He Xiangan

01 · Lineage & Regional School

He Xiangan, Male, Han, from Suizhou, Hubei, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Huagu Opera (Ⅳ-112). The tradition is documented in Suizhou, Hubei. Within the regional tradition and school record of Huagu Opera in Suizhou, Hubei: Yueyang huaguxi in Hunan is sung in the northern Hunan dialect and has 123 traditional plays in all. Suizhou huaguxi circulates in the Suizhou and Zengdu area of northern Hubei and in the Hubei–Henan border region. Flower-drum singing came out of folk song and developed into the “two-small play” performed by one dan and one chou, then drew on the performing modes of local grand opera and became an independent genre. The singing of the Suizhou branch divides into four modes, “man diao”, “tai diao”, “Liangshan diao” and “cai diao”, each of the four having its own origin and usage; performances are given mostly at the temple fairs, festivals and weddings and funerals of northern Hubei, combining entertainment with folk-custom functions, and the free performances given during local festivals are especially welcomed by the people.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for He Xiangan is anchored in the documented technical standards of Huagu Opera in Suizhou, Hubei. Within the documented technical tradition of Huagu Opera in Suizhou, Hubei: Huaguxi is the general name for the “flower-drum” local short operas of various localities in China, circulating mainly in Hunan, Hubei, Anhui and Zhejiang. The chuanqi play of Fan Wenruo at the end of the Ming dynasty depicts a stage scene of flower-drum singing, showing the earliest appearance of this art form. Flower-drum singing came out of folk song and gradually developed into the “two-small play” performed by one dan and one chou. In the course of practice, it drew on the performing modes of local grand opera and absorbed various artistic elements, finally developing into an independent local operatic genre. The musical tunes of huaguxi belong basically to the qupai-linking form, while also being supplemented by some ban-style variation. Its performing means are rich and varied, lively and animated, with distinctive local characteristics and a folk song-and-dance style. Traditional plays mainly reflect folk-life content such as productive labour, love between men and women and family conflicts, and in later development some new works reflecting modern life also appeared. Its vocal music divides into the two great categories of “gong-qiang” and “qin-qiang”: gong-qiang has southern-road gong-qiang, northern-road gong-qiang and special gong-qiang sanqu, while qin-qiang has zhengdiao qin-qiang and qin-qiang xiaodiao. Shaoyang huaguxi has rich singing and many qupai, forming a musical system fusing the three vocal categories of chuan-diao, paizi and xiaodiao; its performance and music are divided into eastern, southern and western roads according to basic artistic style. The main tunes of Huaibei huaguxi include “Suzhou diao”, “Huibei diao”, “kouzi diao pingban” and “hanban”, among which “han diao” is especially individual in character. Its performance is also distinctive, and the “flower-drum great procession” is its most characteristic feature, regarded as the “consummate skill” of Huaibei huaguxi. Wannan huaguxi has the four main arias “tao qiang”, “beiniuzi”, “siping” and “bei qiang”, together with flower arias composed of lantern tunes and folk ditties. Its traditional plays include Saohua Tang, Daguayuan, Jiabaoxi, Dangchayuan and Dabuding. The singing of Suizhou huaguxi divides into the four modes “man diao”, “tai diao”, “Liangshan diao” and “cai diao”. Macheng huaguxi, also called “Dongluzi”, has singing such as “dong qiang”, “er gaoqiang”, “erhang”, “dui qiang”, “tan qiang” and “xiaodiao”, and plays such as Maihua Ji, The Pearl Tower, Suing the Dyke Tyrant and Storming the Court. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Saohua Tang": Saohua Tang (Sweeping the Flower Hall) is one of the traditional plays of huaguxi; the traditional repertory also includes Daguayuan (Beating the Melon Garden), Jiabaoxi (False Good News), Dangchayuan (The Tea Garden) and Dabuding (Mending Clothes), among others. "Daguayuan": Daguayuan (Beating the Melon Garden) is one of the traditional plays of huaguxi; the traditional repertory also includes Saohua Tang (Sweeping the Flower Hall), Jiabaoxi (False Good News), Dangchayuan (The Tea Garden) and Dabuding (Mending Clothes), among others. "Jiabaoxi (False Good News)": Jiabaoxi (False Good News) is one of the traditional plays of huaguxi; the traditional repertory also includes Saohua Tang (Sweeping the Flower Hall), Daguayuan (Beating the Melon Garden), Dangchayuan (The Tea Garden) and Dabuding (Mending Clothes), among others. "Dangchayuan": Dangchayuan (The Tea Garden) is one of the traditional plays of huaguxi; the traditional repertory also includes Saohua Tang (Sweeping the Flower Hall), Daguayuan (Beating the Melon Garden), Jiabaoxi (False Good News) and Dabuding (Mending Clothes), among others.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, He Xiangan was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Huagu Opera, with Suizhou, Hubei as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Huagu Opera in Suizhou, Hubei: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2008 (batch 2), with Suizhou, Hubei as its declared area, and Suizhou Hua Gu Art 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. Hexiangan (Suizhou, Hubei) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Hexiangan · China ICH Official Archive