Qu Opera
01 · Historical Records
Henan quju, also called 'gaotai qu' (high-platform qu), developed and took formal shape around the 1920s on the basis of Henan quzi melodies and the performance of stilt-walking (caigaoqiao).
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The accompanying instruments were originally only the zhui (a small drum); after the art took to the stage, the quhu, sanxian, soft-bow jinghu, hand clappers, sheng and such instruments as the guzheng, erhu and pipa were gradually added, and percussion instruments for the martial ensemble also appeared. Quju has a fine melodic character and a great many tune patterns; those in common use include Matou (Horse Head), Yangdiao (Sun Tune), Chajiang (Forked River), Shipian (Poem Section), Qingjiang (Clear River), Yinniusi (Silver Twisted Silk) and Manjianghong (The River All Red). According to the needs of the plot, a single tune can be given a variety of emotional forms through special performing techniques: Yangdiao alone has a dozen or more forms, such as the ordinary Yangdiao, the weeping Yangdiao, the joyful Yangdiao, the angry Yangdiao and the old Yangdiao, while Shipian has two forms, the hard Shipian and the soft Shipian. This is the greatest single feature of the vocal art of quju and is extremely rare among other genres. The subjects of quju are mostly folk tales, family life and love between young men and women; it is good at tragedy and at small comedy, its singing and speech are plain and easily understood, and it is full of local flavour and of the interest of everyday life. After several decades of development a body of representative works has been accumulated, including Hu Erjie Opens a Shop, Anan Delivers Rice, The Little Lantern-Viewer, Beating the Kitchen God, Li Huozi's Divorce, Chen Sanliang Appeals to the Court, The Rolled Mat, Matched in Wind and Snow, Kou Zheng Carries the Boots, Going to the Countryside, Donkey Carrying and Touring the Village; well-known performers include Zhang Xinfang, Wang Xiuling, Gao Guizhi, Hai Lianchi, Ma Qi and others. New works are still being created and performed to this day, and it is deeply loved by audiences for its natural humour and its closeness to everyday life.
Hu Erjie Opens a Shop
After several decades of development a body of representative works has been accumulated, including Hu Erjie Opens a Shop, Anan Delivers Rice, The Little Lantern-Viewer, Beating the Kitchen God, Li Huozi's Divorce, Chen Sanliang Appeals to the Court, The Rolled Mat, Matched in Wind and Snow, Kou Zheng Carries the Boots, Going to the Countryside, Donkey Carrying and Touring the Village; well-known performers include Zhang Xinfang, Wang Xiuling, Gao Guizhi, Hai Lianchi, Ma Qi and others.
Anan Delivers Rice
After several decades of development a body of representative works has been accumulated, including Hu Erjie Opens a Shop, Anan Delivers Rice, The Little Lantern-Viewer, Beating the Kitchen God, Li Huozi's Divorce, Chen Sanliang Appeals to the Court, The Rolled Mat, Matched in Wind and Snow, Kou Zheng Carries the Boots, Going to the Countryside, Donkey Carrying and Touring the Village; well-known performers include Zhang Xinfang, Wang Xiuling, Gao Guizhi, Hai Lianchi, Ma Qi and others.
The Little Lantern-Viewer
After several decades of development a body of representative works has been accumulated, including Hu Erjie Opens a Shop, Anan Delivers Rice, The Little Lantern-Viewer, Beating the Kitchen God, Li Huozi's Divorce, Chen Sanliang Appeals to the Court, The Rolled Mat, Matched in Wind and Snow, Kou Zheng Carries the Boots, Going to the Countryside, Donkey Carrying and Touring the Village; well-known performers include Zhang Xinfang, Wang Xiuling, Gao Guizhi, Hai Lianchi, Ma Qi and others.
Beating the Kitchen God
After several decades of development a body of representative works has been accumulated, including Hu Erjie Opens a Shop, Anan Delivers Rice, The Little Lantern-Viewer, Beating the Kitchen God, Li Huozi's Divorce, Chen Sanliang Appeals to the Court, The Rolled Mat, Matched in Wind and Snow, Kou Zheng Carries the Boots, Going to the Countryside, Donkey Carrying and Touring the Village; well-known performers include Zhang Xinfang, Wang Xiuling, Gao Guizhi, Hai Lianchi, Ma Qi and others.
Li Huozi's Divorce
After several decades of development a body of representative works has been accumulated, including Hu Erjie Opens a Shop, Anan Delivers Rice, The Little Lantern-Viewer, Beating the Kitchen God, Li Huozi's Divorce, Chen Sanliang Appeals to the Court, The Rolled Mat, Matched in Wind and Snow, Kou Zheng Carries the Boots, Going to the Countryside, Donkey Carrying and Touring the Village; well-known performers include Zhang Xinfang, Wang Xiuling, Gao Guizhi, Hai Lianchi, Ma Qi and others.
Chen Sanliang Appeals to the Court
After several decades of development a body of representative works has been accumulated, including Hu Erjie Opens a Shop, Anan Delivers Rice, The Little Lantern-Viewer, Beating the Kitchen God, Li Huozi's Divorce, Chen Sanliang Appeals to the Court, The Rolled Mat, Matched in Wind and Snow, Kou Zheng Carries the Boots, Going to the Countryside, Donkey Carrying and Touring the Village; well-known performers include Zhang Xinfang, Wang Xiuling, Gao Guizhi, Hai Lianchi, Ma Qi and others.
