Wang Zhenhu

01 · Lineage & Regional School

He loved gong-and-drum art from childhood, learning drumming techniques from his father and uncle as a boy, and in his youth often took part in weifeng gong-and-drum performances between villages. Within the regional tradition and school record of Jinnanweifeng Gong and Drum in Linfen, Shanxi: The earliest name of Weifeng gong and drum music was "luogu", popularly called "huojia" (the gear), and it is distributed mainly in the Linfen urban area and in counties such as Huozhou, Hongdong and Fushan. Owing to differences in transmission and in locality, Weifeng gong and drum music has formed two schools, the eastern school and the western school, and common pieces include Qi Pai Zi (Seven Token Pieces), Niu Yao Zi (Ox Loins), Luan Ru Ma (Tangled as Flax), Feng Jiao Xue (Wind Stirring Snow), Yin Niu Si (Silver Twisted Silk) and Dao Chui Lian (Hanging Curtain in Reverse). Weifeng gong and drum music is current in the area of Linfen City, Shanxi Province. Linfen was ancient Yao's capital, generally known as Pingyang, and is one of the birthplaces of the five thousand years of splendid Chinese culture. In former times it was distributed mainly in the Linfen urban area and in counties such as Huozhou, Hongdong and Fushan; its earliest name was "luogu", popularly called "huojia" (the gear). Folk legend relates its origins to the sacrificial traditions of Yao's capital Pingyang; historically it was used for welcoming deities and parading the shrines, for praying for rain and for sacrificial rites, and for cheering troops in battle arrays, and it later gradually developed into the beating of drums in festival competitions.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

Male, Han ethnicity, born in March 1935, a native of Yicheng County, Shanxi Province. After graduating from university he taught at the Southern Shanxi Teachers' College and later transferred to the cultural bureau. Since taking up mass cultural work he has often gone into the counties around Linfen to seek out famous masters, such as the veteran artists Zhang Kehuai of Yangxie Village and Jing Haishan of Fenghou Village, learning their skills and collecting drum scores and other materials. In the 1980s and 1990s he organised gong-and-drum competitions and celebratory events while devoting himself to collecting, collating and researching the art of weifeng gong and drum, and he has published more than ten monographs. Within the documented technical tradition of Jinnanweifeng Gong and Drum in Linfen, Shanxi: Linfen City was ancient Yao's capital, generally known as Pingyang, and is one of the birthplaces of the five thousand years of splendid Chinese culture. As one category of folk gong and drum art, Weifeng gong and drum music has in Linfen City not only a long historical origin but also a broad popular basis. In the course of its long development, Weifeng gong and drum music drew on the artistic essence of different eras, so that it gradually approached perfection. The performing forms of Weifeng gong and drum music are mainly two: one is shoulder-drum performance, in which in most places of Pingyang a drummer carries a large round drum on the shoulder and plays it while performing; the other is rack-drum performance, a form mainly prevalent in Fushan County, in which the formation changes little and the musicians play while walking as they proceed. Weifeng gong and drum music is a form of percussion art played together by four kinds of instruments, the gong, the drum, the nao and the cymbals; it is rich in content and varied in form, integrating music, dance and skill in one. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Qi Pai Zi": Owing to differences in transmission and in locality, Weifeng gong and drum music has formed two schools, the eastern school and the western school, and common pieces include Qi Pai Zi (Seven Token Pieces), Niu Yao Zi (Ox Loins), Luan Ru Ma (Tangled as Flax), Feng Jiao Xue (Wind Stirring Snow), Yin Niu Si (Silver Twisted Silk) and Dao Chui Lian (Hanging Curtain in Reverse). "Niu Yao Zi": Owing to differences in transmission and in locality, Weifeng gong and drum music has formed two schools, the eastern school and the western school, and common pieces include Qi Pai Zi (Seven Token Pieces), Niu Yao Zi (Ox Loins), Luan Ru Ma (Tangled as Flax), Feng Jiao Xue (Wind Stirring Snow), Yin Niu Si (Silver Twisted Silk) and Dao Chui Lian (Hanging Curtain in Reverse). "Luan Ru Ma": Owing to differences in transmission and in locality, Weifeng gong and drum music has formed two schools, the eastern school and the western school, and common pieces include Qi Pai Zi (Seven Token Pieces), Niu Yao Zi (Ox Loins), Luan Ru Ma (Tangled as Flax), Feng Jiao Xue (Wind Stirring Snow), Yin Niu Si (Silver Twisted Silk) and Dao Chui Lian (Hanging Curtain in Reverse). "Feng Jiao Xue": Owing to differences in transmission and in locality, Weifeng gong and drum music has formed two schools, the eastern school and the western school, and common pieces include Qi Pai Zi (Seven Token Pieces), Niu Yao Zi (Ox Loins), Luan Ru Ma (Tangled as Flax), Feng Jiao Xue (Wind Stirring Snow), Yin Niu Si (Silver Twisted Silk) and Dao Chui Lian (Hanging Curtain in Reverse).

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

A national representative bearer of Southern Shanxi Weifeng Gong and Drum (Jinnan Weifeng Luogu), a third-batch national intangible cultural heritage project. Since retiring he has continued to run competitions, hold seminars, conduct training and cultivate talent.

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. Wang Zhenhu · National Representative Bearer Archive