Yangge Opera
01 · Historical Records
Yangge opera originated in the songs sung by peasants while they worked in the fields. It was later combined with folk dance, acrobatics, martial arts and other performance arts, and at the temple-fair (shehuo) celebrations of the first lunar month each year, programmes with story content were performed, so that a staged operatic form gradually took shape. After the bangzi-tune operatic genres flourished in the mid-Qing period, the Yangge operas of Shanxi, Hebei and Shaanxi borrowed and absorbed, to differing degrees, the repertoire, music and performance art of the local bangzi opera. They gradually developed into stage performance and evolved towards the large local operatic genres. According to tradition its source was a folk ditty, which was put into circulation after being organised by the Song-dynasty writer Su Shi.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Yangge operas in different places are mostly named after the region where they arose or became popular, such as Qitai Yangge of Qixian and Taigu in Shanxi, Shuoxian Yangge, Fanzhi Yangge and Xiangwu Yangge of Xiangyuan and Wuxiang in Shanxi, Dingxian Yangge, Longyao Yangge and Yuxian Yangge in Hebei, and Hancheng Yangge and northern Shaanxi Yangge in Shaanxi. Some of these yangge forms consist mainly of folk ditties, such as Qitai Yangge, Hancheng Yangge and northern Shaanxi Yangge; others combine folk-song combinations with metrical variation, such as Shuoxian Yangge, Fanzhi Yangge and Yuxian Yangge, whose principal vocal styles and metrical patterns largely derive from the bangzi tunes. Their metrical patterns include head-type (slow metre), second-type, third-type, transitional metre, free metre and 'rolling speech'; the folk ditties among them are collectively called 'xundiao', including [Siping xun], [Kuxiangsi xun], [Gaozi xun], [Xiasan xun], [Dieluo Jinqian xun] and [Tuimen xun]. They are sung to the accompaniment of banhu, dizi and sanxian, popularly called 'bangniuzi'. Yet others belong to the metrical-variation type, such as Dingxian Yangge and Longyao Yangge: their vocal styles and metrical patterns are divided into slow metre, second-type (two-six), fast metre, free metre and introductory metre, and the beat is marked with a ban drum or clapper. They mostly make no use of orchestral accompaniment but are accompanied by gongs and drums alone, hence they are also called 'ganban Yangge' (dry-plank Yangge). The traditional repertoire of Yangge opera falls into two categories, small plays and large plays. The small plays, popularly called 'shuashua xi', include Wang Xiao Leads the Mule, Borrowing, Turning the Millstone, Embroidering the Flower Lantern, Making the Little Jacket, Tianqi Temple, The Virtuous Young Sister-in-Law, Meeting at the Blue Bridge and Lü Mengzheng Goes Begging for Alms, among others; the large plays include Meeting at the Flower Pavilion, The Nine Garments, Reed Flowers, Sun and Moon Picture, The Legend of the White Snake, Old and Young Exchange Wives, Liang Shanbo Descends the Mountain, Li Da Creates a Scene in the Inn, Balancing the Lamp on the Head, The Mud Kiln, Black Jade Belt, Jiang Lang Divorces His Wife, Meeting in the Reed Grove and An'an Brings Rice, among others. Yangge opera originally had only the 'three small schools' — xiaochou (little clown), xiaodan (little female) and xiaosheng (little male) — and on this basis later added the 'three great schools' of xusheng (bearded male), hualian (painted face) and qingyi (dignified female). Its music and vocal styles absorb the characteristics of the bangzi tunes, forming a system that accommodates both the tune-pattern form and the metrical form, and its performance too has been considerably enriched and improved. The form of Yangge opera is relatively flexible and free, and it is good at depicting real life. During the War of Resistance against Japan, Yan'an and the anti-Japanese base areas launched a new Yangge play movement that reformed the music, performance and costuming of Yangge opera and staged works such as Brother and Sister Reclaim Wasteland, Husband and Wife Learn to Read and Write and Niu Yonggui Is Wounded, whose subjects were the participation of the masses in production, study and struggle against the enemy. The development of the new Yangge play movement not only created a new theatrical form — the new operatic form (xin geju) — but also pushed forward the renewal and development of Yangge opera and other folk small plays. