Su Bendong
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Su Bendong, Male, Han, from Heze, Shandong, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Xiansuole (Ⅱ-151). The tradition is documented in Heze, Shandong. Within the regional tradition and school record of Xiansuole in Heze, Shandong: It is distributed mainly in the villages of Yuncheng, Juancheng and other counties of Heze City (historically called Caozhou) in Shandong Province. Heze string-and-plucked music has been handed down generation by generation in the villages and market towns around Yuncheng and Juancheng. Most of its musicians are village musicians who farm and make music in turn; they commonly join in ensemble playing at temples, family courtyards and the like when attending temple fairs, celebrating the New Year or during the slack winter season, and they often borrow from and lend to local music genres such as Shandong qinshu and Shandong ancient zheng music.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Su Bendong is anchored in the documented technical standards of Xiansuole in Heze, Shandong. Within the documented technical tradition of Xiansuole in Heze, Shandong: Heze string-and-plucked music is an ensemble form in which several plucked and several bowed string instruments are combined in performance. Because of its elegant style it is honoured with the name “elegant music”, and because of its long history it is also called “ancient music”. Heze string-and-plucked music is normally performed as an ensemble of silk-string instruments such as the zheng, the yangqin, the pipa and the huqin (also called the “ruyi gou”, a bowed string instrument whose neck is carved with the ancient courtly “jade ruyi sceptre”); sometimes only the zheng and yangqin play together, or the zheng plays with the yangqin and pipa, and there are also ensemble forms that add instruments such as the soft-bow hu and the zhuihu. The combination of instruments is flexible and varied, and instruments may be added or reduced. Heze string-and-plucked music has ten suites of ancient pieces, each of which is a suite in the “eight-beat section” form, popularly called “peng ba ban” (clashing eight-beat sections). Because of its structural form, in which each of the eight phrases of a piece has eight beat sections and four more sections are added to the whole, it is also called “sixty-eight beat sections”. Folk musicians say that the sixty-eight sections were devised by the ancestors on the basis of the sixty-four hexagrams of the Zhou Yi plus the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter. The instruments used in “peng ba ban” form different vocal parts, and the melodies of these parts are all derived from the mother tune “Ba Ban”; for that reason they can be “clashed” together to form a single, unified and harmonious whole. Its melodies and modes are elegant and beautiful, and its harmonic texture is rich and stirring; it has both an antique, time-worn style and a vivid local colour. Among the people, string-and-plucked music is a form of self-amusement for the musicians, commonly performed at temple fairs, during New Year celebrations or in the slack winter season, at temples, family courtyards and other places. Most of them can play two or three instruments, so that when hands are short they can pick up another instrument and play. Representative figures over the years have included Ma Yiwen, Wang Leyong, Li Bangrong, Zhang Nianzhong, Shi Dengyan, Zhang Weitai, Zhang Yingyi, Zhang Liangzhi, Zhang Xiaolun, Zhang Xinshan and others. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Ten ancient Peng-ba-ban suites": Heze string-and-plucked music has ten suites of ancient pieces, each of which is a suite in the “eight-beat section” form, popularly called “peng ba ban”. "Sixty-eight-beat structure": It is called “sixty-eight beat sections” because of its structural form, in which each of the eight phrases of a piece has eight beat sections and four more sections are added to the whole. Folk musicians say that the sixty-eight sections were devised by the ancestors on the basis of the sixty-four hexagrams of the Zhou Yi plus the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter. "Derivation from the mother tune": The instruments used in “peng ba ban” form different vocal parts, and the melodies of these parts are all derived from the mother tune “Ba Ban”; for that reason they can be “clashed” together to form a single, unified and harmonious whole. "Zheng, yangqin, pipa and huqin ensemble": It is normally performed as an ensemble of silk-string instruments such as the zheng, the yangqin, the pipa and the huqin; sometimes only the zheng and yangqin play together, or the zheng plays with the yangqin and pipa, and there are also ensemble forms that add instruments such as the soft-bow hu and the zhuihu. The combination of instruments is flexible and varied, and may be added to or reduced.
Ten ancient Peng-ba-ban suites
Heze string-and-plucked music has ten suites of ancient pieces, each of which is a suite in the “eight-beat section” form, popularly called “peng ba ban”.
Sixty-eight-beat structure
It is called “sixty-eight beat sections” because of its structural form, in which each of the eight phrases of a piece has eight beat sections and four more sections are added to the whole. Folk musicians say that the sixty-eight sections were devised by the ancestors on the basis of the sixty-four hexagrams of the Zhou Yi plus the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter.
Derivation from the mother tune
The instruments used in “peng ba ban” form different vocal parts, and the melodies of these parts are all derived from the mother tune “Ba Ban”; for that reason they can be “clashed” together to form a single, unified and harmonious whole.
Zheng, yangqin, pipa and huqin ensemble
It is normally performed as an ensemble of silk-string instruments such as the zheng, the yangqin, the pipa and the huqin; sometimes only the zheng and yangqin play together, or the zheng plays with the yangqin and pipa, and there are also ensemble forms that add instruments such as the soft-bow hu and the zhuihu. The combination of instruments is flexible and varied, and may be added to or reduced.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Su Bendong was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Xiansuole, with Heze, Shandong as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Xiansuole in Heze, Shandong: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2011 (batch 3), with Heze, Shandong as its declared area, and Heze 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
Historical origin
Heze string-and-plucked music has been handed down generation by generation in the villages and market towns around Yuncheng and Juancheng. Most of its musicians are village musicians who farm and make music in turn; they commonly join in ensemble playing at temples, family courtyards and the like when attending temple fairs, celebrating the New Year or during the slack winter season, and they often borrow from and lend to local music genres such as Shandong qinshu and Shandong ancient zheng music.
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.
| Bearer | Declared area | Roster code | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Su Bendong | Heze, Shandong | — | This page |
06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography
This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript. Compiled from official national representative bearer archival records and the associated project dossier, organized by topic and translated into English. 阅读中文版。