Xiangju Opera
01 · Historical Records
Xiang opera is one of the local operatic genres of Hunan Province. It has a history of close to six hundred years and circulates mainly in Changsha, Xiangtan, Zhuzhou, Guiyang County and other places. Xiang opera has a rich traditional repertoire. Most of its plays come from the nanxi of the Song and Yuan dynasties, the zaju of the Yuan dynasty and the chuanqi of the Ming and Qing dynasties; a small number were created and adapted by performers themselves.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Xiang opera embraces four vocal systems — gaoqiang, tanqiang, kunqiang and dipai (low set pieces) — and has a rich repertory of percussion scores and inter-passage music. Its conventions are strict, and its performance, costume and facial makeup all carry a distinctive Huxiang local style. Large and small plays together number more than one thousand, of which gaoqiang and luantan plays account for more than 98 per cent. Representative plays include Chronicle of the Worship of the Moon, Chronicle of the Golden Seal, Chronicle of the Thrown Brush, Pipa Ji (The Lute) and Chronicle of the White Rabbit; among them, the gaoqiang “Four Great Serial Plays” and the “Six Chronicles” are the representative works staged earliest and preserved longest.
Chronicle of the Worship of the Moon
Large and small plays together number more than one thousand, of which gaoqiang and luantan plays account for more than 98 per cent. Representative plays include Chronicle of the Worship of the Moon, Chronicle of the Golden Seal, Chronicle of the Thrown Brush, Pipa Ji (The Lute) and Chronicle of the White Rabbit; among them, the gaoqiang “Four Great Serial Plays” and the “Six Chronicles” are the representative works staged earliest and preserved longest.
Chronicle of the Golden Seal
Large and small plays together number more than one thousand, of which gaoqiang and luantan plays account for more than 98 per cent. Representative plays include Chronicle of the Worship of the Moon, Chronicle of the Golden Seal, Chronicle of the Thrown Brush, Pipa Ji (The Lute) and Chronicle of the White Rabbit; among them, the gaoqiang “Four Great Serial Plays” and the “Six Chronicles” are the representative works staged earliest and preserved longest.
Chronicle of the Thrown Brush
Large and small plays together number more than one thousand, of which gaoqiang and luantan plays account for more than 98 per cent. Representative plays include Chronicle of the Worship of the Moon, Chronicle of the Golden Seal, Chronicle of the Thrown Brush, Pipa Ji (The Lute) and Chronicle of the White Rabbit; among them, the gaoqiang “Four Great Serial Plays” and the “Six Chronicles” are the representative works staged earliest and preserved longest.
Pipa Ji (The Lute)
Large and small plays together number more than one thousand, of which gaoqiang and luantan plays account for more than 98 per cent. Representative plays include Chronicle of the Worship of the Moon, Chronicle of the Golden Seal, Chronicle of the Thrown Brush, Pipa Ji (The Lute) and Chronicle of the White Rabbit; among them, the gaoqiang “Four Great Serial Plays” and the “Six Chronicles” are the representative works staged earliest and preserved longest.
Chronicle of the White Rabbit
Large and small plays together number more than one thousand, of which gaoqiang and luantan plays account for more than 98 per cent. Representative plays include Chronicle of the Worship of the Moon, Chronicle of the Golden Seal, Chronicle of the Thrown Brush, Pipa Ji (The Lute) and Chronicle of the White Rabbit; among them, the gaoqiang “Four Great Serial Plays” and the “Six Chronicles” are the representative works staged earliest and preserved longest.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
According to the region in which they circulate, Xiang opera is further divided into Changsha Xiang opera, Hengyang Xiang opera and others.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Xiangju Opera · Xiangju Opera.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Zeng Jingui (official archival record of associated inheritors): Male, Han nationality, born in March 1938, native of Zhiyuan Township, Yiyang County, Hunan Province (now part of Taojiang County). A national first-class performer. In 1950 he joined the acting training class attached to the Second Changsha Xiang Opera Troupe. In 1964 he crossed over to play martial sheng and laosheng roles, learning such characters as Li Yuhe, Yang Zirong, Guo Jianguang and Hong Changqing. In 1973 he served part-time as director of Bayi Storm, The Song of the Gardener and other plays. In 1976 traditional plays were restored, and he directed The Story of the Chasing Fish, Chronicle of the Golden Ball and excerpt plays such as The North Gate Tower and The Old Man Carrying His Wife. In 2013 he excavated and restored and directed Thirteen Blessings, which had long been lost, and adapted Zhang Fei Rolling the Drum. He was awarded the titles of provincial outstanding young performer and young performing artist. Representative inheritor of Xiang opera, a national-level intangible cultural heritage project in the third batch. He taught at the Changsha Xiang Opera Theatre and trained a large number of young performers. Cao Rulong (official archival record of associated inheritors): Male, Han nationality, born in July 1949, native of Changsha City, Hunan Province. A national first-class performer. In 1959 he was admitted to the Xiang opera performance major of the Changsha Academy of Arts and, on graduation, was assigned to the First Changsha Xiang Opera Troupe (now the Changsha Xiang Opera Protection and Inheritance Centre). He possesses distinctive personal singing skills and performance traits, is able to grasp the temperament of a character accurately, and has successfully created many vivid and sharply differentiated stage characters. He has taught in actor training classes jointly run by the Hunan Provincial Art School, the Hunan Provincial Xiang Opera Theatre and others, and at the Changsha Xiang Opera Theatre, passing on the vocal styles and performance art of Xiang opera and training a large number of successors for the development of the art. Representative inheritor of Xiang opera, a national-level intangible cultural heritage project in the third batch. He was awarded the fourth Wenhua Performance Award of the Ministry of Culture, the thirteenth China Drama Plum Blossom Award, the Outstanding Performance Award at the fourth China Theatre Festival, and the title of artist of both virtue and artistry from the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Tan Dongbo 02-0454
- Xia Chuanjin 02-0455
- Cengjingui 03-1139
- Cao Rulong 03-1140
- Xie Zhongyi 03-1141
- Zuo Dabin 05-2457
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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