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, and with support from the Party and the government, Yangge in various places developed to differing degrees, and Shuoxian Yangge, Fanzhi Yangge, Dingxian Yangge and Longyao Yangge all established professional troupes. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, and with support from the Party and the government, Yangge in various places developed to differing degrees; professional Yangge troupes were set up in such places as Fanzhi and Xiangyuan in Shanxi and Yuxian in Hebei, and after regularised training the performing level rose further. Since entering the new period, however, as a folk small-play genre Yangge opera has faced not only fierce competition from the major operatic genres but also pressure from modern popular song and dance. Performance activities have grown fewer and fewer, many Yangge genres are on the verge of disappearing, and urgent attention and support from all sectors of society are needed. Dingzhou Yangge, also called Dingxian Dayangge, is an ancient operatic genre popular in the central and western part of the North China Plain; it takes its name from its place of origin, Dingzhou. Dingzhou Yangge has distinctive features of its own in language, vocal style, mode and repertoire. Its texts are plain and easy to understand, clear as ordinary speech, with a large amount of local dialect and colloquial idiom and a strong flavour of daily life; the vocal styles of both men and women are mainly in the gong mode, and the singing uses the natural voice in a full-throated shout. Traditional singing has no melodic-section accompaniment and no fixed key; singers start the pitch freely, and when orchestral accompaniment is added the key is D. The vocal styles make extensive use of syllabic padding words and auxiliary particles. Descending melodic movement is common, yet the singing is full of humour and playfulness; the rhythm is mainly one beat to one eye, and there are as many as 28 traditional metrical patterns, so that the form accompanied entirely by percussion, the so-called big-gong style, is still retained. The Dingzhou Yangge repertoire is rich and wide-ranging, covering love plays, chastity and filial-duty plays, legal-case plays and farces — a dazzling variety. The vocal styles of Dingzhou Yangge are distinctive, and its traditional repertoire preserves a great deal of folkloric and humanistic information, making it first-hand material for the study of Chinese folklore and traditional culture.
Wang Xiao Leads the Mule
The traditional repertoire of Yangge opera divides into small plays and large plays. The small plays, popularly called 'shuashua xi', include Wang Xiao Leads the Mule, Borrowing, Turning the Millstone, Embroidering the Flower Lantern, Making the Little Jacket, Tianqi Temple, The Virtuous Young Sister-in-Law, Meeting at the Blue Bridge and Lü Mengzheng Goes Begging for Alms, among others; the large plays include Meeting at the Flower Pavilion, The Nine Garments, Reed Flowers, Sun and Moon Picture, The Legend of the White Snake, Old and Young Exchange Wives, Liang Shanbo Descends the Mountain, Li Da Creates a Scene in the Inn, Balancing the Lamp on the Head, The Mud Kiln, Black Jade Belt, Jiang Lang Divorces His Wife, Meeting in the Reed Grove and An'an Brings Rice, among others. Wang Xiao Leads the Mule is one of the small plays, or shuashua xi, in the Dingzhou Yangge repertoire.
Borrowing
The traditional repertoire of Yangge opera divides into small plays and large plays. The small plays, popularly called 'shuashua xi', include Wang Xiao Leads the Mule, Borrowing, Turning the Millstone, Embroidering the Flower Lantern, Making the Little Jacket, Tianqi Temple, The Virtuous Young Sister-in-Law, Meeting at the Blue Bridge and Lü Mengzheng Goes Begging for Alms, among others; the large plays include Meeting at the Flower Pavilion, The Nine Garments, Reed Flowers, Sun and Moon Picture, The Legend of the White Snake, Old and Young Exchange Wives, Liang Shanbo Descends the Mountain, Li Da Creates a Scene in the Inn, Balancing the Lamp on the Head, The Mud Kiln, Black Jade Belt, Jiang Lang Divorces His Wife, Meeting in the Reed Grove and An'an Brings Rice, among others. Borrowing is one of the small plays, or shuashua xi, in the Dingzhou Yangge repertoire.
