Ding Lixin
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Ding Lixin, Male, Han, from Dongping, Shandong, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Duanguqiang (Ⅴ-114). The tradition is documented in Dongping, Shandong. Within the regional tradition and school record of Duanguqiang in Dongping, Shandong: Duan'guqiang is also called "duanggongqiang" or "duangongqiang"; it is a quyi genre popular around Dongping County, Shandong Province, and because it was performed early on within activities of "venerating the god of the river", the Dongping Lake area popularly calls it by that name. Duan'guqiang in the Dongping County area has as its core of transmission the lakeside townships of Daimiao, Yinshan and Bandiudian, and performance is habitually called "beating the duangu drum". Most performers are farmers who fish half the year and practise the art half the year; they form troupes and go from village to village in the slack farming season and between fishing runs, and a troupe commonly numbers three to five people, one of whom leads the singing while the rest beat the drum and join in the vocal lines. Singing may begin on the lake, at the bow of a boat or in the yard of a fishing village. The Dongping County Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Association is the project's protecting body; in recent years it has carried out rescue work by recording the oral accounts of old performers, forming a succession team, and going into schools to teach the singing. Duangguqiang had already formed no later than the mid-Qing dynasty. Dongping Lake is the remnant of the ancient Mount Liang marsh. The fisherfolk of the lake area made their living for generations by fishing, gathering water caltrops and carrying cargo by boat; the hazards of navigation were great, so there arose the custom of venerating the god of the river. The earliest singing of Duan'guqiang was embedded in this sacrificial ritual: the performer, carrying a duangu drum on his back, recited invocations and moved along between the bow of the boat and the shore, narrating and singing. From the late Qing and early Republican period Duan'guqiang moved out of the ritual altar into the yards of fishing villages and the temple fairs, becoming an entertainment at celebrations of a good harvest, weddings and birthdays. After the middle of the twentieth century, as the mode of production in the lake area changed, professional performers declined in number, and most of those who could sing were elderly fishermen.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Ding Lixin is anchored in the documented technical standards of Duanguqiang in Dongping, Shandong. Within the documented technical tradition of Duanguqiang in Dongping, Shandong: In the course of time its cultural function expanded: originally sung solely to venerate the god of the river, it gradually became an entertainment performed by fishermen to mark good harvests and to enliven wedding and birthday banquets. The form of performance is one or more singers holding a goatskin-headed duangu drum, striking it with a mallet and walking about as they sing. Its vocal melodies include [Seven-Syllable Rhyme], [Ten-Syllable Rhyme], [Inviting-the-Spirit Air] and [Seeing-off-the-Spirit Air] and others. Traditional repertoire pieces include "Wei Zheng Dreams of Beheading the Little White Dragon", "Zhang Xiang Fights over the Dowry" and "Liu Wenlong Takes the Imperial Exam". The duangu drum of Duan'guqiang is round and handled, with a goatskin head; in performance one hand grips the handle and the other strikes the head, and the player walks a circular track while beating out steps such as yuanchang and chuanhua. The principal vocal styles are [Seven-Syllable Rhyme] and [Ten-Syllable Rhyme], while [Inviting-the-Spirit Air] and [Seeing-off-the-Spirit Air] are used at the opening and closing of the ritual. Spoken passages use Dongping dialect for the most part, and the rhythm is governed by the drum beats, producing a singing manner in which the drum leads and the voice follows. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "The river-god rite": Originally sung only for the river god, the genre is popularly called by that name and is embedded in the lake's ritual sequence. "The sheepskin drum and circle steps": One or more singers carry a round handled drum with sheepskin head, striking it as they walk and sing. "The principal tunes": Narrative rests on the seven- and ten-character tunes, with separate invitation and farewell tunes framing the rite. "Wei Zheng Slays the White Dragon in a Dream": One of the traditional pieces, drawn from the tale of the Tang emperor and the river dragon, alongside two other stock items.
The river-god rite
Originally sung only for the river god, the genre is popularly called by that name and is embedded in the lake's ritual sequence.
The sheepskin drum and circle steps
One or more singers carry a round handled drum with sheepskin head, striking it as they walk and sing.
The principal tunes
Narrative rests on the seven- and ten-character tunes, with separate invitation and farewell tunes framing the rite.
Wei Zheng Slays the White Dragon in a Dream
One of the traditional pieces, drawn from the tale of the Tang emperor and the river dragon, alongside two other stock items.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Ding Lixin was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Duanguqiang, with Dongping, Shandong as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Duanguqiang in Dongping, Shandong: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2011 (batch 3), with Dongping, Shandong as its declared area, and Dongping County Intangible Cultural Heritage Safeguarding Association 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
Duangguqiang had already formed no later than the mid-Qing dynasty. Dongping Lake is the remnant of the ancient Mount Liang marsh. The fisherfolk of the lake area made their living for generations by fishing, gathering water caltrops and carrying cargo by boat; the hazards of navigation were great, so there arose the custom of venerating the god of the river. The earliest singing of Duan'guqiang was embedded in this sacrificial ritual: the performer, carrying a duangu drum on his back, recited invocations and moved along between the bow of the boat and the shore, narrating and singing. From the late Qing and early Republican period Duan'guqiang moved out of the ritual altar into the yards of fishing villages and the temple fairs, becoming an entertainment at celebrations of a good harvest, weddings and birthdays. After the middle of the twentieth century, as the mode of production in the lake area changed, professional performers declined in number, and most of those who could sing were elderly fishermen.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yang Chengxing | Weishan, Shandong | 05-2526 | Other regional school |
| Ding Lixin | Dongping, Shandong | — | 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。