Yihuang Opera

01 · Historical Records

Yihuang opera takes as its principal vocal style the Yihuang tune, which evolved from the Xiqinqiang (Western Qin tune) of the late Ming dynasty; in the late Qing dynasty it absorbed the vocal styles and repertoire works of other luantan genres, forming an opera genre that integrates multiple vocal styles. It preserves the chui tune (blown tune) of the Xiqinqiang era, popularly known as the 'pingban chui tune'; among the known early repertoire works, 58 are sung entirely in the Yihuang tune, which has made Yihuang opera the genre in China that preserves the greatest number of erhuang tunes. Expert research has shown that the erhuang tune in fact originated from the Yihuang tune, and Yihuang opera thereby occupies a distinguished position in the history of Chinese opera.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

It takes as its principal vocal style the Yihuang tune, which evolved from the Xiqinqiang (Western Qin tune) of the late Ming dynasty; in the late Qing dynasty it absorbed the vocal styles and repertoire works of other luantan genres, forming an opera genre that integrates multiple vocal styles. Representative repertoire works include Qingguan Ce (The Register of an Honest Official), Yao Cha Ji (The Tale of the Medicinal Tea), San Guan Tang (The Hall of the Three Officials), Qi Shuang Pei (The Marvelous Double Match), Si Guo Qi (The Four States Assembled), Ci Xiong Bian (The Male-and-Female Whips), Qing Yang Tu (The Map of Qingyang), Shuang Long Hui (The Meeting of Twin Dragons), Shang Tian Tai (Ascending the Heavenly Terrace), Lao Jun Tang (The Hall of Lord Lao), Fei Long Zhuan (The Tale of the Flying Dragon), Yue Ming Lou (The Moonlit Tower), Jiang Dong Qiao (The Jiangdong Bridge), Chun Qiu Pei (The Spring-and-Autumn Match), Long Feng Ge (The Dragon-and-Phoenix Pavilion), Kao Da Chun Tao (The Flogging of Chuntao), Ba Xian Piao Hai (The Eight Immortals Drifting Across the Sea), and Mai Li Zhao Qin (Selling Pears to Win a Marriage). Some of the works performed by Yihuang opera still preserve the plot structure and staging conventions of early times, appearing extremely archaic. The tunes of Yihuang opera mainly consist of the Yihuang tune, the fan diao (inverted tune), the suona erfan, the xipi zhe diao, and the nan bei ci; it also preserves the chui tune (blown tune) of the Xiqinqiang era, popularly known as the 'pingban chui tune'. The vocal style of Yihuang opera is relatively primitive and straightforward, with few and short sustained tones; the laosheng (old male) and laodan (old female) roles use the natural voice, while the xiaosheng (young male) role combines the natural and falsetto voices, its closing note often turning upward by an octave; male and female roles share the same tune and key. Its performance is rugged and archaic, yet rigorous and steady. In some plays, when a character rides a horse, no horsewhip is used to stand in for the horse; instead, following the manner of the Yuan and Ming dynasty zaju, a horse shape is bound to the actor's body, and the actor dances in time to the hoofbeat rhythm beaten out on gongs and drums, performing the bodily movements of a galloping horse. This ancient manner of performance disappeared long ago from other opera genres and has been preserved only in Yihuang opera. Among the known early repertoire works of Yihuang opera, 58 are sung entirely in the Yihuang tune, which has made Yihuang opera the genre in China that preserves the greatest number of erhuang tunes.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

Yihuang opera was formerly known as the Yihuang troupe (Yihuang ban) and the Yihuang tune (Yihuang diao); it circulated mainly in the counties of Yihuang, Nancheng, Nanfeng, and Guangchang in Jiangxi province, and reached as far as northeastern Jiangxi, southern Jiangxi, and western Fujian. By the modern period the role types of Yihuang opera had developed into twelve categories: zhengsheng (principal male), xiaosheng (young male), laosheng (old male), fusheng (secondary male), zhengdan (principal female), xiaodan (young female), erdan (second female), laodan (old female), dahua (large painted face), erhua (second painted face), sanhua (third painted face), and sihua (fourth painted face).

04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

The traditional repertoire of Yihuang opera amounts to more than five hundred works, but the vast majority have already been lost. Expert research has shown that the erhuang tune in fact originated from the Yihuang tune, and Yihuang opera thereby occupies a distinguished position in the history of Chinese opera; its processes of formation, development, and decline have become a microcosm of opera history, making Yihuang opera an ideal specimen for exploring and studying the laws of operatic evolution. In present-day society the survival and development of Yihuang opera face numerous crises; it is necessary to begin with measures such as allocating funds, strengthening publicity, and cultivating successors, so that this ancient opera genre may obtain a suitable environment in which to survive and be handed down for generations to come. Deng Yi (as recorded in the official archive of the associated inheritor): Male, of the Han ethnicity, born in May 1946, a native of Yihuang County, Jiangxi province. In 1957 he became a trainee of the Yihuang opera troupe, and in 1962 he joined the Yihuang County Opera Troupe, specializing in the hualian (painted face), xiaochou (clown), and laosheng (old male) roles; with a rugged and resonant voice, he excelled at portraying the expressions and personalities of his characters. Since 1978 he has served as director and principal actor of Yihuang opera. In 1988 he directed the scene 'Yuan Chai' (The Round Hairpin) from Zichai Ji (The Purple Hairpin), taking part in the filming of the television drama Tang Xianzu. In 2009 and 2010 he participated successively in exchange performances at the Cross-Strait Cultural Industry Expo held in Xiamen. A representative inheritor of Yihuang opera, a national-level intangible cultural heritage item of the fifth national batch. In 2001 he innovatively directed the scene 'Shang Lu' (Setting Out on the Road) from Meng Jiangnv, winning the Excellent Director Award and the First Prize for Acting of Fuzhou City. In 2009 he directed the scene 'Ba Qiao Zhe Liu' (Breaking a Willow Branch at Ba Bridge) from Zichai Ji (The Purple Hairpin), winning the First Prize for Performance of Fuzhou City.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

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

• Deng Yi 05-2349
• Tang Guangming

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

1. Yihuang Opera (Yihuang, Jiangxi) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Deng Yi · National Representative Bearer Archive

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