Gong Shangwu

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Gong Shangwu, Male, Han, from Ankang, Shaanxi, is a second-batch national representative bearer of Handiaoerhuang (Ⅳ-31). The tradition is documented in Ankang, Shaanxi. Within the regional tradition and school record of Handiaoerhuang in Ankang, Shaanxi: In the course of its development Han diao erhuang formed the Ankang, Hanzhong, Shangluo and Guanzhong schools, and famous actors appeared in succession. Han diao erhuang originated in the mountain songs, herding songs and folk songs of the Hanjiang river basin in southern Shaanxi. In the early Qing dynasty it came under the influence of Qinqiang opera and absorbed tunes such as kunqu, chuiqiang and gaobozi, and, blended with the local dialect, it formed an independent vocal genre; it was originally accompanied by two flutes, the flute having bamboo as its 'reed', hence the name 'erhuang', and to distinguish it from 'jing erhuang' it is also called 'tu erhuang' ('native erhuang'). Research has established that Han diao erhuang was formed comparatively early, that the other pihuang vocal genres in different places all have a common origin with it, and that it has exerted an unmistakable influence on the formation and development of Chuanju (Sichuan opera), Huiju (Hui opera), Peking opera and others.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

Male, Han ethnicity, born in 1937, a native of Hanyin, Shaanxi. At the age of ten Gong Shangwu joined a private troupe to learn the craft, studying percussion under Ai Dezhi. In 1951 he became a disciple of the renowned civil-and-martial young male role actor Yuan Shenglu and went on to become a professional performer with the Ankang Handiaoerhuang Opera Troupe of Shaanxi. Over several decades in the art Gong Shangwu not only acquired a complete and systematic command of the professional knowledge and vocal skills of the performing art but also, for many years, actively carried out transmission activities and trained successors. His performing foundation is solid, and his singing is high and impassioned yet supple and rounded. His representative repertory includes The White Gate Tower (Bai Men Lou) and Silang Visits His Mother (Si Lang Tan Mu). Within the documented technical tradition of Handiaoerhuang in Ankang, Shaanxi: Han diao erhuang, also called Shaan erhuang or Shan erhuang, is the second largest operatic genre of Shaanxi, and it circulates in Ankang, Hanzhong, Shangluo and Xi'an in Shaanxi as well as in parts of Sichuan, Gansu and Hubei. It originated in the mountain songs, herding songs and folk songs of the Hanjiang river basin in southern Shaanxi; in the early Qing dynasty it came under the influence of Qinqiang opera and absorbed tunes such as kunqu, chuiqiang and gaobozi, and, blended with the local dialect, it formed an independent vocal genre; it was originally accompanied by two flutes, the flute having bamboo as its 'reed', hence the name 'erhuang'. To distinguish it from 'jing erhuang' it is also called 'tu erhuang' ('native erhuang'). The subject matter of these plays is drawn for the most part from Chronicles of the Eastern Zhou Kingdoms, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Investiture of the Gods and other historical stories and folk legends; among the representative repertoire are Wen Ji Bian Qin (Cai Ji's Cangue Zither Examined), Hu Jia Shi Ba Pai (Eighteen Songs of the Nomad Flute), Zhan Chi You (Fighting the Chiyou), Chang Bai Cao (Tasting the Hundred Herbs), Huang Tian Dang (Yellow River Rapids), Qing Feng Ting (The Clear Wind Pavilion), Er Du Mei (The Second Bloom of the Plum), Da Long Peng (Fighting on the Dragon Stage) and Liang Hongyu. Its role types are divided into ten in all — mo, jing, sheng, dan, chou, wai, xiao, tie, fu and za — its performance is marked by delicacy and precision, and its singing joins the true and the falsetto voice, lingering and melodious. The sheng and laodan roles are generally sung in the true voice, the dan in the falsetto, and the jing uses the 'tiger voice'. Its vocal music is centred on xipi and erhuang: xipi is used for cheerful, open emotions and scenes, erhuang for sorrowful and solemn ones, and the two are alternated in singing according to the needs of the plot, giving rise to a division between the 'sweet tone' and the 'bitter tone'. The string section of the accompanying band uses huqin, erhu, yueqin, sanxian, ruan, suona, dizi and laba, while the percussion section uses yaban, bangzi, baogu, jiangu, gong and naoba and the like. Research has established that Han diao erhuang was formed comparatively early, that the other pihuang vocal genres in different places all have a common origin with it, and that it has exerted an unmistakable influence on the formation and development of Chuanju (Sichuan opera), Huiju (Hui opera), Peking opera and others. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Chronicles of the Eastern Zhou Kingdoms": The subject matter of these plays is drawn for the most part from Chronicles of the Eastern Zhou Kingdoms, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Investiture of the Gods and other historical stories and folk legends; among the representative repertoire are Wen Ji Bian Qin (Cai Ji's Cangue Zither Examined), Hu Jia Shi Ba Pai (Eighteen Songs of the Nomad Flute), Zhan Chi You (Fighting the Chiyou), Chang Bai Cao (Tasting the Hundred Herbs), Huang Tian Dang (Yellow River Rapids), Qing Feng Ting (The Clear Wind Pavilion), Er Du Mei (The Second Bloom of the Plum), Da Long Peng (Fighting on the Dragon Stage) and Liang Hongyu. "Romance of the Three Kingdoms": The subject matter of these plays is drawn for the most part from Chronicles of the Eastern Zhou Kingdoms, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Investiture of the Gods and other historical stories and folk legends; among the representative repertoire are Wen Ji Bian Qin (Cai Ji's Cangue Zither Examined), Hu Jia Shi Ba Pai (Eighteen Songs of the Nomad Flute), Zhan Chi You (Fighting the Chiyou), Chang Bai Cao (Tasting the Hundred Herbs), Huang Tian Dang (Yellow River Rapids), Qing Feng Ting (The Clear Wind Pavilion), Er Du Mei (The Second Bloom of the Plum), Da Long Peng (Fighting on the Dragon Stage) and Liang Hongyu. "Investiture of the Gods": The subject matter of these plays is drawn for the most part from Chronicles of the Eastern Zhou Kingdoms, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Investiture of the Gods and other historical stories and folk legends; among the representative repertoire are Wen Ji Bian Qin (Cai Ji's Cangue Zither Examined), Hu Jia Shi Ba Pai (Eighteen Songs of the Nomad Flute), Zhan Chi You (Fighting the Chiyou), Chang Bai Cao (Tasting the Hundred Herbs), Huang Tian Dang (Yellow River Rapids), Qing Feng Ting (The Clear Wind Pavilion), Er Du Mei (The Second Bloom of the Plum), Da Long Peng (Fighting on the Dragon Stage) and Liang Hongyu. "Cai Ji's Cangue Zither Examined": The subject matter of these plays is drawn for the most part from Chronicles of the Eastern Zhou Kingdoms, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Investiture of the Gods and other historical stories and folk legends; among the representative repertoire are Wen Ji Bian Qin (Cai Ji's Cangue Zither Examined), Hu Jia Shi Ba Pai (Eighteen Songs of the Nomad Flute), Zhan Chi You (Fighting the Chiyou), Chang Bai Cao (Tasting the Hundred Herbs), Huang Tian Dang (Yellow River Rapids), Qing Feng Ting (The Clear Wind Pavilion), Er Du Mei (The Second Bloom of the Plum), Da Long Peng (Fighting on the Dragon Stage) and Liang Hongyu.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

National representative bearer of Handiaoerhuang, a second-batch national intangible cultural heritage project.

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. Gong Shangwu · National Representative Bearer Archive