Shangluo Flower Drum
01 · Historical Records
The traditional vocal music of Shangluo flower drum has a single structural form and a very old history, and it plays the role of a “living fossil” in the study of the development and evolution of operatic music.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Shangluo flower drum is popularly known among the people as huaguzi or dibengzi, and is current in the Shangluo region of Shaanxi Province. In the third year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing dynasty, Yunyang in Hubei was struck by flooding and large numbers of refugees entered the Shangluo region, bringing with them the flower drum opera current in Yunyang. Flower drum of the Shangdan road is also called the northern-route flower drum: it is sung mainly in the Guanzhong group of dialects, mixed with local patois, and its tunes are flowing, beautiful, supple and gentle. Flower drum of the Zhenzhi road is also called the southern-route flower drum: it is sung mainly in the north-western Hubei group of dialects, mixed with local patois, and its tunes are high and resonant, cheerful and bright. Shangluo flower drum is composed of three kinds of tune: huaguzi, bacha zi and datongzi. Huaguzi is performed mainly with folk ditties and is also called xiaodiao xi (small-tune drama); it mostly reflects the labour and love life of the local people, and its representative plays include Beating the Iron, Making Straw Sandals, The Brother Receives the Sister, The Blind Man Feels for His Wife and Jia Jinlian Returns to Henan. Bacha zi is performed with the bacha tunes and is also called bacha xi; it mostly tells romantic stories of young masters and misses. Its tunes are divided into yang bacha and yin bacha; yang bacha is also called hard bacha or big bacha, and yin bacha is also called soft bacha or small bacha; its representative plays include Sitting in the West Tower, Delivering Fragrant Tea, The Little East Tower and The Little Tooth Tower. Datongzi is accompanied by the tongzi huqin and is also called tongzi xi; it belongs to the large and medium-sized plays within flower drum, and mostly presents historical stories, folk tales and myth, with representative plays including Carrying Water over the Blue Bridge, Liu Hai Plays with the Golden Toad, The Record of the Blood Knife, The Picture of Ten Thousand Longevities, Liang Shanbo Visits His Friend, The Fourth Sister Descends to the Mortal World and the Zhengde Emperor Seeks the Worthy. Shangluo flower drum is performed mainly in the form of the “three-small play” (sanxiao xi), in which the xiaosheng, xiaodan and xiaochou are the principal role types; the performance is vivid and lively and rich in folk character.
Da Tie (Beating the Iron)
Huaguzi is performed mainly with folk ditties and is also called xiaodiao xi (small-tune drama); it mostly reflects the labour and love life of the local people, and its representative plays include Beating the Iron, Making Straw Sandals, The Brother Receives the Sister, The Blind Man Feels for His Wife and Jia Jinlian Returns to Henan. Bacha zi is performed with the bacha tunes and is also called bacha xi; it mostly tells romantic stories of young masters and misses. Its tunes are divided into yang bacha and yin bacha; yang bacha is also called hard bacha or big bacha, and yin bacha is also called soft bacha or small bacha; its representative plays include Sitting in the West Tower, Delivering Fragrant Tea, The Little East Tower and The Little Tooth Tower. Datongzi is accompanied by the tongzi huqin and is also called tongzi xi; it belongs to the large and medium-sized plays within flower drum, and mostly presents historical stories, folk tales and myth, with representative plays including Carrying Water over the Blue Bridge, Liu Hai Plays with the Golden Toad, The Record of the Blood Knife, The Picture of Ten Thousand Longevities, Liang Shanbo Visits His Friend, The Fourth Sister Descends to the Mortal World and the Zhengde Emperor Seeks the Worthy.
