Wang Suzhen

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Wang Suzhen, Female, Han, from Liaoyang, Liaoning, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Errenzhuan (Ⅴ-35). The tradition is documented in Liaoyang, Liaoning. Within the regional tradition and school record of Errenzhuan in Liaoyang, Liaoning: In performance the actors do not dress as characters; the whole art rests on two performers moving from one spot to another, jumping in and out and taking on the parts in turn — this is what distinguishes it from other operatic forms. Liaoyang errenzhuan circulates in the city and countryside of Liaoyang and in southern Liaoning; it belongs to the “southern lang” line of errenzhuan and is noted for explosive dancing and strong dramatic character. The handkerchief skill invented by the old artist Chen Hailou is passed from master to apprentice, and his disciples now spread throughout the three northeastern provinces and places such as Hebei, passing through five generations to this day. Liaoyang errenzhuan took shape during the Qianlong and Jiaqing reigns of the Qing dynasty, when society was stable, temple fairs were in vogue and folk arts such as diyangge (ground yangge) were rising, providing fertile soil for the emergence of Liaoyang errenzhuan. According to the History of Northeast Errenzhuan and the Liaoyang Opera Gazetteer, Liaoyang errenzhuan originated in the Liaoyang diyangge and has a history of about 200 years. By the late Qing, Liaoyang errenzhuan entered the stage of forming troupes and gathering in societies, and around 1912 commercial performance gradually flourished, producing a feverish scene in which every village and hamlet performed and the big teahouse stages were packed to overflowing.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Wang Suzhen is anchored in the documented technical standards of Errenzhuan in Liaoyang, Liaoning. Within the documented technical tradition of Errenzhuan in Liaoyang, Liaoning: Errenzhuan is a traditional folk performing art that originates in northeast China and combines multiple art forms — narrative singing and chanting, opera, song and dance, and acrobatics; it is a much-loved form of quyi performance in the northeast. Liaoyang City, Liaoning Province, is one of its important areas of circulation. The accompanying instruments of Liaoyang errenzhuan include the banhu, erhu, suona, bangzi clapper, wengzi, big clappers, yangqin and zhonghu. The banhu, erhu and suona are the “three great instruments” of errenzhuan, and the principal props are the folding fan, the handkerchief and the like. Frequently performed works include Shibali Xiangsong (Parting Eighteen Li Away), Daguan Deng (The Great Lantern Display), Xiaotiantai (The Little Heavenly Terrace), Xiaozhujia (The Small Household), Xiaobainian (Paying the New Year Call), Maqian Poshui (Splashing Water before the Horse) and Ma Guafu Kaidian (Widow Ma Opens Her Shop). Errenzhuan performance stresses the “five skills” of singing, speaking, acting, dancing and acrobatics, and its style varies sharply from place to place. Liaoyang errenzhuan is strongest in dance, is strongly yangge in character and is highly dramatic in performance. The distinguishing feature of Liaoyang errenzhuan is its regional character; it belongs to the “southern lang” style, whose dance performance is ardent and explosive, lively and amusing, light and nimble. For example, the “three lang stages” performed before the main text is sung stress the formula “judge the first stage by the hands, the second by the twists and turns, the third by the walking”, ingeniously weaving the dance elements of the great northeastern yangge into the act. Liaoyang errenzhuan narrates folk stories, play texts and the goings-on of everyday life; its language is plain, its sung lines concise, its tone satirical and teasing, and it is easy to understand, so it occupies a certain position in the history of errenzhuan’s development. It has absorbed the artistic classics of bangzi, stilt walking, shadow puppetry and lianhualuo, and it is a performing art heard with joy and seen with pleasure throughout the northeast, possessing high artistic, social and cultural value. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "The three dance rounds": The dance passages performed before the main book: first the hands, then the twists, then the walk. "The three principal instruments": The banhu, erhu and suona form the trio at the core of the Liaoyang ensemble, rounded out by clappers, yangqin and zhonghu. "Chen Hailou and the handkerchief skill": The Liaoyang veteran Chen Hailou devised the handkerchief technique, transmitted through five generations of master-disciple teaching. "Frequently staged Liaoyang pieces": Regular items of the Liaoyang repertoire, plain in speech and concise in verse, mixing satire with everyday humour.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Wang Suzhen was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Errenzhuan, with Liaoyang, Liaoning as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Errenzhuan in Liaoyang, Liaoning: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2014 (batch 4), with Liaoyang, Liaoning as its declared area, and Liaoyang Gong Gong Culture He Sports Shiwu Service 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. Wangsuzhen (Liaoyang, Liaoning) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Wangsuzhen · China ICH Official Archive