Turning the Millstone
The traditional repertoire of Yangge opera divides into small plays and large plays. The small plays, popularly called 'shuashua xi', include Wang Xiao Leads the Mule, Borrowing, Turning the Millstone, Embroidering the Flower Lantern, Making the Little Jacket, Tianqi Temple, The Virtuous Young Sister-in-Law, Meeting at the Blue Bridge and Lü Mengzheng Goes Begging for Alms, among others; the large plays include Meeting at the Flower Pavilion, The Nine Garments, Reed Flowers, Sun and Moon Picture, The Legend of the White Snake, Old and Young Exchange Wives, Liang Shanbo Descends the Mountain, Li Da Creates a Scene in the Inn, Balancing the Lamp on the Head, The Mud Kiln, Black Jade Belt, Jiang Lang Divorces His Wife, Meeting in the Reed Grove and An'an Brings Rice, among others. Turning the Millstone is one of the small plays, or shuashua xi, in the Dingzhou Yangge repertoire.
Embroidering the Flower Lantern
The traditional repertoire of Yangge opera divides into small plays and large plays. The small plays, popularly called 'shuashua xi', include Wang Xiao Leads the Mule, Borrowing, Turning the Millstone, Embroidering the Flower Lantern, Making the Little Jacket, Tianqi Temple, The Virtuous Young Sister-in-Law, Meeting at the Blue Bridge and Lü Mengzheng Goes Begging for Alms, among others; the large plays include Meeting at the Flower Pavilion, The Nine Garments, Reed Flowers, Sun and Moon Picture, The Legend of the White Snake, Old and Young Exchange Wives, Liang Shanbo Descends the Mountain, Li Da Creates a Scene in the Inn, Balancing the Lamp on the Head, The Mud Kiln, Black Jade Belt, Jiang Lang Divorces His Wife, Meeting in the Reed Grove and An'an Brings Rice, among others. Embroidering the Flower Lantern is one of the small plays, or shuashua xi, in the Dingzhou Yangge repertoire.
Making the Little Jacket
The traditional repertoire of Yangge opera divides into small plays and large plays. The small plays, popularly called 'shuashua xi', include Wang Xiao Leads the Mule, Borrowing, Turning the Millstone, Embroidering the Flower Lantern, Making the Little Jacket, Tianqi Temple, The Virtuous Young Sister-in-Law, Meeting at the Blue Bridge and Lü Mengzheng Goes Begging for Alms, among others; the large plays include Meeting at the Flower Pavilion, The Nine Garments, Reed Flowers, Sun and Moon Picture, The Legend of the White Snake, Old and Young Exchange Wives, Liang Shanbo Descends the Mountain, Li Da Creates a Scene in the Inn, Balancing the Lamp on the Head, The Mud Kiln, Black Jade Belt, Jiang Lang Divorces His Wife, Meeting in the Reed Grove and An'an Brings Rice, among others. Making the Little Jacket is one of the small plays, or shuashua xi, in the Dingzhou Yangge repertoire.
Tianqi Temple
The traditional repertoire of Yangge opera divides into small plays and large plays. The small plays, popularly called 'shuashua xi', include Wang Xiao Leads the Mule, Borrowing, Turning the Millstone, Embroidering the Flower Lantern, Making the Little Jacket, Tianqi Temple, The Virtuous Young Sister-in-Law, Meeting at the Blue Bridge and Lü Mengzheng Goes Begging for Alms, among others; the large plays include Meeting at the Flower Pavilion, The Nine Garments, Reed Flowers, Sun and Moon Picture, The Legend of the White Snake, Old and Young Exchange Wives, Liang Shanbo Descends the Mountain, Li Da Creates a Scene in the Inn, Balancing the Lamp on the Head, The Mud Kiln, Black Jade Belt, Jiang Lang Divorces His Wife, Meeting in the Reed Grove and An'an Brings Rice, among others. Tianqi Temple is one of the small plays, or shuashua xi, in the Dingzhou Yangge repertoire.
