Liu Zongfa

01 · Lineage & Regional School

From 1961 to 1964 Liu Zongfa studied under Yang Wanrong, a renowned veteran Hahaqiang artist; from 1965 to 1967 he studied at a middle school in Hohhot while learning to sing Hahaqiang from his father, Liu Xiangyi; and from 1968 to 1982 he studied under Yang Wanrong's daughter Yang Guilan, during which time he also took such veteran Hahaqiang artists as Li Junyue, Yang Changkun and Cao Xifu as his teachers and served as a leading Hahaqiang singer. Within the regional tradition and school record of Hahaqiang in Qing, Hebei: Under the influence of different local dialects and folk arts, Hahaqiang gradually formed three branches with different artistic styles and musical characteristics. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, a professional Hahaqiang troupe was established in Qingyuan County, Hebei Province, which played an important part in enriching the cultural and entertainment life of the local people and in publicising the lines and policies of the Party and the government. Hahaqiang was originally the title of a folk tune. The tune appears both in 'You Si' (Visiting the Temple), the episode from 'Xixiang Ji' (The Story of the Western Wing) collected in the Beijing manuscript 'Zaqu Ershijiu Zhong' (Twenty-nine Miscellaneous Tunes) of the Jiaqing era of the Qing dynasty, and in the Beijing 'Baibenzhang' manuscript copies. Hahaqiang is generally thought to have formed in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties; it was already popular both in the capital and among the people during the Qianlong era of the Qing dynasty, and it reached its height in the late Qing and the early years of the Republic of China.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

