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. The 'yangge' tunes were brought into the Fendi and Baima Shi area of Fanzhi during the Wanli reign of the Ming dynasty (now part of Ying County). At that time they were only a form of square art performed by mobile street stalls, which the common people called 'wanyier', and which was also named Fendi Yangge after the locality. On 1 October 1956 the Fanzhi County government organised the scattered folk artists and formally founded the Fanzhi Yangge Opera Troupe. Fanzhi Yangge opera evolved out of folk dance into opera, and traces of that process of transformation are still preserved today.
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. Fanzhi County, named for its many temples, lies in the northeast of Shanxi Province and belongs to Xinzhou City. During the Daoguang reign of the Qing dynasty the folk artists Zhang Xin and Zhang Dai collected the yangge tunes and instrumental tune patterns popular in various places and improved upon them, and also absorbed the vocal styles of other operatic genres into 'yangge'. They transplanted plays from other genres onto the stage, which were warmly received by the broad masses and have circulated to this day. Fanzhi Yangge opera has 86 plays, more than seventy of which are performed regularly; among them are early folk small plays and multi-act large plays that developed gradually. The vocal structure of Fanzhi Yangge is composed of a mixture of the metrical form and the tune-pattern form, with ten basic metrical patterns in the metrical system and seventeen 'xundiao' in the tune-pattern system, together with a number of minor ditties and 75 instrumental tune patterns. In particular its vocal styles assimilate the forms of the vocal styles of several types of operatic genre, which is of important value for the study of the development history of Chinese theatre.
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 Fanzhi 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 Fanzhi 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 Fanzhi 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 Fanzhi 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 Fanzhi 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 Fanzhi 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 Fanzhi 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 Fanzhi 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 Fanzhi 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 Fanzhi 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 Fanzhi Yangge repertoire, and one of the representative works of the inheritor Zhang Runlai.
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 Fanzhi 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 Fanzhi 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 Fanzhi 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 Fanzhi 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 Fanzhi 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 Fanzhi 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 Fanzhi 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 Fanzhi 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 Fanzhi 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 Fanzhi 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 Fanzhi 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 Fanzhi 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.
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. Fanzhi Yangge opera is popular in Fanzhi County and the surrounding area.
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
Zhang Runlai (as recorded in the official file of the associated inheritor): Male, of Han ethnicity, born in October 1932, from Fanzhi County, Shanxi Province. As a child he often took part in folk shehuo performances and developed a strong interest in Yangge opera. At seventeen he began to study Yangge opera under such folk masters as Yang Lian, Wang Weibang and Guo Shoucheng, specialising at first in the xiaosheng (little male) role and later changing to the bearded male and old male roles; his stage name was 'Erdandan'. His vocal style is vigorous and sonorous, of great momentum; on the basis of inheriting traditional Yangge singing techniques he also boldly applied the finest melodies of other operatic genres to the music and vocal styles of Fanzhi Yangge, forming a school of his own, and is much admired by Yangge opera enthusiasts in Xinzhou and in the Yanbei region. His representative works include Jiu Jian Yi (The Nine Garments) and Yesu Huating (Night Lodging at the Flower Pavilion). After the Fanzhi Yangge Opera Troupe was founded in 1956 he became one of its first batch of professional actors. He is a representative inheritor of Yangge opera (Fanzhi Yangge opera) of the third national-level batch of intangible cultural heritage items. After becoming deputy head of the troupe for artistic affairs in 1978, he opened a Yangge opera training school, taught in person, and trained several cohorts of students. Wu Yumei (as recorded in the official file of the associated inheritor): Female, of Han ethnicity, born in August 1946, from Dai County, Shanxi Province. At the same time she also studied under noted Beilu bangzi artists such as Wang Yushan (stage name Shuishang Piao, 'Drifting on the Water'), Jia Guilin (stage name Xiaodian Deng, 'Little Electric Lamp') and Huo Jinfeng, gathering the strengths of each school, innovating Fanzhi Yangge opera and forming the 'Meimei qiang' singing style for the xiaodan and qingyi role types of Fanzhi Yangge. Her stage appearance is beautiful, her singing and acting both excellent, her vocal range broad and sonorous, combining strength and gentleness; she deftly blends the finest elements of other genres into her own vocal style, losing neither the flavour of Yangge nor achieving a style of her own. Her representative works include Nao Huayuan (Uproar in the Garden), Lienü Zhuan (The Story of a Chaste Woman), Song Jiang Sha Xi (Song Jiang Kills His Concubine), Lin Gu Chuang (The Unicorn Bone Bed), Yuhe Qiao (The Imperial River Bridge) and Qiangtou Mashang (On the Wall and on Horseback). She began formally taking apprentices in 1979, and most of her disciples have since become leading members of the troupe. She is a representative inheritor of Yangge opera (Fanzhi Yangge opera) of the fourth 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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