The Rolled Mat
After several decades of development a body of representative works has been accumulated, including Hu Erjie Opens a Shop, Anan Delivers Rice, The Little Lantern-Viewer, Beating the Kitchen God, Li Huozi's Divorce, Chen Sanliang Appeals to the Court, The Rolled Mat, Matched in Wind and Snow, Kou Zheng Carries the Boots, Going to the Countryside, Donkey Carrying and Touring the Village; well-known performers include Zhang Xinfang, Wang Xiuling, Gao Guizhi, Hai Lianchi, Ma Qi and others.
Matched in Wind and Snow
After several decades of development a body of representative works has been accumulated, including Hu Erjie Opens a Shop, Anan Delivers Rice, The Little Lantern-Viewer, Beating the Kitchen God, Li Huozi's Divorce, Chen Sanliang Appeals to the Court, The Rolled Mat, Matched in Wind and Snow, Kou Zheng Carries the Boots, Going to the Countryside, Donkey Carrying and Touring the Village; well-known performers include Zhang Xinfang, Wang Xiuling, Gao Guizhi, Hai Lianchi, Ma Qi and others.
Kou Zheng Carries the Boots
After several decades of development a body of representative works has been accumulated, including Hu Erjie Opens a Shop, Anan Delivers Rice, The Little Lantern-Viewer, Beating the Kitchen God, Li Huozi's Divorce, Chen Sanliang Appeals to the Court, The Rolled Mat, Matched in Wind and Snow, Kou Zheng Carries the Boots, Going to the Countryside, Donkey Carrying and Touring the Village; well-known performers include Zhang Xinfang, Wang Xiuling, Gao Guizhi, Hai Lianchi, Ma Qi and others.
Going to the Countryside
After several decades of development a body of representative works has been accumulated, including Hu Erjie Opens a Shop, Anan Delivers Rice, The Little Lantern-Viewer, Beating the Kitchen God, Li Huozi's Divorce, Chen Sanliang Appeals to the Court, The Rolled Mat, Matched in Wind and Snow, Kou Zheng Carries the Boots, Going to the Countryside, Donkey Carrying and Touring the Village; well-known performers include Zhang Xinfang, Wang Xiuling, Gao Guizhi, Hai Lianchi, Ma Qi and others.
Donkey Carrying
After several decades of development a body of representative works has been accumulated, including Hu Erjie Opens a Shop, Anan Delivers Rice, The Little Lantern-Viewer, Beating the Kitchen God, Li Huozi's Divorce, Chen Sanliang Appeals to the Court, The Rolled Mat, Matched in Wind and Snow, Kou Zheng Carries the Boots, Going to the Countryside, Donkey Carrying and Touring the Village; well-known performers include Zhang Xinfang, Wang Xiuling, Gao Guizhi, Hai Lianchi, Ma Qi and others.
Touring the Village
After several decades of development a body of representative works has been accumulated, including Hu Erjie Opens a Shop, Anan Delivers Rice, The Little Lantern-Viewer, Beating the Kitchen God, Li Huozi's Divorce, Chen Sanliang Appeals to the Court, The Rolled Mat, Matched in Wind and Snow, Kou Zheng Carries the Boots, Going to the Countryside, Donkey Carrying and Touring the Village; well-known performers include Zhang Xinfang, Wang Xiuling, Gao Guizhi, Hai Lianchi, Ma Qi and others.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Quju is the second largest genre in Henan; outside Henan it is also distributed in Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, Hubei, Anhui, Jiangsu and other provinces.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Yet its reserve of talent gives no cause for optimism either: it lacks good successors and has no dedicated training institution. Under the generally depressed climate for local opera, selecting promising young talents, training fine performers and a stable audience, exploring mature methods of market operation and strengthening publicity are fundamental strategies for the survival and development of quju, and they must be carried out in earnest. Ma Qi (official file record of the associated inheritor): Male, Han nationality, born in 1923, native of Fengqiu, Henan. Ma Qi began to learn the art as a child under Mr Ma Wencai, and was a first-generation performer of Henan quju. From 1949 to 1953 he worked in the Lingbao County Quju Troupe as performer and troupe leader; from 1953 to 1973 in the Mianchi County Quju Troupe as performer and troupe leader; in 1973 in the Luoyang Region Quju Troupe as performer and business director, and afterwards in the Luoyang City Quju Troupe. His singing is marked by a low, full and sonorous voice and by a broad, plain resonance, and his performance is vivid and lifelike, wholly natural. Representative works include Kou Zheng Carries the Boots and Running to Bianjing. Representative inheritor of quju of the second national-level batch of intangible cultural heritage projects, and a first-class performer. Wang Xiuling (official file record of the associated inheritor): Female, Han nationality, born in 1935, native of Jia County, Henan. Wang Xiuling learned quju performance from her father Wang Junqing as a child; she appeared on stage at six and was a first-generation female performer of quju. From 1949 to 1955 she worked as a performer in the Xinsheng Quju Troupe. In 1956 she completed the Ministry of Culture training class for opera performers, where she was taught by masters such as Mei Lanfang and Cheng Yanqiu. From 1955 to 1960 she worked in the Zhengzhou City Quju Troupe as head of the company of performers. From 1960 to 1993 she worked in the Henan Provincial Quju Troupe as head of the company of performers. Her singing is clear, gentle and mellow, her diction is precise, and her performance is rich in inner content and expressive in outward bearing. Representative works include Matched in Wind and Snow and Dream of the Red Chamber. Representative inheritor of quju of the second national-level batch of intangible cultural heritage projects, and a first-class performer.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Ma Qi 02-0598
- Wang Xiuling 02-0599
- Gao Guizhi 03-1058
- Zhang Qiulan 05-2379
- Liu Qing
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript; it mirrors the bilingual dossier. 阅读中文版，或返回 英文名录。