The Virtuous Young Sister-in-Law
The traditional repertoire of Yangge opera divides into small plays and large plays. The small plays, popularly called 'shuashua xi', include Wang Xiao Leads the Mule, Borrowing, Turning the Millstone, Embroidering the Flower Lantern, Making the Little Jacket, Tianqi Temple, The Virtuous Young Sister-in-Law, Meeting at the Blue Bridge and Lü Mengzheng Goes Begging for Alms, among others; the large plays include Meeting at the Flower Pavilion, The Nine Garments, Reed Flowers, Sun and Moon Picture, The Legend of the White Snake, Old and Young Exchange Wives, Liang Shanbo Descends the Mountain, Li Da Creates a Scene in the Inn, Balancing the Lamp on the Head, The Mud Kiln, Black Jade Belt, Jiang Lang Divorces His Wife, Meeting in the Reed Grove and An'an Brings Rice, among others. The Virtuous Young Sister-in-Law is one of the small plays, or shuashua xi, in the Dingzhou Yangge repertoire.
Meeting at the Blue Bridge
The traditional repertoire of Yangge opera divides into small plays and large plays. The small plays, popularly called 'shuashua xi', include Wang Xiao Leads the Mule, Borrowing, Turning the Millstone, Embroidering the Flower Lantern, Making the Little Jacket, Tianqi Temple, The Virtuous Young Sister-in-Law, Meeting at the Blue Bridge and Lü Mengzheng Goes Begging for Alms, among others; the large plays include Meeting at the Flower Pavilion, The Nine Garments, Reed Flowers, Sun and Moon Picture, The Legend of the White Snake, Old and Young Exchange Wives, Liang Shanbo Descends the Mountain, Li Da Creates a Scene in the Inn, Balancing the Lamp on the Head, The Mud Kiln, Black Jade Belt, Jiang Lang Divorces His Wife, Meeting in the Reed Grove and An'an Brings Rice, among others. Meeting at the Blue Bridge is one of the small plays, or shuashua xi, in the Dingzhou Yangge repertoire.
Lü Mengzheng Goes Begging for Alms
The traditional repertoire of Yangge opera divides into small plays and large plays. The small plays, popularly called 'shuashua xi', include Wang Xiao Leads the Mule, Borrowing, Turning the Millstone, Embroidering the Flower Lantern, Making the Little Jacket, Tianqi Temple, The Virtuous Young Sister-in-Law, Meeting at the Blue Bridge and Lü Mengzheng Goes Begging for Alms, among others; the large plays include Meeting at the Flower Pavilion, The Nine Garments, Reed Flowers, Sun and Moon Picture, The Legend of the White Snake, Old and Young Exchange Wives, Liang Shanbo Descends the Mountain, Li Da Creates a Scene in the Inn, Balancing the Lamp on the Head, The Mud Kiln, Black Jade Belt, Jiang Lang Divorces His Wife, Meeting in the Reed Grove and An'an Brings Rice, among others. Lü Mengzheng Goes Begging for Alms is one of the small plays, or shuashua xi, in the Dingzhou Yangge repertoire.
Meeting at the Flower Pavilion
The traditional repertoire of Yangge opera divides into small plays and large plays. The small plays, popularly called 'shuashua xi', include Wang Xiao Leads the Mule, Borrowing, Turning the Millstone, Embroidering the Flower Lantern, Making the Little Jacket, Tianqi Temple, The Virtuous Young Sister-in-Law, Meeting at the Blue Bridge and Lü Mengzheng Goes Begging for Alms, among others; the large plays include Meeting at the Flower Pavilion, The Nine Garments, Reed Flowers, Sun and Moon Picture, The Legend of the White Snake, Old and Young Exchange Wives, Liang Shanbo Descends the Mountain, Li Da Creates a Scene in the Inn, Balancing the Lamp on the Head, The Mud Kiln, Black Jade Belt, Jiang Lang Divorces His Wife, Meeting in the Reed Grove and An'an Brings Rice, among others. Meeting at the Flower Pavilion is one of the large plays in the Dingzhou Yangge repertoire.
