Tang Guangming

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Tang Guangming, Male, Han, from Yihuang, Jiangxi, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Yihuang Opera (Ⅳ-38). The tradition is documented in Yihuang, Jiangxi. Within the regional tradition and school record of Yihuang Opera in Yihuang, Jiangxi: Yihuang opera was formerly known as the Yihuang troupe (Yihuang ban) and the Yihuang tune (Yihuang diao); it circulated mainly in the counties of Yihuang, Nancheng, Nanfeng, and Guangchang in Jiangxi province, and reached as far as northeastern Jiangxi, southern Jiangxi, and western Fujian. By the modern period the role types of Yihuang opera had developed into twelve categories: zhengsheng (principal male), xiaosheng (young male), laosheng (old male), fusheng (secondary male), zhengdan (principal female), xiaodan (young female), erdan (second female), laodan (old female), dahua (large painted face), erhua (second painted face), sanhua (third painted face), and sihua (fourth painted face). Yihuang opera takes as its principal vocal style the Yihuang tune, which evolved from the Xiqinqiang (Western Qin tune) of the late Ming dynasty; in the late Qing dynasty it absorbed the vocal styles and repertoire works of other luantan genres, forming an opera genre that integrates multiple vocal styles. It preserves the chui tune (blown tune) of the Xiqinqiang era, popularly known as the 'pingban chui tune'; among the known early repertoire works, 58 are sung entirely in the Yihuang tune, which has made Yihuang opera the genre in China that preserves the greatest number of erhuang tunes. Expert research has shown that the erhuang tune in fact originated from the Yihuang tune, and Yihuang opera thereby occupies a distinguished position in the history of Chinese opera.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Tang Guangming is anchored in the documented technical standards of Yihuang Opera in Yihuang, Jiangxi. Within the documented technical tradition of Yihuang Opera in Yihuang, Jiangxi: It takes as its principal vocal style the Yihuang tune, which evolved from the Xiqinqiang (Western Qin tune) of the late Ming dynasty; in the late Qing dynasty it absorbed the vocal styles and repertoire works of other luantan genres, forming an opera genre that integrates multiple vocal styles. Representative repertoire works include Qingguan Ce (The Register of an Honest Official), Yao Cha Ji (The Tale of the Medicinal Tea), San Guan Tang (The Hall of the Three Officials), Qi Shuang Pei (The Marvelous Double Match), Si Guo Qi (The Four States Assembled), Ci Xiong Bian (The Male-and-Female Whips), Qing Yang Tu (The Map of Qingyang), Shuang Long Hui (The Meeting of Twin Dragons), Shang Tian Tai (Ascending the Heavenly Terrace), Lao Jun Tang (The Hall of Lord Lao), Fei Long Zhuan (The Tale of the Flying Dragon), Yue Ming Lou (The Moonlit Tower), Jiang Dong Qiao (The Jiangdong Bridge), Chun Qiu Pei (The Spring-and-Autumn Match), Long Feng Ge (The Dragon-and-Phoenix Pavilion), Kao Da Chun Tao (The Flogging of Chuntao), Ba Xian Piao Hai (The Eight Immortals Drifting Across the Sea), and Mai Li Zhao Qin (Selling Pears to Win a Marriage). Some of the works performed by Yihuang opera still preserve the plot structure and staging conventions of early times, appearing extremely archaic. The tunes of Yihuang opera mainly consist of the Yihuang tune, the fan diao (inverted tune), the suona erfan, the xipi zhe diao, and the nan bei ci; it also preserves the chui tune (blown tune) of the Xiqinqiang era, popularly known as the 'pingban chui tune'. The vocal style of Yihuang opera is relatively primitive and straightforward, with few and short sustained tones; the laosheng (old male) and laodan (old female) roles use the natural voice, while the xiaosheng (young male) role combines the natural and falsetto voices, its closing note often turning upward by an octave; male and female roles share the same tune and key. Its performance is rugged and archaic, yet rigorous and steady. In some plays, when a character rides a horse, no horsewhip is used to stand in for the horse; instead, following the manner of the Yuan and Ming dynasty zaju, a horse shape is bound to the actor's body, and the actor dances in time to the hoofbeat rhythm beaten out on gongs and drums, performing the bodily movements of a galloping horse. This ancient manner of performance disappeared long ago from other opera genres and has been preserved only in Yihuang opera. Among the known early repertoire works of Yihuang opera, 58 are sung entirely in the Yihuang tune, which has made Yihuang opera the genre in China that preserves the greatest number of erhuang tunes. