Dou Fengxia

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Dou Fengxia, Female, Han, from Gansu, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Daoqing Opera (Ⅳ-71). The tradition is documented in Gansu. Within the regional tradition and school record of Daoqing Opera in Gansu: Longju was originally called Longdong daoqing and is a local operatic genre unique to Gansu Province. The fish-drum daoqing rooted in Longdong gradually absorbed the nourishment of local folk music, added instruments such as the erguxian, and evolved into the singing music of shadow puppetry; after the folk shadow-puppet artist Xie Changchun of Huan County, a man living at the time of the Tongzhi reign of the Qing dynasty, reworked its vocal style, it spread widely in Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, northern Shaanxi and the local area, and during the War of Resistance Against Japan it again became a component of the revolutionary culture of the Shaan-Gan-Ning Border Region. In 1959 Longdong daoqing was brought onto the operatic stage, and Feng Luo Chi (Maple Pool) went to Beijing to perform as a gift for the tenth anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, being hailed as “a rare flower on Longshang”; from that time on it radiated from the Gansu Long Theatre as centre throughout the province. Daoqing opera is a folk small-scale operatic genre popular in China's Yellow River basin. It originated in the “jingyun” (scripture rhymes) sung by Daoist priests of the Tang dynasty, and developed in the Song dynasty into daoqing guzi ci, a quasi-dramatic storytelling form in which singing and recitation alternate. During the Qianlong reign of the Qing dynasty, the narrative-singing daoqing circulated in northern Shanxi was brought onto the operatic stage, becoming an operatic genre deeply loved by local audiences. After the 1980s, competition among the various art forms and entertainment forms intensified and daoqing opera was badly hit: amateur folk performances grew fewer and fewer, professional troupes found it hard to survive, and the genre urgently needed rescue and protection. Longdong daoqing originated in the daoqing narrative singing of the Han dynasty, and in the Tang and Song periods it spread from the imperial court to the common people. In 1959 Longdong daoqing opera was brought onto the stage, and Feng Luo Chi (Maple Pool) went to Beijing to perform as a gift for the tenth anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Hailed as “a rare flower on Longshang”, it then toured more than a dozen large cities across the country and was warmly welcomed by audiences.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Dou Fengxia is anchored in the documented technical standards of Daoqing Opera in Gansu. Within the documented technical tradition of Daoqing Opera in Gansu: Around the time when northern Shanxi daoqing was mounting the operatic stage, Linxian daoqing, popular in western Shanxi, also came to the operatic stage, while Hongtong daoqing, popular in southern Shanxi, was twice brought onto the stage, once during the Xianfeng reign and again during the Xuantong reign, but was not carried on. After the founding of New China, daoqing genres such as Hedong daoqing, popular in southern Shanxi, Zhoukou daoqing of Zhoukou, Henan, and Lan Guan Xi (Blue Pass Play) of Shandong also developed in turn into stage plays. The early repertoire works of daoqing mostly reflect Daoist life and propagate Daoist teachings, such as Jing Tang Hui (Meeting in the Scripture Hall), Er Du Lin Ying (Lin Ying a Second Time) and Gao Lou Zhuang (High Manor). The repertoire works of the middle period are mostly stories of Daoist cultivation of virtue and exhortation to goodness; the representative ones include Wang Xiang Wo Bing (Wang Xiang Lying on the Ice), Guo Ju Mai Er (Guo Ju Burying His Son) and Xiao Tao Yan Mo (Xiao Tao Grinding Ink). The repertoire works of the middle and later periods are stories reflecting folk life; the representative ones include Lao Shao Huan Qi (Old and Young Exchanging Wives), Da Zao Jun (Beating the Kitchen God), Ding Deng (Balancing the Lamp) and Dao Dao (Fighting with Knives). Daoqing opera has its own vocal tune patterns in every locality: northern Shanxi daoqing has [Shua Hai Er] (Rogues' Ditty), [Xi