The Nine Garments
The traditional repertoire of Yangge opera divides into small plays and large plays. The small plays, popularly called 'shuashua xi', include Wang Xiao Leads the Mule, Borrowing, Turning the Millstone, Embroidering the Flower Lantern, Making the Little Jacket, Tianqi Temple, The Virtuous Young Sister-in-Law, Meeting at the Blue Bridge and Lü Mengzheng Goes Begging for Alms, among others; the large plays include Meeting at the Flower Pavilion, The Nine Garments, Reed Flowers, Sun and Moon Picture, The Legend of the White Snake, Old and Young Exchange Wives, Liang Shanbo Descends the Mountain, Li Da Creates a Scene in the Inn, Balancing the Lamp on the Head, The Mud Kiln, Black Jade Belt, Jiang Lang Divorces His Wife, Meeting in the Reed Grove and An'an Brings Rice, among others. The Nine Garments is one of the large plays in the Dingzhou Yangge repertoire.
Reed Flowers
The traditional repertoire of Yangge opera divides into small plays and large plays. The small plays, popularly called 'shuashua xi', include Wang Xiao Leads the Mule, Borrowing, Turning the Millstone, Embroidering the Flower Lantern, Making the Little Jacket, Tianqi Temple, The Virtuous Young Sister-in-Law, Meeting at the Blue Bridge and Lü Mengzheng Goes Begging for Alms, among others; the large plays include Meeting at the Flower Pavilion, The Nine Garments, Reed Flowers, Sun and Moon Picture, The Legend of the White Snake, Old and Young Exchange Wives, Liang Shanbo Descends the Mountain, Li Da Creates a Scene in the Inn, Balancing the Lamp on the Head, The Mud Kiln, Black Jade Belt, Jiang Lang Divorces His Wife, Meeting in the Reed Grove and An'an Brings Rice, among others. Reed Flowers is one of the large plays in the Dingzhou Yangge repertoire.
Sun and Moon Picture
The traditional repertoire of Yangge opera divides into small plays and large plays. The small plays, popularly called 'shuashua xi', include Wang Xiao Leads the Mule, Borrowing, Turning the Millstone, Embroidering the Flower Lantern, Making the Little Jacket, Tianqi Temple, The Virtuous Young Sister-in-Law, Meeting at the Blue Bridge and Lü Mengzheng Goes Begging for Alms, among others; the large plays include Meeting at the Flower Pavilion, The Nine Garments, Reed Flowers, Sun and Moon Picture, The Legend of the White Snake, Old and Young Exchange Wives, Liang Shanbo Descends the Mountain, Li Da Creates a Scene in the Inn, Balancing the Lamp on the Head, The Mud Kiln, Black Jade Belt, Jiang Lang Divorces His Wife, Meeting in the Reed Grove and An'an Brings Rice, among others. Sun and Moon Picture is one of the large plays in the Dingzhou Yangge repertoire.
The Legend of the White Snake
The traditional repertoire of Yangge opera divides into small plays and large plays. The small plays, popularly called 'shuashua xi', include Wang Xiao Leads the Mule, Borrowing, Turning the Millstone, Embroidering the Flower Lantern, Making the Little Jacket, Tianqi Temple, The Virtuous Young Sister-in-Law, Meeting at the Blue Bridge and Lü Mengzheng Goes Begging for Alms, among others; the large plays include Meeting at the Flower Pavilion, The Nine Garments, Reed Flowers, Sun and Moon Picture, The Legend of the White Snake, Old and Young Exchange Wives, Liang Shanbo Descends the Mountain, Li Da Creates a Scene in the Inn, Balancing the Lamp on the Head, The Mud Kiln, Black Jade Belt, Jiang Lang Divorces His Wife, Meeting in the Reed Grove and An'an Brings Rice, among others. The Legend of the White Snake is one of the large plays in the Dingzhou Yangge repertoire.
