Li Ping

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Li Ping, Female, Han, from Zhangjiakou, Hebei, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Jinju (Shanxi Opera) (Ⅳ-18). The tradition is documented in Zhangjiakou, Hebei. Within the regional tradition and school record of Jinju (Shanxi Opera) in Zhangjiakou, Hebei: Jinju in Zhangjiakou is also called “kou bangzi” (mouth bangzi). It takes in the local dialect and draws on the artistic features of Beijing opera, Pingju and Hebei bangzi, so that its singing is full of flavour, and at the same time it has brought into being a body of repertoire peculiar to itself. In the early Qing dynasty, Puzhou bangzi (the Puzhou clapper opera) spread into central Shanxi, where it combined with the Qitai yangge and the folk tunes of central Shanxi; under the influence of Shanxi merchants and local scholars it developed into Jinju.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Li Ping is anchored in the documented technical standards of Jinju (Shanxi Opera) in Zhangjiakou, Hebei. Within the documented technical tradition of Jinju (Shanxi Opera) in Zhangjiakou, Hebei: Jinju is one of the four great bangzi (clapper) genres of Shanxi Province. Because it arose in central Shanxi it is also called the “central-route bangzi” (zhonglu bangzi); in provinces outside Shanxi it is called “Shanxi bangzi”. It is distributed mainly over central and northern Shanxi and parts of Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia and Hebei. After several subsequent changes it spread to central Shanxi, northern Shanxi and parts of Inner Mongolia, Hebei and northern Shaanxi. Jinju has a rich traditional repertoire, with more than two hundred plays performed regularly, among them The Wei River (Weishui he), Beating the Golden Branch (Da jin zhi), Mount Lintong (Lintong shan), The Belt of Heaven and Earth (Qiankun dai), The Kingdom of Shatuo (Shatuo guo), The Battle of Wancheng (Zhan wancheng), White Water Shoal (Baishui tan), The Golden Water Bridge (Jinshui qiao), The Fire Colt (Huoyan ju), The Palace of the Brahma King (Fanwang gong) and Twin-Locked Mountain (Shuangsuo shan). In the course of its development Jinju retained the stirring and impassioned artistic character of Puzhou bangzi, while at the same time forming a gentle and delicate lyrical style. Its vocal styles are rich, including luantan (free-rhythm singing), qiang’er and quzi; its metrical patterns are many and its expressive power is strong — the luantan alone is divided into seven metrical types: Pingban (level plate), Jiaban (double plate), Erxing (second mode), Liushui (flowing water), Jieban (interlude plate), Gunbai (rolling speech) and Daoban (conducting plate). Under the influence of modern ways of life and the impact of the commodity economy, the number of Jinju plays performed has fallen away rapidly; urban audiences have been lost in large numbers, while rural audiences consist chiefly of the elderly. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "The Wei River": The traditional repertoire of Jinju is rich, and more than two hundred plays are performed on a regular basis, including The Wei River (Weishui he), Beating the Golden Branch (Da jin zhi), Mount Lintong (Lintong shan), The Belt of Heaven and Earth (Qiankun dai), The Kingdom of Shatuo (Shatuo guo), The Battle of Wancheng (Zhan wancheng), White Water Shoal (Baishui tan), The Golden Water Bridge (Jinshui qiao), The Fire Colt (Huoyan ju), The Palace of the Brahma King (Fanwang gong) and Twin-Locked Mountain (Shuangsuo shan). "Beating the Golden Branch": The traditional repertoire of Jinju is rich, and more than two hundred plays are performed on a regular basis, including The Wei River (Weishui he), Beating the Golden Branch (Da jin zhi), Mount Lintong (Lintong shan), The Belt of Heaven and Earth (Qiankun dai), The Kingdom of Shatuo (Shatuo guo), The Battle of Wancheng (Zhan wancheng), White Water Shoal (Baishui tan), The Golden Water Bridge (Jinshui qiao), The Fire Colt (Huoyan ju), The Palace of the Brahma King (Fanwang gong) and Twin-Locked Mountain (Shuangsuo shan). "Mount Lintong": The traditional repertoire of Jinju is rich, and more than two hundred plays are performed on a regular basis, including The Wei River (Weishui he), Beating the Golden Branch (Da jin zhi), Mount Lintong (Lintong shan), The Belt of Heaven and Earth (Qiankun dai), The Kingdom of Shatuo (Shatuo guo), The Battle of Wancheng (Zhan wancheng), White Water Shoal (Baishui tan), The Golden Water Bridge (Jinshui qiao), The Fire Colt (Huoyan ju), The Palace of the Brahma King (Fanwang gong) and Twin-Locked Mountain (Shuangsuo shan). "The Belt of Heaven and Earth": The traditional repertoire of Jinju is rich, and more than two hundred plays are performed on a regular basis, including The Wei River (Weishui he), Beating the Golden Branch (Da jin zhi), Mount Lintong (Lintong shan), The Belt of Heaven and Earth (Qiankun dai), The Kingdom of Shatuo (Shatuo guo), The Battle of Wancheng (Zhan wancheng), White Water Shoal (Baishui tan), The Golden Water Bridge (Jinshui qiao), The Fire Colt (Huoyan ju), The Palace of the Brahma King (Fanwang gong) and Twin-Locked Mountain (Shuangsuo shan).

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Li Ping was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Jinju (Shanxi Opera), with Zhangjiakou, Hebei as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Jinju (Shanxi Opera) in Zhangjiakou, Hebei: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2008 (batch 2), with Zhangjiakou, Hebei as its declared area, and Zhangjiakou Xiqu Art Research Institute 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. Liping (Zhangjiakou, Hebei) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Liping · China ICH Official Archive