Jiang Yue] (West River Moon) and [Lang Tao Sha] (Waves Washing Sand), while Linxian daoqing has [Qi Zi Diao] (Seven-Syllable Tune), [Shi Zi Diao] (Ten-Syllable Tune), [Zhong Nan Diao] (Zhongnan Tune), [Luo Tou Sha] (Gauze Headscarf), [Yi Zhi Mei] (A Sprig of Plum Blossom), [Tai Ping Nian] (Peaceful Year) and [Yan Zi Fei] (Swallow in Flight). The accompanying instruments in the wen chang (civil band) of daoqing opera are the flute, the sihu, the large banhu and the small banhu; in the wu chang (martial band), apart from the fish drum and the clappers, the other instruments are the same as those of bangzi opera. The role types are divided into hong (bearded male), hei (painted face), sheng, dan and chou, five lines in all; performance stresses singing over martial action and wins out through the art of singing. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, professional daoqing troupes were established in Ying County and Lin County, Shanxi, further perfecting and elevating the singing art of daoqing. Longju (Gansu opera) is a local operatic genre unique to Gansu Province; its original name was Longdong daoqing. The fish-drum daoqing rooted in Longdong gradually absorbed the nourishment of local folk music, added instruments such as the erguxian, and evolved into the singing music of shadow puppetry. After the folk shadow-puppet artist Xie Changchun of Huan County, a man living at the time of the Tongzhi reign of the Qing dynasty, reworked its vocal style, it spread widely in Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, northern Shaanxi and the local area. During the War of Resistance Against Japan it became a component of the revolutionary culture of the Shaan-Gan-Ning Border Region. Its vocal style is a combination of ban style, tune pattern and mahuang (a style so named after a certain hemp), divided into hua yin (flower tone) and shang yin (elegiac tone). The flower tone is bright and lively, pleasing to the ear; the elegiac tone is lyrical and tender, clear and ringing and subdued; mahuang is the most distinctive of all, with one singer leading and the whole company joining in, creating a lively atmosphere, and there is a saying that “every line has its reed, every two lines have their chorus”. Its characteristic instruments are the longhu, the suona, the fish drum and the water clappers; the performance incorporates the sideways body lines of shadow puppetry, and the stagecraft borrows the cut-out, colour-painting and decorative techniques of shadow puppets as well as the high chignon and swallow-tail headgear of the female role, forming a distinctive style. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Jing Tang Hui (Meeting in the Scripture Hall)": The early repertoire works of daoqing mostly reflect Daoist life and propagate Daoist teachings, such as Jing Tang Hui (Meeting in the Scripture Hall), Er Du Lin Ying (Lin Ying a Second Time) and Gao Lou Zhuang (High Manor). "Er Du Lin Ying (Lin Ying a Second Time)": The early repertoire works of daoqing mostly reflect Daoist life and propagate Daoist teachings, such as Jing Tang Hui (Meeting in the Scripture Hall), Er Du Lin Ying (Lin Ying a Second Time) and Gao Lou Zhuang (High Manor). "Gao Lou Zhuang (High Manor)": The early repertoire works of daoqing mostly reflect Daoist life and propagate Daoist teachings, such as Jing Tang Hui (Meeting in the Scripture Hall), Er Du Lin Ying (Lin Ying a Second Time) and Gao Lou Zhuang (High Manor). "Wang Xiang Wo Bing (Wang Xiang Lying on the Ice)": The repertoire works of the middle period are mostly stories of Daoist cultivation of virtue and exhortation to goodness; the representative ones include Wang Xiang Wo Bing (Wang Xiang Lying on the Ice), Guo Ju Mai Er (Guo Ju Burying His Son) and Xiao Tao Yan Mo (Xiao Tao Grinding Ink).

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Dou Fengxia was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Daoqing Opera, with Gansu as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Daoqing Opera in Gansu: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2006 (batch 1), with Gansu as its declared area, and Gansu Long 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. Doufengxia (Gansu) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Doufengxia · China ICH Official Archive