Qingyangqiang

01 · Historical Records

Qingyangqiang took shape in Qingyang County, Chizhou City, Anhui Province; since Qingyang belonged to Chizhou Prefecture, it is also called Chizhou diao (Chizhou tune) or Huichi Yadiao (Elegant Tunes of Hui and Chi).

02 · Core Techniques & Process

This newly arisen vocal system broke through the musical structure of linked sets of tune patterns, developed "gun diao" (free-rhythm prose singing), created a singing form combining aria with prose singing, and carried the evolution of Chinese operatic vocal systems to a new height. When Qingyangqiang is sung it is generally accompanied only by large drums, large cymbals and large gongs, without wind or string instruments; solo singing is combined with choral support, one voice leading the chorus, and the method of "gun diao" is used in performance, inserting "gun bai" (prose speech) and "gun chang" (prose singing) into the arias, which gives it a strength in narrative. Its vocal styles are flexible and varied, its language is plain and easily understood, and it greatly increased the plasticity and expressiveness of Chinese operatic vocal systems. Qingyangqiang inherits the role system of ancient southern drama, with seven role types — sheng, dan, jing, mo, chou, wai and tie — and later two more roles, xiao and fu, were added. Its performance stresses "singing a civil play with martial vigour"; it is strongly entertaining and amusing, lively and noisy, and often inserts displays of skill such as passing through the sword gate, swinging on the hanging pole, somersaulting off the high platform and leaping through the fire ring. Qingyangqiang also uses various paper masks, which give it a distinctive character in stage design. Qingyangqiang spread from southern Anhui to Fujian, Hunan, Sichuan, Henan, Shanxi, Shandong and elsewhere, becoming "the fashion throughout the realm", and it directly or indirectly influenced the formation and development of genres such as Hui opera, Gan opera, Sichuan opera and Huangmei opera, holding a distinguished position in the history of Chinese opera.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

In the Jiajing reign of the Ming dynasty, Yiyangqiang flowed into the Qingyang area, where it combined with the local dialect and with folk songs and ditties, taking shape as Qingyangqiang.

Other submitting regions for the same item: Qingyangqiang.

04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

At present it survives mainly in a few places such as Qingyang County in Anhui Province and Hukou County in Jiangxi Province. The repertoire of Qingyangqiang runs from Yuan and Ming southern drama down to the various literati legends of later ages, and is large in number; historically there appeared a body of printed Qingyangqiang texts such as Cilin Yizhi (A Flower Branch of the Literary Grove), Zhaijin Qi Yin (Wonderful Sounds Plucked from Brocade), Yugu Xinhuang (New Reeds of the Jade Valley) and Huichi Yadiao (Elegant Tunes of Hui and Chi), and the large and small Qingyangqiang plays that can now be collected number 94. However, because of war, epidemics and the impact of outside culture, among other causes, Qingyangqiang has declined day by day and has essentially disappeared from the stage, on the verge of extinction, so it urgently needs rescue, protection and transmission. Wang Zhengke (official archive record of the associated inheritor): Male, Han nationality, born in 1931, native of Qingyang, Anhui. At the age of 14 Wang Zhengke began studying Qingyangqiang under the old artist Liu Ganming, inheriting and mastering a large number of traditional plays and performance routines. After reform and opening up, Wang Zhengke formed the Changlong Theatre Company, combining the work of playwright, director, actor and conductor in one person, and rehearsed and created new Qingyangqiang plays. His vocal style is beautiful, combining firmness and gentleness, and reveals the distinctive character of Qingyangqiang. Representative works include Mulian Xi (The Mulian Play) and Zhenzh Ta (The Pearl Pagoda). Representative inheritor of the second national-level batch of the intangible cultural heritage project Qingyangqiang.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:

• Wang Zhengke 02-0428
• Yin Wuhuan 02-0429

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

1. Qingyangqiang (Qingyang, Anhui) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Wang Zhengke · National Representative Bearer Archive

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