Daoqing Opera

01 · Historical Records

Daoqing opera is a folk small theatre form popular in the Yellow River basin of China. It originated in the "jingyun" (scripture chanting) sung by Daoist priests in the Tang dynasty, and in the Song dynasty developed into the narrative-singing art known as daoqing guzici, in which sung passages alternate with spoken narration. In the Qianlong reign of the Qing dynasty, the narrative-singing Daoqing current in northern Shanxi was transferred to the operatic stage and became a theatrical genre deeply loved by local audiences. After the 1980s, competition among the various art forms and entertainment media intensified and Daoqing opera was badly hit; amateur folk performances became ever rarer, professional troupes found survival difficult, and the genre urgently needed to be rescued and protected. It is rare and precious, with a long history: from the late Qing to the early Republic period was the period of maturity of Daoqing opera, and after the founding of the People's Republic of China came the period in which Daoqing developed from small troupes into full troupes.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

Around the time when northern Shanxi Daoqing was mounted on the operatic stage, Linxian Daoqing, current in western Shanxi, also went onto the stage; Hongtong Daoqing, current in southern Shanxi, was likewise brought to the stage twice, in the Xianfeng reign and in the Xuantong reign, but it did not survive. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Daoqing operas such as Hedong Daoqing, current in southern Shanxi, Zhoukou Daoqing of Zhoukou in Henan, and Languan opera of Shandong in turn developed into stage plays. The early repertoire of Daoqing mostly depicts the life of Daoists and propagates Daoist doctrine, among them Scripture Hall Meeting, Lin Ying in Two Acts and Tall Manor. The middle-period repertoire consists mostly of Daoist tales of the cultivation of virtue and exhortation to goodness, the representative plays being Wang Xiang Sleeping on the Ice, Guo Ju Burying His Son and Xiao Tao Grinding Ink. The repertoire of the middle and later periods tells stories reflecting folk life, the representative plays being Old and Young Exchanging Wives, Beating the Kitchen God, Balancing the Lamp and Beating the Knife. Daoqing opera in every locality has its own set of vocal tune patterns: northern Shanxi Daoqing has 【Shuahaier】, 【Xijiang Yue】, 【Langtaosha】 and others, while Linxian Daoqing has 【Qizi Diao】, 【Shizi Diao】, 【Zhongnan Diao】, 【Luotousha】, 【Yizhi Mei】, 【Taipingnian】, 【Yanzifei】 and others. In the civil section of Daoqing opera the accompanying instruments are the flute, four-string fiddle, large banhu and small banhu; in the martial section, apart from the yugu and jianban, the other instruments are the same as those used in bangzi opera. The roles fall into five lines: red (bearded male roles), black (painted-face roles), young male roles, female roles and clown roles. Performance puts the emphasis on the civil side rather than the martial, and its strength lies in singing. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, professional Daoqing troupes were established at Yingxian and Linxian in Shanxi, further perfecting and enhancing the singing art of Daoqing. Taikang Daoqing has a great many kinds of genre and a rich repertoire; according to the survey statistics it has more than thirty tune patterns and melodies, comprising three major classes and five principal varieties. The three major classes are vocal style, performance and music; the five varieties are vocal schools, performance formulae, musical systems, qupai melodies and percussion. The formation of these categories in Taikang Daoqing involved both folk art handed down from earlier times and elements interpolated from sister arts, and in the end produced characteristics peculiar to Taikang Daoqing. At present only some seventy traditional Taikang Daoqing plays and some forty modern plays survive. The music of Daoqing opera falls into four great classes: String instruments: Daoqing hu, erhu, daohu and zhonghu; wind instruments: suona, sheng and transverse flute; plucked instruments: se, zongruan, sanxian and zheng; percussion: hall drum, large palm drum, small drum, gongs (medium, high and low), bo, nao, cymbals, yugu (that is, the Daoqing jian), wooden clappers, clapper bells and others.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

Daoqing of Taikang County is a folk operatic art, distributed in Taikang and the surrounding area.

Other submitting regions for the same item: Daoqing Opera · Daoqing Opera · Daoqing Opera · Daoqing Opera · Daoqing Opera · Daoqing Opera · Daoqing Opera · Daoqing Opera.

04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

According to the survey statistics, among Daoqing plays there are more than one hundred and sixty traditional plays in historical costume (excluding imported works) and more than sixty modern plays (excluding imported works); in their long circulation many of these plays have already been lost. The lineage of Taikang Daoqing comprises four troupes and six generations of inheritors, to which are added the inheritors of Daoqing musical modes and instrumentation, the whole being divided into four parts. The thirty-one renowned veteran artists still living today are the fourth generation of Daoqing inheritors, and the fifth and sixth generations form the main backbone of the present Taikang Daoqing troupe. The highly decorated Taikang Daoqing has now fallen into difficulty for a variety of objective reasons. The Party and the government have given it much support and have done a great deal of work to excavate, rescue, inherit and promote it, yet quite a number of hard problems remain unsolved. Zhu Ximei (as recorded in the official file of the associated inheritor): Female, of Han ethnicity, born in 1940, native of Taikang, Henan. She worked in the Taikang County Daoqing troupe from 1957 to 1994. Her vocal style is lofty and full-throated, clear and mellow, combining strength and gentleness with sinuous intricacy, and her performance is dignified and unassuming in manner, restrained in style, plain and natural yet rich in content. Representative works include Wang Jindou Borrows Grain and Zhang Tingxi Makes a Private Visit. She is a representative inheritor of Daoqing opera (Taikang Daoqing opera) in the second batch of national-level intangible cultural heritage projects, and a national second-grade performer.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:

• Zhang Ruifeng 02-0605
• Ren Linlin 02-0606
• Zhu Ximei 02-0607
• Huang Fenglan 04-1652
• Liu Haozhi 04-1653
• Wu Cuihua 05-2384
• Lei Tongxia 05-2385
• Bianxiao 05-2386
• Ji Xianglin
• Fan Yu
• Dou Fengxia

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

1. Daoqing Opera (Taikang, Henan) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Zhu Ximei · National Representative Bearer Archive

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