Luojuan Opera

01 · Historical Records

Luojuan opera, commonly called 'luojuan xi' or 'lejuan xi', is the confluence of luo opera and juan opera. It originated in the nuo drama of former times, performed to welcome the gods and hold festive contests in their honour, to drive off epidemic ghosts and to repay the gods by redeeming vows, and in the scripture rolls chanted by the monks and Taoists of temples. In the middle of the Qing dynasty Luojuan opera flourished throughout Henan Province and in southern Shanxi, southern Hebei, southwestern Shandong and western Anhui, and for a time there arose the scene in which 'one village put on a play and every village came to watch'.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

The vocal music of Luojuan opera is a fusion of the vocal styles of luo opera and juan opera; it later took in the bangzi vocal styles and so came to be called 'bang luo juan' as well. Representative plays include The Seven-Star Temple (Qixingmiao), The Matched Golden Swords (Dui Jindao), Nanyang Pass (Nanyangguan), Three Promotions to the Hall (San Shengtang), Beating the Lantern Flowers (Da Denghua), The Battle of Yuanzhou (Zhan Yuanzhou), Swapping the Crown Prince for a Civet Cat (Limao Huan Taizi) and Liu Jinding Descends to Nantang (Liu Jinding Xia Nantang). According to the Gazette of Deng County Opera (Dengxian Xiqu Zhi), Luojuan opera entered Dengzhou City in Henan Province during the Yongzheng reign of the Qing dynasty and had a wide influence among the people; a folk rhyme used to circulate in the region: 'When Luojuan opera enters the village, the men stop ploughing and the women stop boiling soup', and 'A man may give up his wife and may give up his land, but cannot give up Luojuan opera.' To this day Luojuan opera troupes keep to performing bangzi, luo and juan on one and the same stage, the so-called 'three in one pot'. Luo opera is also called 'big-flute luo xi' or 'big-flute luoluo'; its vocal system is the tune-pattern system (qupaiti), and its singing is high-pitched and uninhibited, stirring and bold. Luo opera once had a very rich stock of tune patterns, but only thirty-odd survive today; the principal ones are Shua Haier (Play the Child), Zanzi (Gathered Threads), Shanpo Yang (Slope-Side Song) and Guada Zui (Clattering Mouth), and so on. Luo opera originally had no string instruments: its leading instrument was the large flute, accompanied by the sheng, the flute and the like, and nowadays string instruments have been added to the orchestra to enrich its expressive power. Its performance absorbed folk arts such as stilt-walking, the land boat and the lion dance, together with acrobatics and martial arts, and it goes on stage with real blades and real spears, so that the martial scenes are hot and exciting. Most of its plays are robe-and-belt plays (paodai xi). Juan opera is also called 'juan xi'; its musical structure is the system of metrical modulation (banshi), and the principal metrical forms at present are Yuanban (Original Metre), Huang Sanban (Yellow Loose Metre), Jin Yuanban (Tight Original Metre), Zanzi (Gathered Threads), Fuziban (Fu Metre), Guada Zui (Clattering Mouth) and Xiaod Luo (Small-Flute Luo), and so on. Its singing is mellow and elegant, fresh and leisurely, and strongly lyrical; it portrays love between men and women and folk legends for the most part, and its principal accompanying instrument is the tin flute (xidi). Most of its plays are of the kind that exhorts to goodness or the kind that sings stories drawn from scripture. Luojuan opera embodies the aesthetic needs and ideas of the ordinary people and occupies a relatively important place in the spiritual and cultural life of the masses in the regions where it circulates.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

Luojuan opera, commonly called 'luojuan xi' or 'lejuan xi', originated in the nuo drama of former times, performed to welcome the gods and hold festive contests in their honour, to drive off epidemic ghosts and to repay the gods by redeeming vows, and in the scripture rolls chanted by the monks and Taoists of temples. In the middle of the Qing dynasty it flourished throughout Henan Province and in southern Shanxi, southern Hebei, southwestern Shandong and western Anhui, and for a time there arose the scene in which 'one village put on a play and every village came to watch'. Today Luojuan opera troupes are still active in Kongzhuang Village, Sangzhuang Town, Dengzhou City, and their main area of activity is Dengzhou City, the neighbouring counties and cities, and the border area of Henan and Hubei; they keep up the tradition of performing bangzi, luo and juan together on one stage, the 'three in one pot'.

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

04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

Today Luojuan opera troupes are still active in Kongzhuang Village, Sangzhuang Town, Dengzhou City, and their main area of activity is Dengzhou City, the neighbouring counties and cities, and the border area of Henan and Hubei. Their continued performance preserves the artistic tradition of luo opera and juan opera, two ancient vocal systems, and is of some significance for the transmission of traditional operatic culture and for the study of the history of Chinese opera and of the development of individual opera genres.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

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

• Sun Sanmin 05-2454
• Liuzhangke 05-2455
• Wang Ronghuan

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

1. Luojuan Opera (Dengzhou, Henan) · China ICH Official Project Archive

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