Bai Opera
01 · Historical Records
Bai opera has a long history, formed by the convergence of the chuichuiqiang opera brought into the Dali area from the interior in the Hongwu reign of the Ming and dabengqu opera. In the Guangxu reign of the Qing chuichuiqiang opera was extremely flourishing in Bai villages, the witty and humorous performances of such dramatic figures as fishermen, woodcutters, farmers and scholars vividly displaying the Bai people's life of farming and study handed down through the family. For historical reasons chuichuiqiang opera declined in the early Republic and withdrew to remote mountain villages, and in 1962 the ancient dramatic form of the Bai was formally named “Bai opera”.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Because it long existed in a closed environment free from outside influence, a body of traditional plays and a set of archaic performing conventions have been completely preserved to this day, becoming a precious historical and cultural heritage of the Bai. Its arias divide into two lines, chuichuiqiang and dabengqu: chuichuiqiang opera is influenced by Ming Yiyang qiang, its lyrics in the Bai “mountain-flower form” and accompanied by suona and percussion; dabengqu opera is performed in costume on the basis of the Bai narrative-singing dabengqu, accompanied by sanxian and good at narrative.
The Traditional Repertory (More Than Three Hundred)
Bai opera's surviving repertory runs to more than four hundred plays, of which more than three hundred are traditional.
Newly Created Plays (More Than Eighty)
After the founding of New China more than eighty Bai opera plays were newly created, with about fifty more collated and adapted.
Chuichuiqiang
The Bai opera vocal style influenced by Ming Yiyang qiang, its lyrics in the Bai “mountain-flower form” and accompanied by suona and percussion.
Dabengqu
The Bai opera vocal style performed in costume on the basis of the Bai narrative-singing dabengqu, accompanied by sanxian and good at narrative.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Bai opera centres on the Dali Bai autonomous prefecture in Yunnan and is popular in the Bai counties of Dali, Eryuan, Jianchuan and Heqing; because it was formed by the convergence of chuichuiqiang and dabengqu opera and is sung in the Bai language with “mountain-flower form” lyrics, it is called the Bai people's “national opera”.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Bai opera's repertory is rich, at present more than four hundred plays being known, of which more than three hundred are traditional, more than eighty newly created after the founding of New China and about fifty collated and adapted; at present Bai opera, like chuichuiqiang and dabengqu, is still very active among the Bai people, showing the unending vitality of its art to the broad masses in its original form.
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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