Da Caoxie (Making Straw Sandals)
Huaguzi is performed mainly with folk ditties and is also called xiaodiao xi (small-tune drama); it mostly reflects the labour and love life of the local people, and its representative plays include Beating the Iron, Making Straw Sandals, The Brother Receives the Sister, The Blind Man Feels for His Wife and Jia Jinlian Returns to Henan. Bacha zi is performed with the bacha tunes and is also called bacha xi; it mostly tells romantic stories of young masters and misses. Its tunes are divided into yang bacha and yin bacha; yang bacha is also called hard bacha or big bacha, and yin bacha is also called soft bacha or small bacha; its representative plays include Sitting in the West Tower, Delivering Fragrant Tea, The Little East Tower and The Little Tooth Tower. Datongzi is accompanied by the tongzi huqin and is also called tongzi xi; it belongs to the large and medium-sized plays within flower drum, and mostly presents historical stories, folk tales and myth, with representative plays including Carrying Water over the Blue Bridge, Liu Hai Plays with the Golden Toad, The Record of the Blood Knife, The Picture of Ten Thousand Longevities, Liang Shanbo Visits His Friend, The Fourth Sister Descends to the Mortal World and the Zhengde Emperor Seeks the Worthy.
Ge Jiemei (The Brother Receives the Sister)
Huaguzi is performed mainly with folk ditties and is also called xiaodiao xi (small-tune drama); it mostly reflects the labour and love life of the local people, and its representative plays include Beating the Iron, Making Straw Sandals, The Brother Receives the Sister, The Blind Man Feels for His Wife and Jia Jinlian Returns to Henan. Bacha zi is performed with the bacha tunes and is also called bacha xi; it mostly tells romantic stories of young masters and misses. Its tunes are divided into yang bacha and yin bacha; yang bacha is also called hard bacha or big bacha, and yin bacha is also called soft bacha or small bacha; its representative plays include Sitting in the West Tower, Delivering Fragrant Tea, The Little East Tower and The Little Tooth Tower. Datongzi is accompanied by the tongzi huqin and is also called tongzi xi; it belongs to the large and medium-sized plays within flower drum, and mostly presents historical stories, folk tales and myth, with representative plays including Carrying Water over the Blue Bridge, Liu Hai Plays with the Golden Toad, The Record of the Blood Knife, The Picture of Ten Thousand Longevities, Liang Shanbo Visits His Friend, The Fourth Sister Descends to the Mortal World and the Zhengde Emperor Seeks the Worthy.
Xazi Moqi (The Blind Man Feels for His Wife)
Huaguzi is performed mainly with folk ditties and is also called xiaodiao xi (small-tune drama); it mostly reflects the labour and love life of the local people, and its representative plays include Beating the Iron, Making Straw Sandals, The Brother Receives the Sister, The Blind Man Feels for His Wife and Jia Jinlian Returns to Henan. Bacha zi is performed with the bacha tunes and is also called bacha xi; it mostly tells romantic stories of young masters and misses. Its tunes are divided into yang bacha and yin bacha; yang bacha is also called hard bacha or big bacha, and yin bacha is also called soft bacha or small bacha; its representative plays include Sitting in the West Tower, Delivering Fragrant Tea, The Little East Tower and The Little Tooth Tower. Datongzi is accompanied by the tongzi huqin and is also called tongzi xi; it belongs to the large and medium-sized plays within flower drum, and mostly presents historical stories, folk tales and myth, with representative plays including Carrying Water over the Blue Bridge, Liu Hai Plays with the Golden Toad, The Record of the Blood Knife, The Picture of Ten Thousand Longevities, Liang Shanbo Visits His Friend, The Fourth Sister Descends to the Mortal World and the Zhengde Emperor Seeks the Worthy.
Jia Jinlian Returns to Henan
Huaguzi is performed mainly with folk ditties and is also called xiaodiao xi (small-tune drama); it mostly reflects the labour and love life of the local people, and its representative plays include Beating the Iron, Making Straw Sandals, The Brother Receives the Sister, The Blind Man Feels for His Wife and Jia Jinlian Returns to Henan. Bacha zi is performed with the bacha tunes and is also called bacha xi; it mostly tells romantic stories of young masters and misses. Its tunes are divided into yang bacha and yin bacha; yang bacha is also called hard bacha or big bacha, and yin bacha is also called soft bacha or small bacha; its representative plays include Sitting in the West Tower, Delivering Fragrant Tea, The Little East Tower and The Little Tooth Tower. Datongzi is accompanied by the tongzi huqin and is also called tongzi xi; it belongs to the large and medium-sized plays within flower drum, and mostly presents historical stories, folk tales and myth, with representative plays including Carrying Water over the Blue Bridge, Liu Hai Plays with the Golden Toad, The Record of the Blood Knife, The Picture of Ten Thousand Longevities, Liang Shanbo Visits His Friend, The Fourth Sister Descends to the Mortal World and the Zhengde Emperor Seeks the Worthy.