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Qingguan Ce (The Register of an Honest Official)": Works such as Qingguan Ce (The Register of an Honest Official), Yao Cha Ji (The Tale of the Medicinal Tea), San Guan Tang (The Hall of the Three Officials), Qi Shuang Pei (The Marvelous Double Match), Si Guo Qi (The Four States Assembled), Ci Xiong Bian (The Male-and-Female Whips), Qing Yang Tu (The Map of Qingyang), Shuang Long Hui (The Meeting of Twin Dragons), Shang Tian Tai (Ascending the Heavenly Terrace), Lao Jun Tang (The Hall of Lord Lao), Fei Long Zhuan (The Tale of the Flying Dragon), Yue Ming Lou (The Moonlit Tower), Jiang Dong Qiao (The Jiangdong Bridge), Chun Qiu Pei (The Spring-and-Autumn Match), Long Feng Ge (The Dragon-and-Phoenix Pavilion), Kao Da Chun Tao (The Flogging of Chuntao), Ba Xian Piao Hai (The Eight Immortals Drifting Across the Sea), and Mai Li Zhao Qin (Selling Pears to Win a Marriage) are all representative repertoire works of Yihuang opera. "Yao Cha Ji (The Tale of the Medicinal Tea)": Works such as Qingguan Ce (The Register of an Honest Official), Yao Cha Ji (The Tale of the Medicinal Tea), San Guan Tang (The Hall of the Three Officials), Qi Shuang Pei (The Marvelous Double Match), Si Guo Qi (The Four States Assembled), Ci Xiong Bian (The Male-and-Female Whips), Qing Yang Tu (The Map of Qingyang), Shuang Long Hui (The Meeting of Twin Dragons), Shang Tian Tai (Ascending the Heavenly Terrace), Lao Jun Tang (The Hall of Lord Lao), Fei Long Zhuan (The Tale of the Flying Dragon), Yue Ming Lou (The Moonlit Tower), Jiang Dong Qiao (The Jiangdong Bridge), Chun Qiu Pei (The Spring-and-Autumn Match), Long Feng Ge (The Dragon-and-Phoenix Pavilion), Kao Da Chun Tao (The Flogging of Chuntao), Ba Xian Piao Hai (The Eight Immortals Drifting Across the Sea), and Mai Li Zhao Qin (Selling Pears to Win a Marriage) are all representative repertoire works of Yihuang opera. "San Guan Tang (The Hall of the Three Officials)": Works such as Qingguan Ce (The Register of an Honest Official), Yao Cha Ji (The Tale of the Medicinal Tea), San Guan Tang (The Hall of the Three Officials), Qi Shuang Pei (The Marvelous Double Match), Si Guo Qi (The Four States Assembled), Ci Xiong Bian (The Male-and-Female Whips), Qing Yang Tu (The Map of Qingyang), Shuang Long Hui (The Meeting of Twin Dragons), Shang Tian Tai (Ascending the Heavenly Terrace), Lao Jun Tang (The Hall of Lord Lao), Fei Long Zhuan (The Tale of the Flying Dragon), Yue Ming Lou (The Moonlit Tower), Jiang Dong Qiao (The Jiangdong Bridge), Chun Qiu Pei (The Spring-and-Autumn Match), Long Feng Ge (The Dragon-and-Phoenix Pavilion), Kao Da Chun Tao (The Flogging of Chuntao), Ba Xian Piao Hai (The Eight Immortals Drifting Across the Sea), and Mai Li Zhao Qin (Selling Pears to Win a Marriage) are all representative repertoire works of Yihuang opera. "Qi Shuang Pei (The Marvelous Double Match)": Works such as Qingguan Ce (The Register of an Honest Official), Yao Cha Ji (The Tale of the Medicinal Tea), San Guan Tang (The Hall of the Three Officials), Qi Shuang Pei (The Marvelous Double Match), Si Guo Qi (The Four States Assembled), Ci Xiong Bian (The Male-and-Female Whips), Qing Yang Tu (The Map of Qingyang), Shuang Long Hui (The Meeting of Twin Dragons), Shang Tian Tai (Ascending the Heavenly Terrace), Lao Jun Tang (The Hall of Lord Lao), Fei Long Zhuan (The Tale of the Flying Dragon), Yue Ming Lou (The Moonlit Tower), Jiang Dong Qiao (The Jiangdong Bridge), Chun Qiu Pei (The Spring-and-Autumn Match), Long Feng Ge (The Dragon-and-Phoenix Pavilion), Kao Da Chun Tao (The Flogging of Chuntao), Ba Xian Piao Hai (The Eight Immortals Drifting Across the Sea), and Mai Li Zhao Qin (Selling Pears to Win a Marriage) are all representative repertoire works of Yihuang opera.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Tang Guangming was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Yihuang Opera, with Yihuang, Jiangxi as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Yihuang Opera in Yihuang, Jiangxi: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2006 (batch 1), with Yihuang, Jiangxi as its declared area, and Yihuang County 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. Tangguangming (Yihuang, Jiangxi) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Tangguangming · China ICH Official Archive