Fumei
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Fumei, Female, Han, from Shangqiu, Henan, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Sipingdiao (Ⅳ-50). The tradition is documented in Shangqiu, Henan. Within the regional tradition and school record of Sipingdiao in Shangqiu, Henan: Sipingdiao, based on huagu yet also absorbing much artistic nourishment from sister genres, has formed a style with strong regional characteristics. It has a wide distribution, the adjoining areas of Henan, Shandong, Anhui and Jiangsu all being its range of activity; in Henan there are at present still two professional troupes, the Shangqiu Sipingdiao Troupe and the Puyang Fanxian Sipingdiao Troupe. In Henan the genre centres on Shangqiu and Fanxian; the Shangqiu line is noted for its dan and xusheng plays, and such representative pieces as Chen Sanliang Pa Tang and Xiao Bao Gong are household names in eastern Henan. Sipingdiao evolved from northern Jiangsu huagu (flower-drum); among the people it was once popularly called “sipingdiao” (four-pieced tune), and around 1930 it changed from costumed singing to stage performance in theatrical dress. Moreover, because its course of evolution from beginning to end is clear and well evidenced, it has been called “an epitome of the development of Chinese xiqu”, holding a special place in Chinese operatic art and being a rare flower of Chinese folk art. Shangqiu is one of its main areas of activity; drawing on local opera annals, Shangqiu city formed a Sipingdiao troupe in the 1950s which performed for years in the towns and countryside of eastern Henan, and because Sipingdiao grew directly from huagu narrative-singing into opera, its repertory and singing retain many traces of narrative-song and short plays.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Fumei is anchored in the documented technical standards of Sipingdiao in Shangqiu, Henan. Within the documented technical tradition of Sipingdiao in Shangqiu, Henan: The female voice is plain yet plaintive and pretty, while the male voice is high and bold, combining hardness and softness and keeping a strong narrative-singing character. Sipingdiao is a genre with a deep popular base, and Chen Sanliang Pa Tang, Xiao Bao Gong and Ya Nü Gao Zhuang are all plays much welcomed by the people. Its singing belongs mainly to the banqiang system, the female voice plain yet pretty, the male voice high and bold, combining hardness and softness and keeping narrative-singing traits; the gaohu leads the orchestra, the sheng, dan and chou roles stand out, and its plays are mostly drawn from everyday life and courtroom stories. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Chen Sanliang Pa Tang (Chen Sanliang at Court)": One of the plays much welcomed by the people and a representative piece of Sipingdiao. "Xiao Bao Gong (The Young Judge Bao)": One of the plays much welcomed by the people and a representative piece of Sipingdiao. "Ya Nü Gao Zhuang (The Mute Girl's Suit)": One of the plays much welcomed by the people and a representative piece of Sipingdiao.
Chen Sanliang Pa Tang (Chen Sanliang at Court)
One of the plays much welcomed by the people and a representative piece of Sipingdiao.
Xiao Bao Gong (The Young Judge Bao)
One of the plays much welcomed by the people and a representative piece of Sipingdiao.
Ya Nü Gao Zhuang (The Mute Girl's Suit)
One of the plays much welcomed by the people and a representative piece of Sipingdiao.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Fumei was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Sipingdiao, with Shangqiu, Henan as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Sipingdiao in Shangqiu, Henan: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2006 (batch 1), with Shangqiu, Henan as its declared area, and Shangqiu Liangyuanqusipingdiao Art Research 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
Sipingdiao evolved from northern Jiangsu huagu (flower-drum); among the people it was once popularly called “sipingdiao” (four-pieced tune), and around 1930 it changed from costumed singing to stage performance in theatrical dress. Moreover, because its course of evolution from beginning to end is clear and well evidenced, it has been called “an epitome of the development of Chinese xiqu”, holding a special place in Chinese operatic art and being a rare flower of Chinese folk art. Shangqiu is one of its main areas of activity; drawing on local opera annals, Shangqiu city formed a Sipingdiao troupe in the 1950s which performed for years in the towns and countryside of eastern Henan, and because Sipingdiao grew directly from huagu narrative-singing into opera, its repertory and singing retain many traces of narrative-song and short plays.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zou Aiqin | Shangqiu, Henan | 02-0554 | Same declared area |
| Baijinrong | Shangqiu, Henan | 02-0555 | Same declared area |
| Cui Taixian | Puyang, Henan | 02-0556 | Other regional school |
| Zhang Xubin | Puyang, Henan | 02-0557 | Other regional school |
| Liu Yuzhi | Jinxiang, Shandong | 03-1033 | Other regional school |
| Wang Fengyun | Chengwu, Shandong | 03-1034 | Other regional school |
| Fumei | Shangqiu, Henan | — | This page |
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。