Old and Young Exchange Wives
The traditional repertoire of Yangge opera divides into small plays and large plays. The small plays, popularly called 'shuashua xi', include Wang Xiao Leads the Mule, Borrowing, Turning the Millstone, Embroidering the Flower Lantern, Making the Little Jacket, Tianqi Temple, The Virtuous Young Sister-in-Law, Meeting at the Blue Bridge and Lü Mengzheng Goes Begging for Alms, among others; the large plays include Meeting at the Flower Pavilion, The Nine Garments, Reed Flowers, Sun and Moon Picture, The Legend of the White Snake, Old and Young Exchange Wives, Liang Shanbo Descends the Mountain, Li Da Creates a Scene in the Inn, Balancing the Lamp on the Head, The Mud Kiln, Black Jade Belt, Jiang Lang Divorces His Wife, Meeting in the Reed Grove and An'an Brings Rice, among others. Old and Young Exchange Wives is one of the large plays in the Dingzhou Yangge repertoire.
Liang Shanbo Descends the Mountain
The traditional repertoire of Yangge opera divides into small plays and large plays. The small plays, popularly called 'shuashua xi', include Wang Xiao Leads the Mule, Borrowing, Turning the Millstone, Embroidering the Flower Lantern, Making the Little Jacket, Tianqi Temple, The Virtuous Young Sister-in-Law, Meeting at the Blue Bridge and Lü Mengzheng Goes Begging for Alms, among others; the large plays include Meeting at the Flower Pavilion, The Nine Garments, Reed Flowers, Sun and Moon Picture, The Legend of the White Snake, Old and Young Exchange Wives, Liang Shanbo Descends the Mountain, Li Da Creates a Scene in the Inn, Balancing the Lamp on the Head, The Mud Kiln, Black Jade Belt, Jiang Lang Divorces His Wife, Meeting in the Reed Grove and An'an Brings Rice, among others. Liang Shanbo Descends the Mountain is one of the large plays in the Dingzhou Yangge repertoire.
Li Da Creates a Scene in the Inn
The traditional repertoire of Yangge opera divides into small plays and large plays. The small plays, popularly called 'shuashua xi', include Wang Xiao Leads the Mule, Borrowing, Turning the Millstone, Embroidering the Flower Lantern, Making the Little Jacket, Tianqi Temple, The Virtuous Young Sister-in-Law, Meeting at the Blue Bridge and Lü Mengzheng Goes Begging for Alms, among others; the large plays include Meeting at the Flower Pavilion, The Nine Garments, Reed Flowers, Sun and Moon Picture, The Legend of the White Snake, Old and Young Exchange Wives, Liang Shanbo Descends the Mountain, Li Da Creates a Scene in the Inn, Balancing the Lamp on the Head, The Mud Kiln, Black Jade Belt, Jiang Lang Divorces His Wife, Meeting in the Reed Grove and An'an Brings Rice, among others. Li Da Creates a Scene in the Inn is one of the large plays in the Dingzhou Yangge repertoire.
Balancing the Lamp on the Head
The traditional repertoire of Yangge opera divides into small plays and large plays. The small plays, popularly called 'shuashua xi', include Wang Xiao Leads the Mule, Borrowing, Turning the Millstone, Embroidering the Flower Lantern, Making the Little Jacket, Tianqi Temple, The Virtuous Young Sister-in-Law, Meeting at the Blue Bridge and Lü Mengzheng Goes Begging for Alms, among others; the large plays include Meeting at the Flower Pavilion, The Nine Garments, Reed Flowers, Sun and Moon Picture, The Legend of the White Snake, Old and Young Exchange Wives, Liang Shanbo Descends the Mountain, Li Da Creates a Scene in the Inn, Balancing the Lamp on the Head, The Mud Kiln, Black Jade Belt, Jiang Lang Divorces His Wife, Meeting in the Reed Grove and An'an Brings Rice, among others. Balancing the Lamp on the Head is one of the large plays in the Dingzhou Yangge repertoire, its title referring to the skill of holding a lamp aloft on the head.
The Mud Kiln
The traditional repertoire of Yangge opera divides into small plays and large plays. The small plays, popularly called 'shuashua xi', include Wang Xiao Leads the Mule, Borrowing, Turning the Millstone, Embroidering the Flower Lantern, Making the Little Jacket, Tianqi Temple, The Virtuous Young Sister-in-Law, Meeting at the Blue Bridge and Lü Mengzheng Goes Begging for Alms, among others; the large plays include Meeting at the Flower Pavilion, The Nine Garments, Reed Flowers, Sun and Moon Picture, The Legend of the White Snake, Old and Young Exchange Wives, Liang Shanbo Descends the Mountain, Li Da Creates a Scene in the Inn, Balancing the Lamp on the Head, The Mud Kiln, Black Jade Belt, Jiang Lang Divorces His Wife, Meeting in the Reed Grove and An'an Brings Rice, among others. The Mud Kiln is one of the large plays in the Dingzhou Yangge repertoire.
