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. Kunming Dian opera is noted for its civil and martial laosheng roles, its singing ringing and vehement and its recitation clear and round, the wusheng's movements nimble and agile whether in long or short armour; its accompaniment follows the Dianhu, yueqin and others, its drum-and-gong patterns forming a system of their own and stressing the shaping of character through doing and voice together.
Peacock Ridge
One of the representative plays of Dian opera.
The Women Generals of the Yang Family
One of the representative plays of Dian opera.
The Small Sword Society
One of the representative plays of Dian opera.
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 actor from a Dian opera family who loved the art from childhood, entered the Kunming city Dian opera troupe in 1958 and, under the guidance of such senior Dian opera artists as Zhou Jintang and Zhao Jiliang, specialised in its civil and martial laosheng with a deep grounding; his singing is ringing and vehement, his recitation clear and round, his acting gentle and moving, fine and expressive, and his wusheng movements nimble and agile, performing well in both long and short armour. On the basis of inheriting Dian opera's traditional performance and combining his own vocal gifts he developed his singing, bringing forth the new from the old and forming a distinctive sheng-role style of his own, having led in many plays and successfully shaped such images as Yan Weicai, Guo Jianguang, Lin Chong, Kuang Zhong, the fourth Yang son and Sun Wukong, and has long taught disciples at the Kunming Chenggong Dounan Dian opera enthusiasts' association, his disciple Li Youxin having become a provincial-level representative transmitter of Dian opera.
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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