Zhang Shijie
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Zhang Shijie, Male, Han, from Wenzhou, Zhejiang, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Ouju Opera (Ⅳ-106). The tradition is documented in Wenzhou, Zhejiang. Within the regional tradition and school record of Ouju Opera in Wenzhou, Zhejiang: Ou opera centres on Wenzhou city, Zhejiang, and is popular in the counties of Wenzhou and parts of Lishui and Taizhou, its influence reaching northern Fujian and north-eastern Jiangxi; because it is mainly luantan and also sings Kun, high-pitched, Hui, tanhuang and shidiao it was formerly called “Wenzhou luantan”, the troupes and plays of the various vocal styles coexisting and cross-fertilising within one genre. Ou opera is the most influential operatic genre of the Wenzhou region, formerly called “Wenzhou luantan”; it formed about the early Qing and circulates mainly through the counties of Wenzhou and parts of Lishui and Taizhou in Zhejiang, its influence reaching northern Fujian and north-eastern Jiangxi. Its repertory numbers more than four hundred and fifty pieces, mostly from nanxi, Yuan-Ming zaju and Ming-Qing chuanqi.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Zhang Shijie is anchored in the documented technical standards of Ouju Opera in Wenzhou, Zhejiang. Within the documented technical tradition of Ouju Opera in Wenzhou, Zhejiang: Ou opera is a multi-vocal genre, mainly luantan and also singing Kun, high-pitched, Hui, tanhuang and shidiao. Its genuine traditional grand plays number eighty-four, known as “three Kun, four high, four Hui, four cold, five old”: the three Kun plays Lianhuan Ji, The Fisherman's Joy and Leifeng Pagoda; the four high-pitched plays Leigong Bao, Xunhuan Bao, Baoen Ting and Ziyang Guan; the four Hui plays Huilong Ge, Longfeng Ge, Shuangqiulian and Tianyuan Pei; and four cold plays seldom performed and five old plays. Its stage art is distinctive, its roles capable in both civil and martial parts: civil plays are fine and restrained, with such techniques as the “rubbing step”, “sparrow step” and “triple-jump step”; martial plays fuse “small southern boxing” staff and fist into the combat, fiery and vigorous with strong local character. Its make-up and facial designs use bold linear blocks to highlight colour contrast, while text-faces and animal-faces form a style of their own. The various vocal styles are sung with distinctive charm: Kun singing flowing and distant, luantan brilliant and vehement, Hui singing plain and level, tanhuang gentle and moving, shidiao plain and fluent, and high-pitched singing dry with choral support and drum-and-gong marking the beat, the ringing great gong, rich drum patterns and the unique striking of the ancient foot-drum giving Ou opera's music still greater character and displaying moving charm. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Lianhuan Ji": One of the “three Kun” of Ou opera, a traditional grand Kun-vocal play. "The Fisherman's Joy": One of the “three Kun” of Ou opera, a traditional grand Kun-vocal play. "Leifeng Pagoda": One of the “three Kun” of Ou opera, a traditional grand Kun-vocal play. "Leigong Bao, Xunhuan Bao, Baoen Ting, Ziyang Guan": The “four high” plays of Ou opera, traditional grand high-pitched-vocal plays.
Lianhuan Ji
One of the “three Kun” of Ou opera, a traditional grand Kun-vocal play.
The Fisherman's Joy
One of the “three Kun” of Ou opera, a traditional grand Kun-vocal play.
Leifeng Pagoda
One of the “three Kun” of Ou opera, a traditional grand Kun-vocal play.
Leigong Bao, Xunhuan Bao, Baoen Ting, Ziyang Guan
The “four high” plays of Ou opera, traditional grand high-pitched-vocal plays.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Zhang Shijie was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Ouju Opera, with Wenzhou, Zhejiang as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Ouju Opera in Wenzhou, Zhejiang: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2008 (batch 2), with Wenzhou, Zhejiang as its declared area, and Wenzhou Ouju Art Research Institute 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
Ou opera is the most influential operatic genre of the Wenzhou region, formerly called “Wenzhou luantan”; it formed about the early Qing and circulates mainly through the counties of Wenzhou and parts of Lishui and Taizhou in Zhejiang, its influence reaching northern Fujian and north-eastern Jiangxi. Its repertory numbers more than four hundred and fifty pieces, mostly from nanxi, Yuan-Ming zaju and Ming-Qing chuanqi.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chen Chahua | Wenzhou, Zhejiang | 03-1113 | Same declared area |
| Li Zimin | Wenzhou, Zhejiang | 03-1114 | Same declared area |
| Sun Lailai | Wenzhou, Zhejiang | 05-2437 | Same declared area |
| Zhang Shijie | Wenzhou, Zhejiang | — | 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。