Black Jade Belt
The traditional repertoire of Yangge opera divides into small plays and large plays. The small plays, popularly called 'shuashua xi', include Wang Xiao Leads the Mule, Borrowing, Turning the Millstone, Embroidering the Flower Lantern, Making the Little Jacket, Tianqi Temple, The Virtuous Young Sister-in-Law, Meeting at the Blue Bridge and Lü Mengzheng Goes Begging for Alms, among others; the large plays include Meeting at the Flower Pavilion, The Nine Garments, Reed Flowers, Sun and Moon Picture, The Legend of the White Snake, Old and Young Exchange Wives, Liang Shanbo Descends the Mountain, Li Da Creates a Scene in the Inn, Balancing the Lamp on the Head, The Mud Kiln, Black Jade Belt, Jiang Lang Divorces His Wife, Meeting in the Reed Grove and An'an Brings Rice, among others. Black Jade Belt is one of the large plays in the Dingzhou Yangge repertoire.
Jiang Lang Divorces His Wife
The traditional repertoire of Yangge opera divides into small plays and large plays. The small plays, popularly called 'shuashua xi', include Wang Xiao Leads the Mule, Borrowing, Turning the Millstone, Embroidering the Flower Lantern, Making the Little Jacket, Tianqi Temple, The Virtuous Young Sister-in-Law, Meeting at the Blue Bridge and Lü Mengzheng Goes Begging for Alms, among others; the large plays include Meeting at the Flower Pavilion, The Nine Garments, Reed Flowers, Sun and Moon Picture, The Legend of the White Snake, Old and Young Exchange Wives, Liang Shanbo Descends the Mountain, Li Da Creates a Scene in the Inn, Balancing the Lamp on the Head, The Mud Kiln, Black Jade Belt, Jiang Lang Divorces His Wife, Meeting in the Reed Grove and An'an Brings Rice, among others. Jiang Lang Divorces His Wife is one of the large plays in the Dingzhou Yangge repertoire.
Meeting in the Reed Grove
The traditional repertoire of Yangge opera divides into small plays and large plays. The small plays, popularly called 'shuashua xi', include Wang Xiao Leads the Mule, Borrowing, Turning the Millstone, Embroidering the Flower Lantern, Making the Little Jacket, Tianqi Temple, The Virtuous Young Sister-in-Law, Meeting at the Blue Bridge and Lü Mengzheng Goes Begging for Alms, among others; the large plays include Meeting at the Flower Pavilion, The Nine Garments, Reed Flowers, Sun and Moon Picture, The Legend of the White Snake, Old and Young Exchange Wives, Liang Shanbo Descends the Mountain, Li Da Creates a Scene in the Inn, Balancing the Lamp on the Head, The Mud Kiln, Black Jade Belt, Jiang Lang Divorces His Wife, Meeting in the Reed Grove and An'an Brings Rice, among others. Meeting in the Reed Grove is one of the large plays in the Dingzhou Yangge repertoire.
An'an Brings Rice
The traditional repertoire of Yangge opera divides into small plays and large plays. The small plays, popularly called 'shuashua xi', include Wang Xiao Leads the Mule, Borrowing, Turning the Millstone, Embroidering the Flower Lantern, Making the Little Jacket, Tianqi Temple, The Virtuous Young Sister-in-Law, Meeting at the Blue Bridge and Lü Mengzheng Goes Begging for Alms, among others; the large plays include Meeting at the Flower Pavilion, The Nine Garments, Reed Flowers, Sun and Moon Picture, The Legend of the White Snake, Old and Young Exchange Wives, Liang Shanbo Descends the Mountain, Li Da Creates a Scene in the Inn, Balancing the Lamp on the Head, The Mud Kiln, Black Jade Belt, Jiang Lang Divorces His Wife, Meeting in the Reed Grove and An'an Brings Rice, among others. An'an Brings Rice is one of the large plays in the Dingzhou Yangge repertoire.
