Xiju Opera
01 · Historical Records
Since the Qianjia reign of the Qing dynasty, tanhuang in the Wu language has flourished, and by the Daoguang reign professional or semi-professional tanhuang performers had appeared. On the basis of long practice this folk art of singing and narration gradually developed and transformed into an independent operatic genre with its own vocal system.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Xiju, formerly called “tanhuang”, is one of the principal operatic genres of Jiangsu province. Its place of origin is said by one account to be in the northeastern countryside of Wuxi city and by another to be the De'anqiao area of Changzhou city, hence the names “xi tan” and “chang tan”. The vocal music of xiju takes “huangdiao” as its basic tune, while also incorporating dozens of tunes such as “dalu ban” and “linglingdiao”. Over years of performance xiju has formed a number of vocal schools with strong artistic individuality — the Yao (Cheng) school, the Wang (Lanying) school, the Shen (Peihua) school, the Wang (Binbin) school, the Mei (Lanzhen) school, the Wang (Hanqing) school and the Wu (Yatong) school — which have actively driven the development of the genre. The role types of xiju centre on huadan and xiaosheng; such representative plays as Double Mill Push, Meeting in the Nunnery Hall, Recognising the Mother in the Nunnery Hall and Twin Pearl Phoenix have all been filmed as xiqu cinema feature films. Besides its traditional repertory, xiju also has a body of fine modern plays, among which The Red Seed is the most highly praised. In recent years the traditional play The Pearl Tower, re-created by a new generation of xiju performing artists, won the Ministry of Culture award for new repertoire, marking a further stage in the development of xiju in the new period. The tunes of xiju are elegant and lyrical, rich in the flavour of everyday life and distinctive of the Jiangnan water-town style, a precious treasure in the storehouse of Wu culture.
Double Mill Push
The role types of xiju centre on huadan and xiaosheng; such representative plays as Double Mill Push, Meeting in the Nunnery Hall, Recognising the Mother in the Nunnery Hall and Twin Pearl Phoenix have all been filmed as xiqu cinema feature films.
Meeting in the Nunnery Hall
The role types of xiju centre on huadan and xiaosheng; such representative plays as Double Mill Push, Meeting in the Nunnery Hall, Recognising the Mother in the Nunnery Hall and Twin Pearl Phoenix have all been filmed as xiqu cinema feature films.
Recognising the Mother in the Nunnery Hall
The role types of xiju centre on huadan and xiaosheng; such representative plays as Double Mill Push, Meeting in the Nunnery Hall, Recognising the Mother in the Nunnery Hall and Twin Pearl Phoenix have all been filmed as xiqu cinema feature films.
Twin Pearl Phoenix
The role types of xiju centre on huadan and xiaosheng; such representative plays as Double Mill Push, Meeting in the Nunnery Hall, Recognising the Mother in the Nunnery Hall and Twin Pearl Phoenix have all been filmed as xiqu cinema feature films.
The Red Seed
Besides its traditional repertory, xiju also has a body of fine modern plays, among which The Red Seed is the most highly praised.
The Pearl Tower
In recent years the traditional play The Pearl Tower, re-created by a new generation of xiju performing artists, won the Ministry of Culture award for new repertoire, marking a further stage in the development of xiju in the new period.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Xiju originated in the Wuxi and Changzhou area, hence the names “xi tan” and “chang tan”. The Wuxi branch is one of the core roots of xiju, and local troupes have put particular effort into collating traditional plays such as The Pearl Tower and Jade Dragonfly; Wang Jianwei, a leading inheritor of the Wuxi Municipal Xiju Theatre, has inherited and developed the “Binbin style” created by Wang Binbin, whose melodic line is regular and rounded, wide in range, high in its opening and rich in its closing; in recent years he has appeared on stage in The Pearl Tower together with his son Wang Ziyu, passing this vocal school on within the family.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Xiju Opera · Xiju Opera.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Together with huju, yongju and suju of the same tanhuang system, xiju forms a bright line in the landscape of Jiangnan operatic art and provides rich material for the study of Jiangnan local culture. Wang Jianwei (as recorded in the official archive of the associated inheritor): A man of Han ethnicity, born in July 1952, native of Wuxi city, Jiangsu province. A national first-class actor and a recipient of the State Council special government allowance. He has an exceptionally gifted voice and clear articulation; his melodic line is regular and rounded, wide in range, high in its opening and rich in its closing, and he is skilled in using small vocal inflections and falling cadences. He renders characters with subtlety and depth, placing emphasis on their psychological portrayal, and enjoys a high reputation in the world of xiju. He has led the casts in plays such as The Pearl Tower, Jade Dragonfly, The Death of the Top Scholar, The Weeping Beauty and Double Mill Push, and drew particular attention for creating and starring in The Blind Abing. In recent years he has devoted himself to training young talent, and has appeared on stage in The Pearl Tower together with his son Wang Ziyu, handing on the “Binbin style”. Representative inheritor of xiju in the fifth national-level batch of intangible cultural heritage. He won the thirteenth China Drama Plum Blossom Award in 1996.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Ni Tongfang 03-1106
- Wang Lanying 03-1107
- Shen Peihua 03-1108
- Yao Cheng 03-1109
- Wu Yatong 03-1110
- Wang Genxing 04-1677
- Zhou Dongliang 05-2434
- Wang Jianwei 05-2435
- Huang Jinghui
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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