Erguxian
01 · Historical Records
Erguxian is an ancient genre newly rediscovered in recent years, originating in Dasima village, Wuzhi county, Henan, and circulating only there. It formed in the late Ming and early Qing and reached maturity in the early nineteenth century, enjoying a period of splendour before the Daoguang reign. In the twenty-first year of Daoguang (1841) the Yellow River changed course and Dasima village ceased to be the water-and-land wharf it had been, trade fell sharply and, under this impact, erguxian steadily declined; during the Cultural Revolution the only five erguxian troupes there closed and this distinctive local genre almost disappeared, until the Dasima village erguxian troupe was revived in 1993.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Erguxian's roles are complete and its singing pentatonic, with eighteen ban styles and qupai, among them survivals of northern-qu xuansuo and such ban styles as “wuban”, “baban” and “sanban” formed under the influence of banqiang opera. Its performing plays number more than a hundred, mostly on folk-life subjects, among which Wild Geese Carry the Letter, Young Master Lei Seeks His Fiancée, An'an Delivers the Rice and Meng Jiangnü are representative works. Having long rehearsed and performed on its own in the countryside, erguxian differs markedly from the many widely circulated genres, showing a rich local character and clear folk features.
Wild Geese Carry the Letter
One of the representative plays of erguxian.
Young Master Lei Seeks His Fiancée
One of the representative plays of erguxian.
An'an Delivers the Rice
One of the representative plays of erguxian.
Meng Jiangnü
One of the representative plays of erguxian.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
During the Cultural Revolution the only five erguxian troupes there closed and this distinctive local genre almost disappeared; because it has long rehearsed and performed itself in the countryside, erguxian differs markedly from the many widely circulated genres, showing a rich local character and clear folk features.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Its singing is beautiful, and its representative role includes the child-sheng in Teaching the Son in the Weaving Room; the inheritor is masterly in all the sheng, dan, jing, mo and chou roles and in both the soft and hard sections of operatic music, and more than fifty plays have been collated from his oral transmission. Over several decades, for the transmission and development of erguxian, he has organised its participation in provincial showcases and municipal and county festivals and performed and exchanged many times at such institutions as Henan Normal University and Jiaozuo Teachers College; not only studying assiduously to raise his own skill but always making transmission his focus, his disciples Luo Li, Kang E and Xing Ji have all become principal actors of the troupe.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Ding Ruikui 04-1688
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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