Brother and Sister Reclaim Wasteland
During the War of Resistance against Japan, Yan'an and the anti-Japanese base areas launched a new Yangge play movement that reformed the music, performance and costuming of Yangge opera and staged works such as Brother and Sister Reclaim Wasteland, Husband and Wife Learn to Read and Write and Niu Yonggui Is Wounded, whose subjects were the participation of the masses in production, study and struggle against the enemy. Brother and Sister Reclaim Wasteland is one of the new Yangge plays created in that movement, its subject being the participation of the masses in production.
Husband and Wife Learn to Read and Write
During the War of Resistance against Japan, Yan'an and the anti-Japanese base areas launched a new Yangge play movement that reformed the music, performance and costuming of Yangge opera and staged works such as Brother and Sister Reclaim Wasteland, Husband and Wife Learn to Read and Write and Niu Yonggui Is Wounded, whose subjects were the participation of the masses in production, study and struggle against the enemy. Husband and Wife Learn to Read and Write is one of the new Yangge plays created in that movement, its subject being the participation of the masses in study.
Niu Yonggui Is Wounded
During the War of Resistance against Japan, Yan'an and the anti-Japanese base areas launched a new Yangge play movement that reformed the music, performance and costuming of Yangge opera and staged works such as Brother and Sister Reclaim Wasteland, Husband and Wife Learn to Read and Write and Niu Yonggui Is Wounded, whose subjects were the participation of the masses in production, study and struggle against the enemy. Niu Yonggui Is Wounded is one of the new Yangge plays created in that movement, its subject being the participation of the masses in struggle against the enemy.
Selected Dingxian Yangge Plays
Selected Dingxian Yangge Plays, collected and published by the noted social scientist Li Jinghan, includes close to one hundred plays. The volume is an anthology of plays rather than a single stage work, and it is the principal printed record of the Dingzhou Yangge repertoire.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Yangge opera is a form of folk theatre widely popular in northern China, distributed mainly in Shanxi, Hebei and Shaanxi, as well as Inner Mongolia, Shandong and other places.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Yangge Opera · Yangge Opera · Yangge Opera · Yangge Opera · Yangge Opera · Yangge Opera · Yangge Opera · Yangge Opera · Yangge Opera · Yangge Opera · Yangge Opera.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Selected Dingxian Yangge Plays, collected and published by the noted social scientist Li Jinghan, includes close to one hundred plays. At present Dingzhou Yangge is declining day by day, and rescue, protection and transmission are pressing. Zhang Zhanyuan (as recorded in the official file of the associated inheritor): Male, of Han ethnicity, born in 1941, from Dingzhou, Hebei. Zhang Zhanyuan is accomplished in the music, metrical patterns, vocal styles and percussion accompaniment of Dingzhou Yangge opera, is versed in the performing techniques of every role type, can write and devise Dingzhou Yangge scripts, design the musical vocal styles for a script, and direct plays, making important contributions in both theory and practice. His representative work is Yiba Cao (A Handful of Grass); representative works for his vocal-style designs include Bagao Qing (Scraped Millet-Cake) and Dajing Tang (Beating the Scripture Hall). He is a representative inheritor of Yangge opera (Dingzhou Yangge opera) of the second national-level batch of intangible cultural heritage items.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Liu Qiaoju 02-0601
- Wu Niancheng 02-0602
- Zhang Zhanyuan 02-0603
- Zhang Yuanye 02-0604
- Zhang Fu 03-1060
- Zhang Runlai 03-1061
- Miao Gensheng 03-1062
- Bai Meiyun 03-1063
- Ren Senkui 03-1064
- Wu Yumei 04-1650
- Yang Shengxiang 04-1651
- Wang Zhilan 05-2381
- Sun Guiming 05-2382
- Li Yingying 05-2383
- Qu Dengmei
- Zhang Fenran
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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