Zuo Xilou (Sitting in the West Tower)
Huaguzi is performed mainly with folk ditties and is also called xiaodiao xi (small-tune drama); it mostly reflects the labour and love life of the local people, and its representative plays include Beating the Iron, Making Straw Sandals, The Brother Receives the Sister, The Blind Man Feels for His Wife and Jia Jinlian Returns to Henan. Bacha zi is performed with the bacha tunes and is also called bacha xi; it mostly tells romantic stories of young masters and misses. Its tunes are divided into yang bacha and yin bacha; yang bacha is also called hard bacha or big bacha, and yin bacha is also called soft bacha or small bacha; its representative plays include Sitting in the West Tower, Delivering Fragrant Tea, The Little East Tower and The Little Tooth Tower. Datongzi is accompanied by the tongzi huqin and is also called tongzi xi; it belongs to the large and medium-sized plays within flower drum, and mostly presents historical stories, folk tales and myth, with representative plays including Carrying Water over the Blue Bridge, Liu Hai Plays with the Golden Toad, The Record of the Blood Knife, The Picture of Ten Thousand Longevities, Liang Shanbo Visits His Friend, The Fourth Sister Descends to the Mortal World and the Zhengde Emperor Seeks the Worthy.
Song Xiangcha (Delivering Fragrant Tea)
Huaguzi is performed mainly with folk ditties and is also called xiaodiao xi (small-tune drama); it mostly reflects the labour and love life of the local people, and its representative plays include Beating the Iron, Making Straw Sandals, The Brother Receives the Sister, The Blind Man Feels for His Wife and Jia Jinlian Returns to Henan. Bacha zi is performed with the bacha tunes and is also called bacha xi; it mostly tells romantic stories of young masters and misses. Its tunes are divided into yang bacha and yin bacha; yang bacha is also called hard bacha or big bacha, and yin bacha is also called soft bacha or small bacha; its representative plays include Sitting in the West Tower, Delivering Fragrant Tea, The Little East Tower and The Little Tooth Tower. Datongzi is accompanied by the tongzi huqin and is also called tongzi xi; it belongs to the large and medium-sized plays within flower drum, and mostly presents historical stories, folk tales and myth, with representative plays including Carrying Water over the Blue Bridge, Liu Hai Plays with the Golden Toad, The Record of the Blood Knife, The Picture of Ten Thousand Longevities, Liang Shanbo Visits His Friend, The Fourth Sister Descends to the Mortal World and the Zhengde Emperor Seeks the Worthy.
Xiao Donglou (The Little East Tower)
Huaguzi is performed mainly with folk ditties and is also called xiaodiao xi (small-tune drama); it mostly reflects the labour and love life of the local people, and its representative plays include Beating the Iron, Making Straw Sandals, The Brother Receives the Sister, The Blind Man Feels for His Wife and Jia Jinlian Returns to Henan. Bacha zi is performed with the bacha tunes and is also called bacha xi; it mostly tells romantic stories of young masters and misses. Its tunes are divided into yang bacha and yin bacha; yang bacha is also called hard bacha or big bacha, and yin bacha is also called soft bacha or small bacha; its representative plays include Sitting in the West Tower, Delivering Fragrant Tea, The Little East Tower and The Little Tooth Tower. Datongzi is accompanied by the tongzi huqin and is also called tongzi xi; it belongs to the large and medium-sized plays within flower drum, and mostly presents historical stories, folk tales and myth, with representative plays including Carrying Water over the Blue Bridge, Liu Hai Plays with the Golden Toad, The Record of the Blood Knife, The Picture of Ten Thousand Longevities, Liang Shanbo Visits His Friend, The Fourth Sister Descends to the Mortal World and the Zhengde Emperor Seeks the Worthy.
