Wang Guanjun

01 · Lineage & Regional School

At the age of nine he entered the training troupes at Dajindian in Dengfeng and at Qujiazai in Yanshi, initially studying the jinghu and the various instruments of Western Henan Bangzi opera under his father Wang Zhongtang, a celebrated accompanist who had trained with Qiao Laoba, an accompanist of Western Henan Bangzi; he later concentrated on the banhu. Within the regional tradition and school record of Yuju (Henan Opera) in Henan: Yuju is popular mainly in Henan Province and is circulated throughout the country. Owing to differences of locality and speech it has formed different vocal styles within Henan, such as Yudong Diao, Xiangfu Diao, Yuxi Diao, Shahe Diao and Gaodiao: Yudong Diao centres on the Shangqiu area and makes much use of falsetto with a high register; Yuxi Diao centres on the Luoyang area, is sung mainly in the natural voice and carries its melodic line downward; Xiangfu Diao is current in the Kaifeng area, while Shahe Diao is current on both banks of the Shahe River in southeastern Henan. The various schools resemble and differ from one another both in repertory and in performing style. Yuju has now been transmitted for more than a hundred years, and as early as the Qianlong reign of the Qing dynasty it had already become a highly influential operatic genre in Henan.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

From 1951 he collaborated with Chang Xiangyu over many years, taking part in the creation and performance of the representative works of the Chang school. His playing is round and full in tone with a core of strength; his bowing is steady yet full of lively detail, his fingering fluent and flexible. He accompanies closely and follows tightly, rapid passages never falling into disorder, and his responses to the singer's line are always graceful and subtly nuanced, at once passionate and free. His representative works include Hua Mulan, Kao Hong (Interrogating Hongniang) and The White Snake. Within the documented technical tradition of Yuju (Henan Opera) in Henan: Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Beheading the Son": Yuju has abundant repertory resources, among them close to a thousand traditional plays. In past times there was the saying "three thousand in the Tang, eight hundred in the Song, and the Three Kingdoms can never be exhausted", and such traditional plays as Beheading the Son, The Shepherd's Scroll, Liu Quan Carrying the Melon, Embracing the Pipa, The Execution of Guo Huai, The Red Monk Descends the Mountain, The Great Sacrifice, Borrowing the Wife, The Matchmaker, Hua Mulan, Mu Guiying Takes Command, The Flower Spear Duel and Magistrate Tang Judges the Imperial Decree have long remained on the stage without decline. "The Shepherd's Scroll": Yuju has abundant repertory resources, among them close to a thousand traditional plays. In past times there was the saying "three thousand in the Tang, eight hundred in the Song, and the Three Kingdoms can never be exhausted", and such traditional plays as Beheading the Son, The Shepherd's Scroll, Liu Quan Carrying the Melon, Embracing the Pipa, The Execution of Guo Huai, The Red Monk Descends the Mountain, The Great Sacrifice, Borrowing the Wife, The Matchmaker, Hua Mulan, Mu Guiying Takes Command, The Flower Spear Duel and Magistrate Tang Judges the Imperial Decree have long remained on the stage without decline. "Liu Quan Carrying the Melon": Yuju has abundant repertory resources, among them close to a thousand traditional plays. In past times there was the saying "three thousand in the Tang, eight hundred in the Song, and the Three Kingdoms can never be exhausted", and such traditional plays as Beheading the Son, The Shepherd's Scroll, Liu Quan Carrying the Melon, Embracing the Pipa, The Execution of Guo Huai, The Red Monk Descends the Mountain, The Great Sacrifice, Borrowing the Wife, The Matchmaker, Hua Mulan, Mu Guiying Takes Command, The Flower Spear Duel and Magistrate Tang Judges the Imperial Decree have long remained on the stage without decline. "Embracing the Pipa": Yuju has abundant repertory resources, among them close to a thousand traditional plays. In past times there was the saying "three thousand in the Tang, eight hundred in the Song, and the Three Kingdoms can never be exhausted", and such traditional plays as Beheading the Son, The Shepherd's Scroll, Liu Quan Carrying the Melon, Embracing the Pipa, The Execution of Guo Huai, The Red Monk Descends the Mountain, The Great Sacrifice, Borrowing the Wife, The Matchmaker, Hua Mulan, Mu Guiying Takes Command, The Flower Spear Duel and Magistrate Tang Judges the Imperial Decree have long remained on the stage without decline.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

Male, Han ethnicity, born in September 1919 in Yichuan County, Henan Province, and died in February 2018. National representative bearer of Yuju (Henan Opera), a third-batch national intangible cultural heritage project. He was awarded the title of First-Class Meritorious Worker in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, received first prizes at national and Henan provincial theatre competitions on several occasions, and performed in many provinces and cities across the country.

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 Guanjun · National Representative Bearer Archive