Laodiao
01 · Historical Records
Baoding laodiao is a local operatic genre transmitted in the Baoding region of Hebei Province. Also known as laodiao bangzi, it began as the folk tune hexitiao sung in the rural flower fairs around Baiyangdian, and by the Daoguang and Xianfeng reigns of the Qing dynasty it had begun to take on the shape of a staged drama.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
In its early period the role types of laodiao were mainly sheng and jing, and since both of these sang the same laosheng tune, the genre came to be called laodiao, the “old tune”. The vocal style of laodiao is strongly narrative in character; it is simple, impassioned, vigorous and broad, coarse and resonant, giving the audience a sense of depth, weight, majesty and grandeur. It displays the distinctive regional character of Yanzhao — loyal-hearted and fiery-tempered, with a heroic and sorrowful song. The vocal style of laodiao belongs to the banqiang (metrical) system. Its basic tune is made up of an upper phrase and a lower phrase that are structurally similar and share the same cadential tone; a number of such upper and lower phrases repeat in cycles to form a sung passage. The lyrics follow a narrative-singing format quite close to that of great-drum lyrics. Laodiao has a complete set of civil and martial roles, with many role types including laosheng, laowai, xiaosheng, wusheng, qingyi, huadan, daomadan, laodan, caidan, hualian and chou. Its performance is warm and unpretentious, natural and flowing, and every gesture, sung passage, sigh, spoken line and recitation is steeped in a strong local colour.
The Yang Family Generals
Baoding laodiao mostly depicts the legendary stories of emperors and ministers and of heroes of the wild, and its plays come from two sources: some were adapted from tunes of the wooden clapper great drum (mubandagu) popular in the locality, such as The Yang Family Generals and The Hu Family Generals; others were transplanted from gaoqiang plays, such as The Battle at Qipan Street, Shanhaiguan and Inviting the Qing Troops.
The Hu Family Generals
Baoding laodiao mostly depicts the legendary stories of emperors and ministers and of heroes of the wild, and its plays come from two sources: some were adapted from tunes of the wooden clapper great drum (mubandagu) popular in the locality, such as The Yang Family Generals and The Hu Family Generals; others were transplanted from gaoqiang plays, such as The Battle at Qipan Street, Shanhaiguan and Inviting the Qing Troops.
The Battle at Qipan Street
Baoding laodiao mostly depicts the legendary stories of emperors and ministers and of heroes of the wild, and its plays come from two sources: some were adapted from tunes of the wooden clapper great drum (mubandagu) popular in the locality, such as The Yang Family Generals and The Hu Family Generals; others were transplanted from gaoqiang plays, such as The Battle at Qipan Street, Shanhaiguan and Inviting the Qing Troops.
Shanhaiguan
Baoding laodiao mostly depicts the legendary stories of emperors and ministers and of heroes of the wild, and its plays come from two sources: some were adapted from tunes of the wooden clapper great drum (mubandagu) popular in the locality, such as The Yang Family Generals and The Hu Family Generals; others were transplanted from gaoqiang plays, such as The Battle at Qipan Street, Shanhaiguan and Inviting the Qing Troops.
Inviting the Qing Troops
Baoding laodiao mostly depicts the legendary stories of emperors and ministers and of heroes of the wild, and its plays come from two sources: some were adapted from tunes of the wooden clapper great drum (mubandagu) popular in the locality, such as The Yang Family Generals and The Hu Family Generals; others were transplanted from gaoqiang plays, such as The Battle at Qipan Street, Shanhaiguan and Inviting the Qing Troops.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Baoding laodiao mostly depicts the legendary stories of emperors and ministers and of heroes of the wild, and its plays come from two sources: some were adapted from tunes of the wooden clapper great drum (mubandagu) popular in the locality, such as The Yang Family Generals and The Hu Family Generals; others were transplanted from gaoqiang plays, such as The Battle at Qipan Street, Shanhaiguan and Inviting the Qing Troops. Baoding laodiao bears clear regional features and an extremely distinctive artistic style. It is of important reference value for the study of the local history and culture, of folk customs, and of the origins, formation and development of Chinese local opera as a whole.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Laodiao.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Wang Guanying (official archival record of associated inheritors): A national first-class performer. She successively apprenticed herself to the famous laodiao artists Zhou Fucai, Gao Jiayu and Zhang Wenhai, studying dan-role plays, and later changed to singing laosheng roles. In 1954 she joined the Baoding laodiao troupe, serving in turn as deputy head and as head of the troupe. She excelled in singing, with a high register that is vigorous and resonant and a low register that is light and airy, and an performance that is graceful and uninhibited. Her representative works include the laodiao films Pan Yang's Suit and Loyal Martyrs for a Thousand Autumns, and the laodiao television art films Juma Order and The Turmoil at Qin Court. She published and released more than ten sets of cassette recordings, among them Fan Xuzhou, Wang Zuo's Severed Arm and A Selection of Wang Guanying's Vocal Styles, and she played major roles in more than sixty laodiao plays. Her formal disciples include Wang Huishu, Zhang Sigang, Han Wenmei and seven others. Female, Han nationality, born in August 1939, died in June 2014, native of Anxin County, Hebei Province. Representative inheritor of laodiao (Baoding laodiao), a national-level intangible cultural heritage project in the third batch. Xin Qiuhua (official archival record of associated inheritors): Female, Han nationality, born in December 1937, native of Anxin County, Hebei Province. A national first-class performer. At the age of 13 she began performing with her village troupe; in 1959 she was transferred to the Baoding regional laodiao troupe, where she specialised in laodan roles, and she chiefly learned and inherited the artistic essence of such masters as Zhou Fucai, Gao Jiayu and Zhang Wenhai. Her performance combines the vigour of the male with the softness of the female. Her voice is round and clear and penetrating; her singing is vigorous and upright, high without harshness and low yet carrying, delicate and expressive. She drew on the strengths of such genres as Peking opera, bangzi, Jin opera and the Xihua great drum, giving her performance greater power to move the audience. Her principal representative works include Pan Yang's Suit, Loyal Martyrs for a Thousand Autumns, Wang Zuo's Severed Arm, Chaoyanggou and Yangyang Nao — more than forty full-length traditional costume plays and modern plays — and she starred in the laodiao films Pan Yang's Suit and Loyal Martyrs for a Thousand Autumns. The image of She Taijun she portrayed is warm and sincere. Representative inheritor of laodiao (Baoding laodiao), a national-level intangible cultural heritage project in the third batch. She has trained disciples such as Shi Yanmei and Zhang Chanjuan.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Wang Guanying 03-1093
- Xin Qiuhua 03-1094
- Jia Junxia 05-2424
- Du Zhenzhong
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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