Xiao Yalou (The Little Tooth Tower)
Huaguzi is performed mainly with folk ditties and is also called xiaodiao xi (small-tune drama); it mostly reflects the labour and love life of the local people, and its representative plays include Beating the Iron, Making Straw Sandals, The Brother Receives the Sister, The Blind Man Feels for His Wife and Jia Jinlian Returns to Henan. Bacha zi is performed with the bacha tunes and is also called bacha xi; it mostly tells romantic stories of young masters and misses. Its tunes are divided into yang bacha and yin bacha; yang bacha is also called hard bacha or big bacha, and yin bacha is also called soft bacha or small bacha; its representative plays include Sitting in the West Tower, Delivering Fragrant Tea, The Little East Tower and The Little Tooth Tower. Datongzi is accompanied by the tongzi huqin and is also called tongzi xi; it belongs to the large and medium-sized plays within flower drum, and mostly presents historical stories, folk tales and myth, with representative plays including Carrying Water over the Blue Bridge, Liu Hai Plays with the Golden Toad, The Record of the Blood Knife, The Picture of Ten Thousand Longevities, Liang Shanbo Visits His Friend, The Fourth Sister Descends to the Mortal World and the Zhengde Emperor Seeks the Worthy.
Lanqiao Danshui (Carrying Water over the Blue Bridge)
Huaguzi is performed mainly with folk ditties and is also called xiaodiao xi (small-tune drama); it mostly reflects the labour and love life of the local people, and its representative plays include Beating the Iron, Making Straw Sandals, The Brother Receives the Sister, The Blind Man Feels for His Wife and Jia Jinlian Returns to Henan. Bacha zi is performed with the bacha tunes and is also called bacha xi; it mostly tells romantic stories of young masters and misses. Its tunes are divided into yang bacha and yin bacha; yang bacha is also called hard bacha or big bacha, and yin bacha is also called soft bacha or small bacha; its representative plays include Sitting in the West Tower, Delivering Fragrant Tea, The Little East Tower and The Little Tooth Tower. Datongzi is accompanied by the tongzi huqin and is also called tongzi xi; it belongs to the large and medium-sized plays within flower drum, and mostly presents historical stories, folk tales and myth, with representative plays including Carrying Water over the Blue Bridge, Liu Hai Plays with the Golden Toad, The Record of the Blood Knife, The Picture of Ten Thousand Longevities, Liang Shanbo Visits His Friend, The Fourth Sister Descends to the Mortal World and the Zhengde Emperor Seeks the Worthy.
Liu Hai Xi Jinchan (Liu Hai Plays with the Golden Toad)
Huaguzi is performed mainly with folk ditties and is also called xiaodiao xi (small-tune drama); it mostly reflects the labour and love life of the local people, and its representative plays include Beating the Iron, Making Straw Sandals, The Brother Receives the Sister, The Blind Man Feels for His Wife and Jia Jinlian Returns to Henan. Bacha zi is performed with the bacha tunes and is also called bacha xi; it mostly tells romantic stories of young masters and misses. Its tunes are divided into yang bacha and yin bacha; yang bacha is also called hard bacha or big bacha, and yin bacha is also called soft bacha or small bacha; its representative plays include Sitting in the West Tower, Delivering Fragrant Tea, The Little East Tower and The Little Tooth Tower. Datongzi is accompanied by the tongzi huqin and is also called tongzi xi; it belongs to the large and medium-sized plays within flower drum, and mostly presents historical stories, folk tales and myth, with representative plays including Carrying Water over the Blue Bridge, Liu Hai Plays with the Golden Toad, The Record of the Blood Knife, The Picture of Ten Thousand Longevities, Liang Shanbo Visits His Friend, The Fourth Sister Descends to the Mortal World and the Zhengde Emperor Seeks the Worthy.
