Maoxiang Opera

Ⅳ-67Traditional OperaQingdaoshihuangdao, ShandongBatch 5 (2021)Extension Item

01 · Historical Records

Maoqiang derives from the “guniang qiang” and “zhouguzi” of the mid-Ming and is a traditional genre found mainly in Shandong. Its ban patterns include daoban, yuanban, erban, sanban, yaoban, duoban, qingban, sandengyan and yaoersan, and its qupai include Erhuang Xiaokaimen, Chaotianzi and Shuilongyin. It is said that in the Tongzhi reign of the Qing, northern Jiangsu artists travelled north into the Jiaonan area (today's Huangdao district of Qingdao) and blended the northern Jiangsu haimao tune into the local zhougu, forming mao zhougu. Since the 1960s the Jiaonan county (city) Maoqiang Troupe (later the Huangdao District Maoqiang Art Transmission Centre) has preserved the art through performance, staging nearly three hundred shows a year.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

Poli and Dongjiakou in Huangdao district of Qingdao (formerly Jiaonan county) are the birthplace of Maoqiang. After forming here it was much welcomed and soon spread to Zangma, Dacun, Haiqing, Baoshan, Wangtai, Lingshanwei and other townships. Huangdao's Maoqiang has a clear local character: its singing is plaintive and melodious, the female voice especially outstanding and full of feeling; its lyrics use many dialect words and slang, plain, easily understood and humorously interesting; and its plots are mostly taken from daily life, much loved by the people. The folk rhyme “when mao zhougu is sung, the corn bread sticks to the rim of the pot, the hoe strikes the crops, the embroidery needle pricks the finger” captures the art's charm. Huangdao's Maoqiang has a full range of roles, with strict performance conventions for sheng, dan, jing and chou able to create varied characters. Its vocal structure is the banqiang form, in B zhi and B gong modes, generally in zhengdiao and fandiao, with men and women sharing the same key but singing different tunes. Its accompaniment uses Chinese national instruments; because it often shared the stage with Peking opera and Hebei bangzi, a practice called “erheshui” or “sanheshui”, it adopted Peking opera's “three big pieces” of jinghu, jing erhu and yueqin as lead strings, while its percussion includes ban drum, gong, cymbals and small gong, with hall drum and peng bell (碰铃) added in fandiao. In its development mao zhougu absorbed the strengths of bangzi and Peking opera, steadily enriching its ban patterns, instruments and repertory, forming the signature plays “four great capitals” and “eight great tales” and gradually becoming a new genre; after the founding of the People's Republic it was named “Maoqiang” by homophony from “mao”. While performing, it has kept exploring innovative paths, creating many modern Maoqiang plays. Maoqiang takes the “four great capitals” and “eight great tales” as its signature plays, its lyrics full of dialect and slang, plain and humorously interesting, its plots mostly from daily life, making it a living vehicle of Jiaodong custom and speech.

Dong Jing (The Eastern Capital)

One of the “four great capitals” signature plays of Maoqiang, a traditional serial full-length play.

Xi Jing (The Western Capital)

One of the “four great capitals” signature plays of Maoqiang.

Nan Jing (The Southern Capital)

One of the “four great capitals” signature plays of Maoqiang.

Bei Jing (The Northern Capital)

One of the “four great capitals” signature plays of Maoqiang.

Luoshan Ji (The Silk-Gauze Robe)

One of the “eight great tales” signature plays of Maoqiang, noted for family ethics and courtroom plot.