented technical tradition of Gong and Drum Art in Kaifeng, Henan: Although the instruments used vary from place to place, they consist mainly of high-volume percussion instruments such as gongs, drums, naos and cymbals; the rhythm is stirring and sharply marked, the performance scenes are grand, the artistic style is marked by imposing momentum, martial vigour and ardent warmth, and it is performed mainly at various folk auspicious celebrations and ceremonial occasions. Kaifeng pan-gu was originally called “da gu” (big drum); it is a folk square drum-and-dance music peculiar to Kaifeng City, closely related to the ya-gu music transmitted in Kaifeng during the four hundred years from Song to Ming. The drum used in the Kaifeng pan-gu performance is a flat drum with a wooden frame, 50 centimetres in diameter and 32 centimetres high, shaped like a millstone. A long front strap of 2.5 metres is tied to a pair of iron rings on the two sides of the drum frame; the performer bears it diagonally on the left shoulder and slings it over the body, so that the drum lies in front of the waist with its face upward. The drumsticks are made of willow, about as thick as a thumb; the wood is hard and resilient. This pan-gu, slung on the body and struck while walking, was first used in the army; later it was combined with folk dance to form a special drum-and-dance performance form, in which the performers dress as various characters and make various dance movements to the accompaniment of the pan-gu. Kaifeng pan-gu is generally performed at markets, sacrifices or festival activities, and in the Qing dynasty it was widely used in folk rituals such as praying for rain against drought. Kaifeng pan-gu performance teams number from a dozen-odd people to several hundred; under the direction of the flag-bearer the performers either strike the big drum slung in front of the body or strike large cymbals, horse gongs and other bronze instruments, beating and dancing as they march. The whole performance is grand in scale, with a strong, ardent, lively and martial rhythm, fully revealing the rough and heroic spirit of the sons and daughters of the Central Plains, and it has extremely strong artistic appeal. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Pan-gu drum construction": The pan-gu is a flat drum with a wooden frame, 50 centimetres in diameter and 32 centimetres high, shaped like a millstone; a long front strap of 2.5 metres is tied to a pair of iron rings on the two sides of the drum frame, and the performer bears it diagonally on the left shoulder and slings it over the body, so that the drum lies in front of the waist with its face upward. "Willow drumsticks": The drumsticks are made of willow, about as thick as a thumb; the wood is hard and resilient. "Flag-led marching performance": Kaifeng pan-gu performance teams number from a dozen-odd people to several hundred; under the direction of the flag-bearer the performers either strike the big drum slung in front of the body or strike large cymbals, horse gongs and other bronze instruments, beating and dancing as they march. "Rain-praying ritual use": Kaifeng pan-gu is generally performed at markets, sacrifices or festival activities, and in the Qing dynasty it was widely used in folk rituals such as praying for rain against drought.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Wang Guohai was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Gong and Drum Art, with Kaifeng, Henan as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Gong and Drum Art in Kaifeng, Henan: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2008 (batch 2), with Kaifeng, Henan as its declared area, and Kaifeng Cultural Center as its safeguarding unit. Since the project was inscribed in the national inventory, its declared area and safeguarding unit have carried out documentation, transmission and presentation within the national safeguarding framework. Together, the inventory record and the project archive form the public documentary basis for the bearer’s transmission practice.

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. Wangguohai (Kaifeng, Henan) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Wangguohai · China ICH Official Archive