Errentai
01 · Historical Records
Errentai circulates mainly around Fugu county, Shaanxi; it appeared about the Tongzhi reign of the Qing and has a history of nearly two hundred years. In the late Qing the folk artists of Fugu, to make a living, banded together into troupes and sang errentai along the middle reaches of the Yellow River, forming many “plaything troupes”. In the late Qing and early Republic its content was somewhat enriched. In 1953 Ding Xicai represented the north-west at the Second National Folk Music and Dance Festival, singing Wu Ge Fang Yang and Ni Gu Si Fan, to the praise of colleagues and specialists. Drawing on local opera annals, in the late Qing Fugu artists banded together to sing errentai along the middle Yellow River, forming many “plaything troupes”; in 1953 Ding Xicai represented the north-west at the national festival, making Fugu errentai known across the country.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
In the early years of New China, under the influence of the “New Yangge Movement”, folk artists carried out fairly extensive reform of errentai, in which such artists as Ding Xicai and Wang Xiangrong played an important role. Fugu errentai music has the four modes gong, shang, zhi and yu, most commonly zhi and shang. In performance short songs and qupai music express the joys and sorrows of working people. Each scene generally has only two actors, a chou and a dan; early errentai had virtually no actresses, the dan being played by men, with the chou performing around the dan, a practice called “rolling the edge” or “playing the clown”. After the appearance of errentai short songs and sketches the roles in the plays increased. Fugu errentai gives equal weight to short songs and qupai music, with one chou and one dan as its main form, its singing combining true and falsetto voice and its phrasing high and bright; its works mostly express the joys and sorrows of working people and carry a strong flavour of life.
Zou Xikou (Journey Beyond the Western Pass)
A representative errentai piece on the parting sorrow of the “journey beyond the western pass” migration, widely sung locally.
Wu Ge Fang Yang (Fifth Brother Tends Sheep)
A traditional errentai piece sung by the inheritor Ding Xicai at the national festival in 1953.
Ni Gu Si Fan (The Nun Longs for the World)
A traditional errentai piece sung by Ding Xicai at the national festival in 1953.
Xiu Hebao (Embroidering the Sachet)
A traditional errentai qupai with which the inheritor Dan Wenzhen won an award at the national errentai folk-song competition.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Fugu errentai is popular along the Yellow River in northern Shaanxi and in north-western Shanxi and south-western Inner Mongolia; lying at the Shaanxi–Shanxi–Inner Mongolia border, its singing combines the bleakness of northern Shaanxi folk song with the openness of Inner Mongolian short tunes, with the Fugu county cultural centre as the project's protection body.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Errentai · Errentai · Errentai · Errentai · Errentai.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Dan Wenzhen (as recorded in the official dossier of an associated inheritor): male, Han, born in June 1951 in Fugu county, Shaanxi. From 1966 he studied errentai performance under the folk artist Ding Xicai, mastering the playing of such instruments of Fugu errentai as the flute, sihu and yangqin and becoming a leading errentai singer. His singing uses a combination of true and falsetto voice, rising and falling, high and bright, with a distinctive flavour. In 2008 he trained two Fugu errentai community bands and helped found the Fugu County Yellow River Folk Culture and Art Publicity Team, and that year became band leader of the newly founded Fugu County Errentai Art Troupe. He is a representative inheritor of errentai in the third batch of national intangible cultural heritage projects. Invited to the national errentai folk-song competition held in Inner Mongolia, the song Zou Xikou he accompanied won a gold award and the errentai qupai Xiu Hebao he played won a silver award. He is devoted to transmitting errentai art and actively trains new talent. Fugu errentai preserves such pieces as Zou Xikou and Xiu Hebao and a wealth of folk qupai, making it an important sample for studying folk song and migrant culture along the middle Yellow River; the locality, relying on the cultural centre and folk troupes, sustains the art through band training and community performance.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Feng Laisuo 02-0611
- Shi Wanfu 02-0612
- Feng Juncai 02-0613
- Wu Liping 03-1065
- Du Huanrong 03-1066
- Jia Deyi 03-1067
- Danwenzhen 03-1068
- Xu Yueying 04-1654
- Huo Banzhu 04-1655
- Gaolemei 05-2387
- Zhang Meilan
- Hao Yunjing
- Duan Bawang
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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