Yang Hailan
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Yang Hailan, Female, Han, from Jinchengshicheng, Shanxi, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Shangdangerhuang (Ⅳ-139). The tradition is documented in Jinchengshicheng, Shanxi. Within the regional tradition and school record of Shangdangerhuang in Jinchengshicheng, Shanxi: Shangdang erhuang centres on the Jincheng city district of Shanxi and is popular in the Shangdang counties of Jincheng, Gaoping, Yangcheng and Lingchuan; originally one of the five vocal styles of Shangdang bangzi, it became an independent genre after the 1950s and the Jincheng city district erhuang troupe was formed, often performing at local recreational contests and rites honouring the gods. How this vocal style, formed in the south, came to the Shangdang area cannot be traced; from stage-wall inscriptions found dating to the middle and early Qianlong reign it is known to have circulated in the Shangdang area for more than two hundred years. Since the 1980s the opera market has been depressed, performances have fallen year by year, the artists' livelihood is insecure and successors are lacking, making transmission difficult and state support and protection urgently needed.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Yang Hailan is anchored in the documented technical standards of Shangdangerhuang in Jinchengshicheng, Shanxi. Within the documented technical tradition of Shangdangerhuang in Jinchengshicheng, Shanxi: Shangdang erhuang, also called “Shangdang pihuang” and popularly “native erhuang”, has singing divided into the two great kinds of xipi and erhuang, including fan erhuang, together called “pihuang”, belonging to the banqiang system. Xipi is ringing and round, often used to express feeling and mostly adopted by the sheng and dan; erhuang has few ban styles but is gentle and clear. Its martial percussion includes drum, clapper, middle-pitch gong, steel fork and high-pitched small gong, while its civil section is led by the jinghu with the jing erhu. Artistically it stresses the two skills of singing and doing, its performance elegant and plain, fine and lifelike, much loved by the local people and often staged at recreational contests and in honour of the gods. Its traditional repertory includes more than a hundred plays such as Beating the Princess, Hanging the Dragon Lantern, Taking Western Sichuan, The Wuzhang Plain, Qinghe Bridge, Entering the Palace Twice, The Girl's Complaint, Shetang Pass and The Jade Hall of Spring, of which thirty are Three Kingdoms plays. Shangdang erhuang was originally one of the five vocal styles of Shangdang bangzi, playing an important part in satisfying the local people's cultural entertainment and spreading traditional culture; after the founding of New China it became an independent genre and the professional Jincheng city district erhuang troupe was set up. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Beating the Princess": One of the traditional plays of Shangdang erhuang. "Hanging the Dragon Lantern": One of the traditional plays of Shangdang erhuang. "Taking Western Sichuan": One of the traditional plays of Shangdang erhuang, a Three Kingdoms play. "The Wuzhang Plain": One of the traditional plays of Shangdang erhuang, a Three Kingdoms play.
Beating the Princess
One of the traditional plays of Shangdang erhuang.
Hanging the Dragon Lantern
One of the traditional plays of Shangdang erhuang.
Taking Western Sichuan
One of the traditional plays of Shangdang erhuang, a Three Kingdoms play.
The Wuzhang Plain
One of the traditional plays of Shangdang erhuang, a Three Kingdoms play.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Yang Hailan was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Shangdangerhuang, with Jinchengshicheng, Shanxi as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Shangdangerhuang in Jinchengshicheng, Shanxi: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2011 (batch 3), with Jinchengshicheng, Shanxi as its declared area, and Jincheng Mingfeng Troupe Co., Ltd. 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
How this vocal style, formed in the south, came to the Shangdang area cannot be traced; from stage-wall inscriptions found dating to the middle and early Qianlong reign it is known to have circulated in the Shangdang area for more than two hundred years. Since the 1980s the opera market has been depressed, performances have fallen year by year, the artists' livelihood is insecure and successors are lacking, making transmission difficult and state support and protection urgently needed.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guo Pangpang | Jinchengshicheng, Shanxi | 05-2465 | Same declared area |
| Yang Hailan | Jinchengshicheng, Shanxi | — | 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。