Luju Opera
01 · Historical Records
Lu opera was formerly called “sitting-tune yangqin” and “painted-face yangqin”; it evolved from Shandong qinshu by absorbing folk flower-drum, ditties and local tunes, and is popular in Shandong and parts of Jiangsu and Anhui. In 1951 its predecessor, the Huimin prefecture Lu opera troupe, was founded, and thereafter the Boxing county Lu opera troupe long gave equal weight to performance and transmission.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
It is a rural art, performing farming matters and singing farming feelings, its roles mainly the “three small” of xiaosheng, xiaodan and xiaochou, its lyrics and speech mostly from folk usage, and its singing accompanied chiefly by the zhuihu, erhu and sanxian. Its singing music evolved from folk popular tunes and belongs to the typical banqiang structure, made up of such modes as “siping” and “erban” together with some qupai; the tunes are simple and plain, beautiful and pleasant, natural and easy to sing, brimming with rich life-breath and local character, praised in its areas as a “post for tethering wives”. Its repertory runs to nearly three hundred items, among which Wang Xiao Drives the Cart, Sisters Swap Marriages and Li Ersao Remarries are representative works. The Boxing county Lu opera troupe is the local professional performing and transmission body, long staging such traditional plays as Wang Xiao Drives the Cart and Sisters Swap Marriages.
Wang Xiao Drives the Cart
One of the representative works among Lu opera's nearly three hundred plays, and the earliest short play whose donkey-shaped prop gave the genre its nickname.
Sisters Swap Marriages
One of the representative works among Lu opera's nearly three hundred plays.
Li Ersao Remarries
One of the representative works among Lu opera's nearly three hundred plays, taken to Beijing, filmed and spread nationwide.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Lu opera takes Boxing county, Shandong, as an important birthplace and is popular in northern Shandong and the counties of the lower Yellow River; because in the earliest short play Wang Xiao Drives the Cart the “second maiden” rides a donkey-shaped prop, it was popularly called “donkey opera”, later changed to “Lu opera”, and the Boxing area still keeps the troupes and transmission activities of its birthplace.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Luju Opera · Luju Opera · Luju Opera · Luju Opera.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Lu opera performs farming matters and sings farming feelings, its tunes simple and plain and easy to learn and sing, praised among the people of northern Shandong as a “post for tethering wives”; as a birthplace, Boxing's folk troupes and traditional librettos provide precious living material both for studying the formation and spread of Lu opera and as a basis of troupe and libretto evidence for its history, and the Boxing county Lu opera troupe long persists in taking opera to the countryside and teaching Lu opera in village schools.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Lang Xianfen 03-1129
- Li Daijiang 03-1130
- Li Yu 03-1131
- Lin Jianhua 03-1132
- Wang Yongchang 04-1687
- Dong Yanping
- Luan Shengli
- Su Zhi
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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