Fuzhou Storytelling
01 · Historical Records
Fuzhou pinghua is generally held to have formed in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties; according to legend it was handed down when Ju Fuchen, the senior disciple of Liu Jingting, went to Shuangmenlou in Fuzhou to teach apprentices. Judging from the surviving Fuzhou pinghua printed editions of the Yongzheng and Qianlong reigns of the Qing dynasty, such as the Qixing Baizhima, Fuzhou pinghua was already very flourishing at that time.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Fuzhou pinghua is a distinctive form of storytelling narrated in the Fuzhou dialect in which sung passages in the tugong plain-chant style are interspersed with the narration; it is popular in a dozen or more counties and cities of Fujian Province, including Fuzhou, Minhou, Yongtai, Changle, Lianjiang, Fuqing and Minqing, as well as in Taiwan Province and in the settlements of Fuzhou origin in Southeast Asia. The prelude is used to narrate the short passage of praise that comes before the main text, resembling the "entering words" of ancient storytelling. The chant is the basic vocal style; it may be used to carry the narration, and may also express a character's inner monologue and the dialogue between characters, and its melodies include [Gaoshan Liushui], [Langtaosha], [Lianzhu], [Didijin] and [Leiju]. The plaint is strongly musical and is used when a character reveals his own background or voices his grievances, and during the singing it is accompanied by chopsticks struck on a bronze cymbal. In addition, some folk tunes are also employed in combination with the story, such as [New Year Song], [Zhen Wuzi], [Thirty-six Calls] and [Five-character Refrain]. The long solution books are historical stories, such as Three Kingdoms, Sui and Tang and The Story of the Loyal Yue Fei; the short solution books are chivalric stories, such as The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants, The Peng Gong Case and The Shi Gong Case; the half-length and length books include Water Margin; the case books tell exclusively of upright officials pleading for the people, righting wrongs and deciding cases, which is unique to Fuzhou pinghua and rich in local colour, and The Eighteen Judgments of Lord Wang, The Pearl Quilt and The Eighteen Lives of Changtai are representative works of that class; and the family books mostly reflect family ethics and the joys and sorrows of separation and reunion, such as Gan Guobao, Twin Jade Cicadas and The Jade Bat. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Fuzhou pinghua created and performed new programmes such as Nine Lives of Injustice, Song of Flowing Water, Spring and Autumn of a Small Town and Defending Yan'an, which achieved a certain influence. Judging from the form of its accompanying instruments, the manner of its chanting performance, the unique genres of its text and the traditional themes of its repertoire, Fuzhou pinghua possesses very significant historical and cultural value, and is called the "living fossil" of ancient quyi.
Prelude, chant and plaint
The three vocal categories of Fuzhou pinghua: the opening prelude, the basic chant with its named melodies, and the plaint, struck with chopsticks on a bronze cymbal.
The five tale classes
The five thematic classes of Fuzhou pinghua, from historical and chivalric tales to the locally distinctive court-case books and family dramas.
The Qixing Baizhima imprint
A surviving Yongzheng-Qianlong era printed text showing that Fuzhou pinghua was already flourishing in that period.
Ju Fuchen at Shuangmenlou
The tradition that Ju Fuchen, senior disciple of Liu Jingting, taught the art at Shuangmenlou in Fuzhou and so handed the genre down.
Duet pinghua
In 1964 Chen Ruyan took duet pinghua from the storyteller's platform to the stage in works such as Enduring Longing and The Clever Capture.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The vocal forms of Fuzhou pinghua are divided into three categories: the prelude, the chant and the plaint. Fuzhou pinghua has a large number of programmes, which by theme are usually divided into five kinds: long solution books, short solution books, half-length and length books, case books and family books.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
At the same time, however, the contemporary survival and development of Fuzhou pinghua face enormous difficulties and require strong support and protection. Chen Ruyan (as recorded in the official file of the associated inheritor): Female, Han ethnicity, born in 1948, native of Fuzhou, Fujian. In 1964 Chen Ruyan moved from the storytelling platform to the great stage, and in the duet pinghua Enduring Longing, performed with Chen Changzhi, and the duets The Clever Capture and Singing of the Five Heroes, performed with Liu Minhui, she made useful reforms and attempts in both content and form. In her long practice of the storytelling platform art, Chen Ruyan inherited the fine traditions and attempted reform and innovation, adopting the method of dividing the roles among characters and using witty, humorous language and vivid, comic movements to bring out the typical character of each figure. Her performance and narration are quick yet not muddled, slow yet never broken, her language humorous and lively, and she is especially skilled at creating comic effect. She has gone to the Hong Kong SAR and the Taiwan region of China to take part in arts festival performances and cultural exchange. Representative works include Zheng Tang Beats Yan Song and Shi Sande. Representative inheritor of Fuzhou pinghua under the second batch of national-level intangible cultural heritage projects, and a national second-class performer. So that the art of pinghua would be inherited, achieve breakthroughs, be created and develop, Chen Ruyan teaches at the Fuzhou Art School, actively training students and passing on her skills; her disciples have shown their talent in various competitions and have won awards many times. Mao Qinming (as recorded in the official file of the associated inheritor): Male, Han ethnicity, born in 1931, native of Fuzhou, Fujian. In his practice on the platform he continually strengthened his own cultural cultivation and applied idioms, proverbs and xiehouyu freely in his narration and delivery, enhancing the listenability of the pinghua. Representative works include A Thousand Gold for a Bone, Boiling Rice Noodles in Tung Oil, The Huan Family Generals and History of the Five Dynasties. In 1987 the China Quyi Publishing House published Selected Fuzhou Pingshu, collated by Mao Qinming and Chen Zhuxi. Representative inheritor of Fuzhou pinghua under the second batch of national-level intangible cultural heritage projects, and a national second-class performer. In order to transmit the art better and cultivate new talent, Mao Qinming insisted on coaching young performers every week and passed on everything he knew without reserve.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Chen Ruyan 02-0711
- Mao Qinming 02-0712
- Ye Zhaochen
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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