Dianju Opera
01 · Historical Records
Dian opera is the principal local genre of Yunnan, formed in the Daoguang reign of the Qing with a history of nearly two hundred years.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
In the Guangxu reign Dian opera performance was already very flourishing in Yuxi and elsewhere. It is popular throughout Yunnan and in parts of Guizhou and Sichuan, and there is also Dian opera singing in parts of Burma, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia. Its vocal styles are distinctive and expressive: its three great styles of sixian qiang, huqin qiang and Xiangyang qiang come respectively from such ancient vocal styles as Qin opera, Hui diao and Han diao, and are also nourished by Yunnan's ethnic folk music. Its ban styles are rich and varied and its tunes natural and fluent, able to perform plays of every subject, form, structure and mood, with a distinctive artistic personality and style, hence the praise “the cream of Yunnan”. It is recorded that its traditional repertory ran to as many as one thousand six hundred and fifty-one pieces. Yuxi has been an important Dian opera performing area since the Guangxu reign; inheriting the three vocal styles of sixian, huqin and Xiangyang, the local Dian opera troupe attends to improving singing design and band disposition, combining traditional singing with modern subjects.
Zhu De and Tang Huaiyuan
One of the representative works of the inheritor, winning the third “five-one project” award for spiritual civilisation construction.
Jingniang
One of the representative works of the inheritor.
The Dream of Xishi
One of the representative works of the inheritor.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Through the ages, while staging traditional plays, the artists of every generation have been able to write and perform works reflecting the history and present life of the frontier minorities in the light of the times and local conditions in Yunnan, providing precious material for the study of local history and culture and of the art of the south-western frontier.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Dianju Opera · Dianju Opera.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
The inheritor, a national first-class composer, fully commands Dian opera's traditional musical singing and new compositional technique, combining traditional singing with modern subjects to create music whose words are clear and tunes round and flowing, making up for the weakness of Dian opera's melodic deficiency, and has recorded more than a hundred passages of traditional singing, wind tunes and qupai. He has published Liang Zihua's Collection of Dian Opera Singing and taken part in compiling the Annals of Yunnan Dian Opera, many fine passages being broadcast by CCTV and the Beijing and Shanghai television stations; he actively trains disciples and his representative works include Zhu De and Tang Huaiyuan, Jingniang and The Dream of Xishi, of which Zhu De and Tang Huaiyuan won the third “five-one project” award for spiritual civilisation construction.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Wang Yuzhen 05-2460
- Liang Zihua 05-2461
- Yang Mao 05-2462
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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