Zhang Hui

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Zhang Hui, Male, Han, from Huangmei, Hubei, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Huangmei Opera (Ⅳ-60). The tradition is documented in Huangmei, Hubei. Within the regional tradition and school record of Huangmei Opera in Huangmei, Hubei: In the late Qing dynasty, the tea-picking tunes of the Huangmei County area of Hubei spread to the neighbouring Huaining County and other areas of Anhui, where they merged with local folk art and came to be sung and recited in the Anqing dialect, gradually developing into a new operatic genre known at the time as Huaiqiang or Huaidiao — the early form of Huangmei opera. Huangmei opera was formerly known as Huangmei diao, tea-picking opera and other names; its source lies in the tea-picking tunes that circulated around Huangmei County in Hubei. In the late Qing these tunes spread to the neighbouring Huaining County and other areas of Anhui, where they merged with local folk art and came to be sung and recited in the Anqing dialect, gradually developing into a new operatic genre known at the time as Huaiqiang or Huaidiao. Huangmei County, as the place where the tea-picking tunes were generated, is regarded together with Anqing as one of the two great roots of Huangmei opera, and the county Huangmei Opera Theatre has long undertaken the sorting out and performance of the repertory of the source line.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Zhang Hui is anchored in the documented technical standards of Huangmei Opera in Huangmei, Hubei. Within the documented technical tradition of Huangmei Opera in Huangmei, Hubei: Huangmei opera, formerly known as Huangmei diao, tea-picking opera and other names, now circulates in Anqing, Anhui, Huangmei County, Hubei, and elsewhere. It subsequently drew on and absorbed the music, performance and repertory of Qingyang qiang and Hui tunes, and began to stage full-length "benxi" plays. Centred on Anqing, it developed over more than a century into the principal local operatic genre of Anhui and a major genre known throughout the country. The vocal music of Huangmei opera belongs to the banshi (metrical-pattern) variation system and comprises three great vocal families: huaqiang, caiqiang and the principal mode (zhudiao). The huaqiang is used mainly in short plays: its tunes are wholesome and plain, beautiful and cheerful, full of a strong flavour of everyday life and the colour of folk songs and ditties. The caiqiang tunes are bright and flowing and were once widely used in huaqiang short plays. The principal mode is the vocal style commonly used in the traditional full-length plays of Huangmei opera, divided into pingci, huogong, erhang and sanhang; of these, pingci is the most important vocal style of the full-length plays, its tune solemn and dignified, beautiful and open. Huangmei opera excels at lyricism, with a rich flavour: its vocal style is plain and fresh, fine and moving, bright and lyrical, and rich in expressive power; it is easy to understand and easy to popularise, and is deeply loved by audiences everywhere. In musical accompaniment, early Huangmei opera had three men playing the tang drum, cymbals, small gong, large gong and other percussion instruments while also joining in the choral refrains; this was known as "three beaten, seven sung". After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Huangmei opera formally established an accompaniment system with the gaohu as its principal instrument. Huangmei opera's system of role types developed on the basis of the "two-little plays" and "three-little plays", and includes the zhengdan, zhengsheng, xiaodan, xiaosheng, huadan, xiaochou, laodan, laosheng, hualian (painted face), daomadan (martial female) and wu'erhua (second martial painted face) lines. Although the roles are divided, there is no strict restriction, and actors often take roles outside their own line. The performance of Huangmei opera combines song and dance: plain and meticulous, true to life and lively, rich in the flavour of everyday life, noted for its emphasis on emotional experience, and possessing an artistic style that is fresh, natural, beautiful and fluent. Huangmei opera has many well-known fine plays, of which the most representative are Tianxian Pei (The Fairy Couple), Nü Fuma (The Female Bridegroom), Niulang Zhinü (The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl), Fuqi Guandeng (Husband and Wife Watching Lanterns), Da Zhucao (Gathering Pigweed) and Fang Miansha (Spinning Cotton Yarn). Huangmei opera is one of China's five great operatic genres, and its influence is profound. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Tianxian Pei (The Fairy Couple)": Huangmei opera has many well-known fine plays, of which the most representative are Tianxian Pei (The Fairy Couple), Nü Fuma (The Female Bridegroom), Niulang Zhinü (The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl), Fuqi Guandeng (Husband and Wife Watching Lanterns), Da Zhucao (Gathering Pigweed) and Fang Miansha (Spinning Cotton Yarn). "Nü Fuma (The Female Bridegroom)": Huangmei opera has many well-known fine plays, of which the most representative are Tianxian Pei (The Fairy Couple), Nü Fuma (The Female Bridegroom), Niulang Zhinü (The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl), Fuqi Guandeng (Husband and Wife Watching Lanterns), Da Zhucao (Gathering Pigweed) and Fang Miansha (Spinning Cotton Yarn). "Niulang Zhinü (The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl)": Huangmei opera has many well-known fine plays, of which the most representative are Tianxian Pei (The Fairy Couple), Nü Fuma (The Female Bridegroom), Niulang Zhinü (The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl), Fuqi Guandeng (Husband and Wife Watching Lanterns), Da Zhucao (Gathering Pigweed) and Fang Miansha (Spinning Cotton Yarn). "Fuqi Guandeng (Husband and Wife Watching Lanterns)": Huangmei opera has many well-known fine plays, of which the most representative are Tianxian Pei (The Fairy Couple), Nü Fuma (The Female Bridegroom), Niulang Zhinü (The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl), Fuqi Guandeng (Husband and Wife Watching Lanterns), Da Zhucao (Gathering Pigweed) and Fang Miansha (Spinning Cotton Yarn).

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Zhang Hui was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Huangmei Opera, with Huangmei, Hubei as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Huangmei Opera in Huangmei, Hubei: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2006 (batch 1), with Huangmei, Hubei as its declared area, and Huangmei County Huangmei Xi Theatre 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. Zhanghui (Huangmei, Hubei) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Zhanghui · China ICH Official Archive