Xuedao Ji (The Record of the Blood Knife)
Huaguzi is performed mainly with folk ditties and is also called xiaodiao xi (small-tune drama); it mostly reflects the labour and love life of the local people, and its representative plays include Beating the Iron, Making Straw Sandals, The Brother Receives the Sister, The Blind Man Feels for His Wife and Jia Jinlian Returns to Henan. Bacha zi is performed with the bacha tunes and is also called bacha xi; it mostly tells romantic stories of young masters and misses. Its tunes are divided into yang bacha and yin bacha; yang bacha is also called hard bacha or big bacha, and yin bacha is also called soft bacha or small bacha; its representative plays include Sitting in the West Tower, Delivering Fragrant Tea, The Little East Tower and The Little Tooth Tower. Datongzi is accompanied by the tongzi huqin and is also called tongzi xi; it belongs to the large and medium-sized plays within flower drum, and mostly presents historical stories, folk tales and myth, with representative plays including Carrying Water over the Blue Bridge, Liu Hai Plays with the Golden Toad, The Record of the Blood Knife, The Picture of Ten Thousand Longevities, Liang Shanbo Visits His Friend, The Fourth Sister Descends to the Mortal World and the Zhengde Emperor Seeks the Worthy.
Wanshou Tu (The Picture of Ten Thousand Longevities)
Huaguzi is performed mainly with folk ditties and is also called xiaodiao xi (small-tune drama); it mostly reflects the labour and love life of the local people, and its representative plays include Beating the Iron, Making Straw Sandals, The Brother Receives the Sister, The Blind Man Feels for His Wife and Jia Jinlian Returns to Henan. Bacha zi is performed with the bacha tunes and is also called bacha xi; it mostly tells romantic stories of young masters and misses. Its tunes are divided into yang bacha and yin bacha; yang bacha is also called hard bacha or big bacha, and yin bacha is also called soft bacha or small bacha; its representative plays include Sitting in the West Tower, Delivering Fragrant Tea, The Little East Tower and The Little Tooth Tower. Datongzi is accompanied by the tongzi huqin and is also called tongzi xi; it belongs to the large and medium-sized plays within flower drum, and mostly presents historical stories, folk tales and myth, with representative plays including Carrying Water over the Blue Bridge, Liu Hai Plays with the Golden Toad, The Record of the Blood Knife, The Picture of Ten Thousand Longevities, Liang Shanbo Visits His Friend, The Fourth Sister Descends to the Mortal World and the Zhengde Emperor Seeks the Worthy.
Shanbo Fangyou (Liang Shanbo Visits His Friend)
Huaguzi is performed mainly with folk ditties and is also called xiaodiao xi (small-tune drama); it mostly reflects the labour and love life of the local people, and its representative plays include Beating the Iron, Making Straw Sandals, The Brother Receives the Sister, The Blind Man Feels for His Wife and Jia Jinlian Returns to Henan. Bacha zi is performed with the bacha tunes and is also called bacha xi; it mostly tells romantic stories of young masters and misses. Its tunes are divided into yang bacha and yin bacha; yang bacha is also called hard bacha or big bacha, and yin bacha is also called soft bacha or small bacha; its representative plays include Sitting in the West Tower, Delivering Fragrant Tea, The Little East Tower and The Little Tooth Tower. Datongzi is accompanied by the tongzi huqin and is also called tongzi xi; it belongs to the large and medium-sized plays within flower drum, and mostly presents historical stories, folk tales and myth, with representative plays including Carrying Water over the Blue Bridge, Liu Hai Plays with the Golden Toad, The Record of the Blood Knife, The Picture of Ten Thousand Longevities, Liang Shanbo Visits His Friend, The Fourth Sister Descends to the Mortal World and the Zhengde Emperor Seeks the Worthy.
