Su Fengli

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Su Fengli, Female, Han, from Qinjutuan, Gansu, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Qinqiang Opera (Ⅳ-16). The tradition is documented in Qinjutuan, Gansu. Within the regional tradition and school record of Qinqiang Opera in Qinjutuan, Gansu: Within the province Gansu Qinqiang has formed several regional branches: the Lanzhou–Baiyin line approaches the legacy of the “Lanzhou shadow”, Longdong and Longnan are more deeply influenced by Shaanxi Qinqiang, and troupes along the Hexi Corridor have blended with local quyi and Meihu. Gansu Qinqiang shares a common origin with Shaanxi Qinqiang but is a distinct current, its singing more hoarse and mournful and its recitation carrying Gansu pronunciation. Gansu Qinqiang took shape around the turn of the Ming and Qing dynasties, evolving from the fusion of Gansu's “shadow-puppet tune” (also called “Lanzhou shadow”) and “Western Qin tune”, with singing and recitation in the Gansu dialect. Gansu Qinqiang has a rich repertory of some three thousand traditional plays, most drawn from stories of the Warring States, the Three Kingdoms, the Yang family generals and Yue Fei; the earliest surviving script dates from the Yongle reign of the Ming. Drawing on the Gansu volume of the Annals of Chinese Xiqu, the banqiang embryo of Gansu Qinqiang can be traced to the confluence of mid-Ming Western Qin tune with shadow-puppet and quzi opera; after the Qianlong and Jiaqing reigns of the Qing it spread throughout the province with trade routes and temple fairs and became the dominant operatic form in town and countryside.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Su Fengli is anchored in the documented technical standards of Qinqiang Opera in Qinjutuan, Gansu. Within the documented technical tradition of Qinqiang Opera in Qinjutuan, Gansu: Qinqiang is the largest operatic genre in north-west China, popular in Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia and Xinjiang. Gansu Qinqiang has a rather distinctive vocal system, taking the form of “ban-shi plus qupai, with qupai also serving Buddhist chant”; it includes six ban types—manban, erliuban, jianban, daoban, gunban and daiban—nearly one hundred qupai such as Ting Genggu, Hongyan Fei, Chuiqiang, Gaoqiang, Zhuangyuan Ling and Zhongjun Ling, and Buddhist melodies originating in temple faqu, including “fojizi”, “damo”, “fohao”, “daoge” and “quanshan diao”. Its musical means are rich and varied, with both ban and pai capable of hua-yin and ku-yin opposition. Its accompaniment is divided into civil and martial sections: the civil section basically keeps the accompaniment form of Ming-Qing Western Qin tune, with huqin, menhuzi, sanxian, yueqin and flute as the main instruments, led by the huqin; the martial section uses drum-board, gong, nao and cymbals as its main instruments, with the bangzi marking the beat and the tanban and gan drum directing the whole. Gansu Qinqiang's roles comprise sheng, dan, jing and chou, each further subdivided, and in performance each has developed its own role singing and conventions. Its performance emphasises “framework”, “sheng and jing”, and “special skills and showpieces”, fully expressing a fiery, vigorous and martial style. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Zhan Qin Ying (Beheading Qin Ying)": A staple of Gansu Qinqiang and one of the signature works of the representative inheritor Dou Fengqin. "Zhan Dou E (Beheading Dou E)": A dan singing play adapted from The Injustice to Dou E and one of Dou Fengqin's signature works. "Longfeng Chengxiang (Dragon and Phoenix Bring Auspice)": A traditional Qinqiang play on Liu Bei's marriage in Wu, and one of Dou Fengqin's representative works. "Huoyan Ju (The Flame Steed)": A classic Qinqiang play known for its balanced singing and acting and its dramatic turns.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Su Fengli was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Qinqiang Opera, with Qinjutuan, Gansu as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Qinqiang Opera in Qinjutuan, Gansu: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2008 (batch 2), with Qinjutuan, Gansu as its declared area, and Gansu Qin Qiang Art Theatre Co., Ltd. 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. Sufengli (Qinjutuan, Gansu) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Sufengli · China ICH Official Archive