Male, of Han ethnicity, born in 1950 in Qingxian, Hebei. Since 1983 he has founded and headed the Fuxing Hahaqiang Opera Troupe of Qingxian. As a seventh-generation transmitter of the Central-Route (zhonglu) Hahaqiang of Qingxian, he has developed a distinctive artistic style in Hahaqiang acting and singing: his voice is powerful without harshness, highly penetrating, finely shaded and richly expressive. His representative works include Li Xianglian Selling Paintings (Li Xianglian Mai Hua) and Yang Ershe Begging Alms (Yang Ershe Hua Yuan). Within the documented technical tradition of Hahaqiang in Qing, Hebei: Hahaqiang is also called the 'Hehe Qiang' and the 'Hege Qiang'; it is current in Baoding, Cangzhou, Hengshui, Langfang and Shijiazhuang in Hebei Province and in the Huimin and Dezhou areas of Shandong Province. Its development passed through two stages, the local folk song-and-dance and the local small play, and it finally took shape as a small play whose vocal style takes the stringed folk tune 'Liuzi' as its basic melody. The eastern branch is current in the Dezhou and Huimin areas of Shandong Province and in southeastern Hebei; the central branch is current in the Cangzhou and Hengshui areas; the western branch is current in the Baoding area and in parts of Langfang. The vocal system of Hahaqiang belongs to the banqiang (regulated-aria) system; [Liushui Ban] (Flowing Water Metre) is the core metre, and the principal metres are [Tou Ban] (First Metre), [Er Ban] (Second Metre), [San Ban] (Third Metre), [Kuai San Ban] (Fast Third Metre), [Duo Ban] (Piled Metre) and [Jian Ban] (Sharp Metre). The vocal styles of the various role types in Hahaqiang are broadly the same; they are divided into a male style and a female style, both set to the same key, with only slight differences in melody. Its instruments are dominated by three principal pieces, the 'zhuo sheng' (plain sheng), the 'qiao xian' (refined string instrument) and the 'langdang di' (flourishing flute); the flute of the western branch is especially prominent, and the ensemble is rich in the character of folk wind-and-percussion music. The traditional repertoire of Hahaqiang numbers more than one hundred plays and is distinguished above all by its comic style. Representative works include 'Wang Xiao Da Niao' (Wang Xiao Hunting Birds), 'San Bai Hua Tang' (Three Bowings at the Bridal Hall), 'Shuang Deng Ji' (The Two Lamps), 'Li Xianglian Mai Hua' (Li Xianglian Sells a Painting), 'Jin Suo Ji' (Chronicle of the Golden Lock), 'Nv Zhongkui' (The Woman Who Tops the Examinations), 'Mai Shui' (Selling Water), 'Yang Ershe Hua Yuan' (Yang Ershe's Mendicancy) and 'Tang Zhixian Shen Gaoming' (Magistrate Tang Judges the Imperial Decree). There are also small plays reflecting folk life such as 'Xiao Guo Nian' (The Small New Year), 'Shuan Wa Wa' (Tying the Baby) and 'Shuai Fangche' (Toppling the Spinning Wheel), as well as large plays transplanted from bangzi opera such as 'Quan Zhongxiao' (Complete Loyalty and Filial Piety) and 'Wu Yudai' (Black Jade Belt). These plays are strongly marked by local colour, their texts are plain and easy to understand, and they are much welcome among peasants, especially rural women. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Wang Xiao Da Niao (Wang Xiao Hunting Birds)": The traditional repertoire of Hahaqiang numbers more than one hundred plays and is distinguished above all by its comic style. Representative works include 'Wang Xiao Da Niao' (Wang Xiao Hunting Birds), 'San Bai Hua Tang' (Three Bowings at the Bridal Hall), 'Shuang Deng Ji' (The Two Lamps), 'Li Xianglian Mai Hua' (Li Xianglian Sells a Painting), 'Jin Suo Ji' (Chronicle of the Golden Lock), 'Nv Zhongkui' (The Woman Who Tops the Examinations), 'Mai Shui' (Selling Water), 'Yang Ershe Hua Yuan' (Yang Ershe's Mendicancy) and 'Tang Zhixian Shen Gaoming' (Magistrate Tang Judges the Imperial Decree). There are also small plays reflecting folk life such as 'Xiao Guo Nian' (The Small New Year), 'Shuan Wa Wa' (Tying the Baby) and 'Shuai Fangche' (Toppling the Spinning Wheel), as well as large plays transplanted from bangzi opera such as 'Quan Zhongxiao' (Complete Loyalty and Filial Piety) and 'Wu Yudai' (Black Jade Belt). "San Bai Hua Tang (Three Bowings at the Bridal Hall)": The traditional repertoire of Hahaqiang numbers more than one hundred plays and is distinguished above all by its comic style. Representative works include 'Wang Xiao Da Niao' (Wang Xiao Hunting Birds), 'San Bai Hua Tang' (Three Bowings at the Bridal Hall), 'Shuang Deng Ji' (The Two Lamps), 'Li Xianglian Mai Hua' (Li Xianglian Sells a Painting), 'Jin Suo Ji' (Chronicle of the Golden Lock), 'Nv Zhongkui' (The Woman Who Tops the Examinations), 'Mai Shui' (Selling Water), 'Yang Ershe Hua Yuan' (Yang Ershe's Mendicancy) and 'Tang Zhixian Shen Gaoming' (Magistrate Tang Judges the Imperial Decree). There are also small plays reflecting folk life such as 'Xiao Guo Nian' (The Small New Year), 'Shuan Wa Wa' (Tying the Baby) and 'Shuai Fangche' (Toppling the Spinning Wheel), as well as large plays transplanted from bangzi opera such as 'Quan Zhongxiao' (Complete Loyalty and Filial Piety) and 'Wu Yudai' (Black Jade Belt). "Shuang Deng Ji (The Two Lamps)": The traditional repertoire of Hahaqiang numbers more than one hundred plays and is distinguished above all by its comic style. Representative works include 'Wang Xiao Da Niao' (Wang Xiao Hunting Birds), 'San Bai Hua Tang' (Three Bowings at the Bridal Hall), 'Shuang Deng Ji' (The Two Lamps), 'Li Xianglian Mai Hua' (Li Xianglian Sells a Painting), 'Jin Suo Ji' (Chronicle of the Golden Lock), 'Nv Zhongkui' (The Woman Who Tops the Examinations), 'Mai Shui' (Selling Water), 'Yang Ershe Hua Yuan' (Yang Ershe's Mendicancy) and 'Tang Zhixian Shen Gaoming' (Magistrate Tang Judges the Imperial Decree). There are also small plays reflecting folk life such as 'Xiao Guo Nian' (The Small New Year), 'Shuan Wa Wa' (Tying the Baby) and 'Shuai Fangche' (Toppling the Spinning Wheel), as well as large plays transplanted from bangzi opera such as 'Quan Zhongxiao' (Complete Loyalty and Filial Piety) and 'Wu Yudai' (Black Jade Belt). "Li Xianglian Mai Hua (Li Xianglian Sells a Painting)": The traditional repertoire of Hahaqiang numbers more than one hundred plays and is distinguished above all by its comic style. Representative works include 'Wang Xiao Da Niao' (Wang Xiao Hunting Birds), 'San Bai Hua Tang' (Three Bowings at the Bridal Hall), 'Shuang Deng Ji' (The Two Lamps), 'Li Xianglian Mai Hua' (Li Xianglian Sells a Painting), 'Jin Suo Ji' (Chronicle of the Golden Lock), 'Nv Zhongkui' (The Woman Who Tops the Examinations), 'Mai Shui' (Selling Water), 'Yang Ershe Hua Yuan' (Yang Ershe's Mendicancy) and 'Tang Zhixian Shen Gaoming' (Magistrate Tang Judges the Imperial Decree). There are also small plays reflecting folk life such as 'Xiao Guo Nian' (The Small New Year), 'Shuan Wa Wa' (Tying the Baby) and 'Shuai Fangche' (Toppling the Spinning Wheel), as well as large plays transplanted from bangzi opera such as 'Quan Zhongxiao' (Complete Loyalty and Filial Piety) and 'Wu Yudai' (Black Jade Belt).

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

A national representative bearer of Hahaqiang, 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. Liu Zongfa · National Representative Bearer Archive