Sijie Xiafan (The Fourth Sister Descends to the Mortal World)
Huaguzi is performed mainly with folk ditties and is also called xiaodiao xi (small-tune drama); it mostly reflects the labour and love life of the local people, and its representative plays include Beating the Iron, Making Straw Sandals, The Brother Receives the Sister, The Blind Man Feels for His Wife and Jia Jinlian Returns to Henan. Bacha zi is performed with the bacha tunes and is also called bacha xi; it mostly tells romantic stories of young masters and misses. Its tunes are divided into yang bacha and yin bacha; yang bacha is also called hard bacha or big bacha, and yin bacha is also called soft bacha or small bacha; its representative plays include Sitting in the West Tower, Delivering Fragrant Tea, The Little East Tower and The Little Tooth Tower. Datongzi is accompanied by the tongzi huqin and is also called tongzi xi; it belongs to the large and medium-sized plays within flower drum, and mostly presents historical stories, folk tales and myth, with representative plays including Carrying Water over the Blue Bridge, Liu Hai Plays with the Golden Toad, The Record of the Blood Knife, The Picture of Ten Thousand Longevities, Liang Shanbo Visits His Friend, The Fourth Sister Descends to the Mortal World and the Zhengde Emperor Seeks the Worthy.
Zhengde Wang Fangxian (The Zhengde Emperor Seeks the Worthy)
Huaguzi is performed mainly with folk ditties and is also called xiaodiao xi (small-tune drama); it mostly reflects the labour and love life of the local people, and its representative plays include Beating the Iron, Making Straw Sandals, The Brother Receives the Sister, The Blind Man Feels for His Wife and Jia Jinlian Returns to Henan. Bacha zi is performed with the bacha tunes and is also called bacha xi; it mostly tells romantic stories of young masters and misses. Its tunes are divided into yang bacha and yin bacha; yang bacha is also called hard bacha or big bacha, and yin bacha is also called soft bacha or small bacha; its representative plays include Sitting in the West Tower, Delivering Fragrant Tea, The Little East Tower and The Little Tooth Tower. Datongzi is accompanied by the tongzi huqin and is also called tongzi xi; it belongs to the large and medium-sized plays within flower drum, and mostly presents historical stories, folk tales and myth, with representative plays including Carrying Water over the Blue Bridge, Liu Hai Plays with the Golden Toad, The Record of the Blood Knife, The Picture of Ten Thousand Longevities, Liang Shanbo Visits His Friend, The Fourth Sister Descends to the Mortal World and the Zhengde Emperor Seeks the Worthy.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The later flower drum plays gradually came to be sung in the Shangluo dialect and absorbed many Shangluo folk ditties, and in the end formed Shangluo flower drum. Because of the differences in the areas where it is current and in its pronunciation, Shangluo flower drum gradually formed two great schools, the Shangdan road and the Zhenzhi road.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
At present, under the impact of the market economy, Shangluo flower drum is already in an endangered state and urgently needs rescue and protection. Xin Shushan (official archival record of the associated inheritor): Male, of Han ethnicity, born in September 1941, native of Shang County, Shaanxi Province. A national second-class composer. In 1955 he was admitted to the Shangluo Opera Troupe by examination, and in 1990 was transferred to the Shangluo Municipal Drama Creation and Research Office, where he engaged in the composition and study of Shangluo flower drum music. Over the decades, on the basis of inheriting the regional character of Shangluo flower drum, he kept on innovating and developing, so that the artistic style of Shangluo flower drum grew steadily more complete. He composed the music for more than thirty representative plays, among them The Bright Moonlight, The Butcher Top Scholar, The County Head of Six Jin, The Great Cloud Temple and Clear Spring Water. He published a number of papers, including “The Structural Characteristics of the Vocal Music of Shangluo Flower Drum”, and wrote the anthology A Collection of Shangluo Flower Drum Music. Representative inheritor of Shangluo flower drum under the fifth national-level batch of intangible cultural heritage projects. He has in turn received more than twenty awards issued by the Ministry of Culture, the Chinese Dramatists Association, the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Culture, the Shangluo Municipal Bureau of Culture and other bodies.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Xin Shushan 05-2372
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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