Zhoukuisheng
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Zhoukuisheng, Male, Han, from Dongming, Shandong, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Dapingdiao (Ⅳ-26). The tradition is documented in Dongming, Shandong. Within the regional tradition and school record of Dapingdiao in Dongming, Shandong: In modern times Dapingdiao has gradually formed three branches—eastern-road pingdiao, western-road pingdiao and Hedong pingdiao—and the Dapingdiao popular in Dongming, Heze and elsewhere in Shandong belongs to the Hedong pingdiao. Dapingdiao was originally called “Pingdiao”, also “Big Oil Bangzi” and “Big Bangzi Opera”, and is now generally known as “Dapingdiao”; it covers the border towns and countryside of the five provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, Henan and Anhui and has a history of more than five hundred years. Dapingdiao had many troupes in its early period, and since the Ming and Qing nineteen have been relatively well known. Drawing on the Shandong volume of the Annals of Chinese Xiqu, it takes the name “pingdiao” because its vocal register is lower than that of Shandong bangzi (the “high tune”); it flourished in the Hebei–Shandong–Henan–Anhui borderland from the Ming and Qing, Dongming being an important area of activity for the Hedong pingdiao line, with troupes and artists transmitting the art over generations.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Zhoukuisheng is anchored in the documented technical standards of Dapingdiao in Dongming, Shandong. Within the documented technical tradition of Dapingdiao in Dongming, Shandong: Over several centuries the genre has produced many celebrated artists renowned among the people. Its vocal music belongs to the banqiang system, with rich ban styles and qupai; the singing is both vivid and plain, and amid high, unrestrained and vigorous excitement it keeps a gentle, harmonious and expansive beauty. Its performance conventions are varied, true within exaggeration and perfect within boldness, showing fineness within roughness and softness within hardness, with a most distinctive personality. In performance its artists have absorbed folk martial-arts routines and wield real swords and spears on stage, a style all its own. Its repertory is mostly adapted from such classic novels as the Chronicles of the Eastern Zhou Kingdoms, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Cases of Judge Bao and the Yang Family Generals, and some is drawn from folk legend and history. After the founding of New China a number of modern plays were created and well received. It marks the beat with the bangzi and is led by the “big oil bangzi” together with large nao and cymbals, its tone deep and resonant, its singing drawing widely on folk tunes within the banqiang framework; its martial plays often absorb martial-arts routines and use real weapons, giving the genre a rough and bold character. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Chronicles of the Eastern Zhou Kingdoms": A classic novel from which much of the Dapingdiao repertory is adapted, alongside folk legend and historical story. "Romance of the Three Kingdoms": A classic novel from which much of the Dapingdiao repertory is adapted. "Cases of Judge Bao": A classic novel from which much of the Dapingdiao repertory is adapted. "The Yang Family Generals": A classic saga from which much of the Dapingdiao repertory is adapted.
Chronicles of the Eastern Zhou Kingdoms
A classic novel from which much of the Dapingdiao repertory is adapted, alongside folk legend and historical story.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms
A classic novel from which much of the Dapingdiao repertory is adapted.
Cases of Judge Bao
A classic novel from which much of the Dapingdiao repertory is adapted.
The Yang Family Generals
A classic saga from which much of the Dapingdiao repertory is adapted.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Zhoukuisheng was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Dapingdiao, with Dongming, Shandong as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Dapingdiao in Dongming, Shandong: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2008 (batch 2), with Dongming, Shandong as its declared area, and Dongming County Difangxiqufeiyi Safeguarding and Transmission 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
Dapingdiao was originally called “Pingdiao”, also “Big Oil Bangzi” and “Big Bangzi Opera”, and is now generally known as “Dapingdiao”; it covers the border towns and countryside of the five provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, Henan and Anhui and has a history of more than five hundred years. Dapingdiao had many troupes in its early period, and since the Ming and Qing nineteen have been relatively well known. Drawing on the Shandong volume of the Annals of Chinese Xiqu, it takes the name “pingdiao” because its vocal register is lower than that of Shandong bangzi (the “high tune”); it flourished in the Hebei–Shandong–Henan–Anhui borderland from the Ming and Qing, Dongming being an important area of activity for the Hedong pingdiao line, with troupes and artists transmitting the art over generations.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zhang Xiangbin | Puyang, Henan | 02-0489 | Other regional school |
| Wei Shouxian | Hua, Henan | 02-0490 | Other regional school |
| Du Xuezhou | Yanjin, Henan | 02-0491 | Other regional school |
| Cao Xiuzhi | Yanjin, Henan | 02-0492 | Other regional school |
| He Xiliang | Hezeshimudan, Shandong | 03-1000 | Other regional school |
| Li Deping | Jun, Henan | 04-1612 | Other regional school |
| Wu Congyin | Dongming, Shandong | 05-2323 | Same declared area |
| Zhoukuisheng | Dongming, Shandong | — | This page |
| Han Xuerong | Jun, Henan | — | Other regional school |
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。