Liu Jianping

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Liu Jianping, Male, Han, from Tangshanshiluanzhou, Hebei, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Yangge Dance (Ⅲ-2). The tradition is documented in Tangshanshiluanzhou, Hebei. Within the regional tradition and school record of Yangge Dance in Tangshanshiluanzhou, Hebei: Luanzhou di yangge is one of the three great schools of eastern Hebei di yangge (Changli, Luanzhou and Laoting), a folk dance form created by the people of Luanzhou, Hebei, in long social practice that entertains others and oneself alike. Luanzhou di yangge is divided into four great role types, niu, lei, chou and gongzi, each with its own characteristics. Makeup uses chiefly grease colours, with marked local character. The sung yangge content of Luanzhou di yangge falls roughly into three types: fixed lyrics, improvised lyrics, and the calling of names and competing in the yard. According to the "Luan County Cultural Gazetteer · Investigation of the Four Great Hebei Bangzi Troupes", Jin Kaifu, who was born in the Xianfeng reign of the Qing dynasty, possessed the eight great skills of twisting yangge and was venerated in the southwestern part of Luanzhou as the king of yangge.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Liu Jianping is anchored in the documented technical standards of Yangge Dance in Tangshanshiluanzhou, Hebei. Within the documented technical tradition of Yangge Dance in Tangshanshiluanzhou, Hebei: The Ming-dynasty "Luan Prefecture Gazetteer" records: "In ancient times, when the year brought abundance and the people rejoiced, there was a rite of thanksgiving in return... children and strong men came in dense throngs, led by banners and streamers, marshalled in ceremonial order, loud with gongs and drums, accompanied by pipes and sheng, arriving from tens of li away, dozens of processions linked one after another..." Di yangge of Luanzhou is the principal performance form of that rite of thanksgiving. The martial lei, the niu (girl), the civil young lord and the civil-and-martial clown have always been the strong points of Luanzhou di yangge. The niu keeps to small steps and a lively waist swaying like a willow in the wind, with a graceful figure and a shy face. The civil lei must whirl the round fan and the lively tobacco pipe, the arms rising and falling with both shoulders crossed, the brows and eyes conveying spirit, and flower-steps darting. The martial lei must be bold and daring, with exaggerated movements. The civil-and-martial clown must have a lively hip and light steps, humorous and inviting laughter. Teasing the niu must be gallant but never vulgar. Young lords are divided into civil and martial; Luanzhou di yangge is distinguished by the civil young lord, and fan technique is one of its great features. The accompanying instruments of Luanzhou di yangge are mainly the suona, the drum, the bo (cymbals) and the gong. Besides the traditional accompanying pieces, there are also ga-diao passages in the style of shadow-puppetry tunes. The headdresses and costumes of Luanzhou di yangge are mostly handmade and handed down through the family. Luanzhou di yangge has six characteristics: first, the form of narrating-and-singing yangge — today only Luanzhou di yangge preserves the small-skit narrating-and-singing yangge; second, distinction in the performance of the civil young lord; third, the independently created double horns "kou'er" and "nuo'er"; fourth, the unique performance method of "pulling the bones and stretching the sinews"; fifth, the "ga-diao" and the "old three-point" in the accompaniment; sixth, the "cart-drawn play" and the back-pole among the props. The role types, formations and accompaniment of Luanzhou di yangge have no weak points; every role type is complete in both literary and martial respects, the division of labour is finely detailed, the techniques are polished, the style is marked and the features stand out, and to this day it preserves a number of marvellous skills that have already disappeared in some other regions. At present the Luanzhou di yangge troupes, long dormant, have grown to 350 and are active in towns and villages throughout the area; although the number of troupes and performers is not what it was, the frequency of their activities has risen sharply, and they now operate independently above all as a form of physical exercise and popular amusement. Whether in the singing, reciting, acting and fighting of the movements, or in the low murmuring and high soaring of the accompaniment, or in the riot of colour of the costumes, or in the variety of the props, Luanzhou di yangge meets the basic aesthetic and recreational demands of the local people. It is an organic combination of grass-roots and court culture, carrying the feelings of the people and the historical culture, and it has a high historical, cultural and artistic value. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "The four role types": The four role types of Luanzhou Yangge, each with its own canon of small steps, turning fan and tobacco pipe, bold exaggeration or light-hipped comedy. "The Kou'er and Nuo'er pair": Two roles unique to Luanzhou Yangge, among the markers distinguishing it from the Changli and Laoting traditions and preserving feats lost elsewhere. "The stretch-bone pull-sinew method": One of the most characteristic body techniques of Luanzhou Yangge, used with the Kou'er and Nuo'er roles to give its idiom a line of its own within eastern Hebei Yangge. "Ga Diao and Lao San Dian": The distinctive accompaniment features of Luanzhou Yangge, including the gao diao tune of shadow-play vocal style, marking it off aurally from neighbouring traditions.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Liu Jianping was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Yangge Dance, with Tangshanshiluanzhou, Hebei as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Yangge Dance in Tangshanshiluanzhou, Hebei: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2021 (batch 5), with Tangshanshiluanzhou, Hebei as its declared area, and Luanzhou City 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. Liujianping (Tangshanshiluanzhou, Hebei) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Liujianping · China ICH Official Archive