Ganju Opera
01 · Historical Records
It originated in northeastern Jiangxi and is popular within the province of Jiangxi. Its vocal foundation is Yiyangqiang, one of the four great vocal styles of the Ming dynasty; it was formed by fusing that style with the kunqiang and luantan which entered the Jiangxi area during the middle period of the Qing dynasty. In 1951 it was named Gan opera. The Qingyangqiang repertory, most of it drawn from Ming-dynasty chuanqi, preserves more than eighty substantially complete large and small plays.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Gan opera is a local genre of Jiangxi Province. The vocal system of Gan opera is made up of the gaoqiang (high tune), xipi, erhuang, Qinqiang, bozi, zhediao, the Pujiang diao and folk narrative singing such as wennan ci, and is therefore very rich in vocal styles. The gaoqiang of Gan opera is the surviving sound of Ming-dynasty Yiyangqiang; it is accompanied by gongs and drums, and the qin, flute, zheng and pipa were gradually added as accompaniment later on. The Yiyangqiang preserved in Gan opera has singing forms such as tuge (solo singing), bangjiang (chorus help-singing) and gun diao (rolling song). Its vocal structure originally employed the linked-suite form of tune patterns, and in performance it was accompanied only by gongs and drums, with no wind or string accompaniment at all; one performer sang while several others took up the phrases to complete them, forming the highly characteristic singing method of "tuge, bangjiang" (solo singing with chorus help-singing), which, matched to gongs and drums, produces a fervid atmosphere and a rough, bold, stirring and bright character. The performance style of Gan opera is archaic, plain and solid, and warm and lifelike. Its spoken parts are based on the Zhongzhou rhymes. Its role types are divided into laosheng, zhengsheng, xiaosheng, laodan, zhengdan, xiaodan, dahua, erhua and sanhua, which are called the "nine heads". The plays of Gan opera fall into the three classes of Yiyang, Qingyang and luantan. Luantan plays are called "old-road plays", and include The Sacrifice at the Wind Terrace, The Mistake in the Flower Field, The Reed River and so on. Some further plays have been transferred from other genres such as Hui opera and Wu opera. Modern Gan opera newly written after the founding of the People's Republic of China includes A Group of Mu Guiyings, The Red Propagandist, The Surprise Attack on Bianping, The Theft of the Seed, Iron Shoulders and a Red Heart, and The Sacrifice at the Stele and the March into Battle.
The Sacrifice at the Wind Terrace
Luantan plays are called "old-road plays", and include The Sacrifice at the Wind Terrace, The Mistake in the Flower Field, The Reed River and so on.
The Mistake in the Flower Field
Luantan plays are called "old-road plays", and include The Sacrifice at the Wind Terrace, The Mistake in the Flower Field, The Reed River and so on.
The Reed River
Luantan plays are called "old-road plays", and include The Sacrifice at the Wind Terrace, The Mistake in the Flower Field, The Reed River and so on.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Gan opera originated in northeastern Jiangxi and is popular within the province, its vocal foundation being Yiyangqiang, one of the four great vocal styles of the Ming dynasty, fused with the kunqiang and luantan which entered the Jiangxi area during the middle period of the Qing dynasty; in 1951 it was named Gan opera. Within the province it has different troupe schools such as Raohe, Xinhe and Guangxin, and the Jiangxi Province Gan Opera Theatre (which is also the Yiyangqiang Protection and Inheritance Centre) is the core theatre of the present day. The Yiyangqiang preserved in Gan opera has such forms as tuge, bangjiang and gun diao; the Yiyangqiang repertory is said to comprise the "eighteen books of the jianghu", of which at present only a few complete plays and part of some single scenes survive.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
The Yiyangqiang repertory is said to comprise the "eighteen books of the jianghu", but at present only a few complete plays and part of some single scenes survive. At present Gan opera faces an ageing body of performers, a dearth of successors, and traditional plays and performance art that cannot be passed on, so that protection, transmission and development are urgently needed. Pan Fengxia (official archival record of the associated inheritor): Female, Han nationality, born in September 1933, native of Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province. A national first-class actress. She began learning Gan opera at the age of twelve and afterwards performed with troupes such as the Changshou Stage and the Xu Lao Stage. In 1956 she studied Yiyangqiang plays and performance technique under the noted Gan opera artists Wang Shiren, Gong Taichuan and Zheng Ruisheng. Her performance is fine and lifelike and her stage bearing elegant. In 1957 the Yiyangqiang play Huanhun Ji (The Return of the Soul), in which she starred as Du Liniang, was performed on a national tour under her lead, and it was filmed by the Changchun Film Studio as an opera art film and released throughout the country. The Zhenzhu Ji (Chronicle of the Pearl), in which she appeared as Wang Jinzhen, was filmed in 1958 by the Shanghai Tianma Film Studio as an opera art film and released throughout the country. Representative inheritor of Gan opera in the fifth national-level batch of intangible cultural heritage projects. In 1959 she performed Youyuan Jingmeng (A Dream in the Garden) for Party and state leaders at the Lushan People's Theatre and won high praise.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Pan Fengxia 05-2467
- Chen Li
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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