Chen Li

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Chen Li, Female, Han, from Ganjuyuan, Jiangxi, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Ganju Opera (Ⅳ-144). The tradition is documented in Ganjuyuan, Jiangxi. Within the regional tradition and school record of Ganju Opera in Ganjuyuan, Jiangxi: Gan opera originated in northeastern Jiangxi and is popular within the province, its vocal foundation being Yiyangqiang, one of the four great vocal styles of the Ming dynasty, fused with the kunqiang and luantan which entered the Jiangxi area during the middle period of the Qing dynasty; in 1951 it was named Gan opera. Within the province it has different troupe schools such as Raohe, Xinhe and Guangxin, and the Jiangxi Province Gan Opera Theatre (which is also the Yiyangqiang Protection and Inheritance Centre) is the core theatre of the present day. The Yiyangqiang preserved in Gan opera has such forms as tuge, bangjiang and gun diao; the Yiyangqiang repertory is said to comprise the "eighteen books of the jianghu", of which at present only a few complete plays and part of some single scenes survive. It originated in northeastern Jiangxi and is popular within the province of Jiangxi. Its vocal foundation is Yiyangqiang, one of the four great vocal styles of the Ming dynasty; it was formed by fusing that style with the kunqiang and luantan which entered the Jiangxi area during the middle period of the Qing dynasty. In 1951 it was named Gan opera. The Qingyangqiang repertory, most of it drawn from Ming-dynasty chuanqi, preserves more than eighty substantially complete large and small plays.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Chen Li is anchored in the documented technical standards of Ganju Opera in Ganjuyuan, Jiangxi. Within the documented technical tradition of Ganju Opera in Ganjuyuan, Jiangxi: Gan opera is a local genre of Jiangxi Province. The vocal system of Gan opera is made up of the gaoqiang (high tune), xipi, erhuang, Qinqiang, bozi, zhediao, the Pujiang diao and folk narrative singing such as wennan ci, and is therefore very rich in vocal styles. The gaoqiang of Gan opera is the surviving sound of Ming-dynasty Yiyangqiang; it is accompanied by gongs and drums, and the qin, flute, zheng and pipa were gradually added as accompaniment later on. The Yiyangqiang preserved in Gan opera has singing forms such as tuge (solo singing), bangjiang (chorus help-singing) and gun diao (rolling song). Its vocal structure originally employed the linked-suite form of tune patterns, and in performance it was accompanied only by gongs and drums, with no wind or string accompaniment at all; one performer sang while several others took up the phrases to complete them, forming the highly characteristic singing method of "tuge, bangjiang" (solo singing with chorus help-singing), which, matched to gongs and drums, produces a fervid atmosphere and a rough, bold, stirring and bright character. The performance style of Gan opera is archaic, plain and solid, and warm and lifelike. Its spoken parts are based on the Zhongzhou rhymes. Its role types are divided into laosheng, zhengsheng, xiaosheng, laodan, zhengdan, xiaodan, dahua, erhua and sanhua, which are called the "nine heads". The plays of Gan opera fall into the three classes of Yiyang, Qingyang and luantan. Luantan plays are called "old-road plays", and include The Sacrifice at the Wind Terrace, The Mistake in the Flower Field, The Reed River and so on. Some further plays have been transferred from other genres such as Hui opera and Wu opera. Modern Gan opera newly written after the founding of the People's Republic of China includes A Group of Mu Guiyings, The Red Propagandist, The Surprise Attack on Bianping, The Theft of the Seed, Iron Shoulders and a Red Heart, and The Sacrifice at the Stele and the March into Battle. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "The Sacrifice at the Wind Terrace": Luantan plays are called "old-road plays", and include The Sacrifice at the Wind Terrace, The Mistake in the Flower Field, The Reed River and so on. "The Mistake in the Flower Field": Luantan plays are called "old-road plays", and include The Sacrifice at the Wind Terrace, The Mistake in the Flower Field, The Reed River and so on. "The Reed River": Luantan plays are called "old-road plays", and include The Sacrifice at the Wind Terrace, The Mistake in the Flower Field, The Reed River and so on.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Chen Li was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Ganju Opera, with Ganjuyuan, Jiangxi as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Ganju Opera in Ganjuyuan, Jiangxi: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2011 (batch 3), with Ganjuyuan, Jiangxi as its declared area, and Jiangxi Gan Theatre (Jiangxi Gan JuJiYiYangQiang Safeguarding Transmission Center) 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. Chenli (Ganjuyuan, Jiangxi) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Chenli · China ICH Official Archive