Shandong Dagu Drum Balladry
01 · Historical Records
Shandong dagu is the earliest surviving drum-song and drum-narrative form of quyi in northern China; according to legend it formed at the end of the Ming dynasty and already has a history of more than three hundred and fifty years. It originated in the villages of northwestern Shandong and is also called "ploughshare dagu", or written "pear blossom dagu". Before the late Qing, Shandong dagu remained active in the countryside, with famous performers such as Guo Laozhan, He Laofeng, Fan Qifeng and Li Laofeng; later Bainiu (Wang Xiaoyu) and Heiniu entered the cities to perform, and female performers increased in great number. After the 1930s the names that held the field in the storytelling world were the so-called "Four Great Yus", that is Xie Dayu, Li Dayu, Zhao Dayu and Sun Dayu.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
At first it consisted only of beating fragments of the ploughshare for accompaniment and singing local folk songs and tunes in the Shandong dialect; it gradually developed into a sung-and-narrated performance form with a set suite of vocal styles having varied ban-shi metrical patterns, striking a low-footed drum and a specially made half-moon-shaped pear-blossom plate, accompanied by a sanxian. The best known of its performers included Shangbanjie, Xiamanjie, Gai Shandong, Baicaixin and Guo Dani. Afterwards Du Dagui, Ji Suying and Lu Qiaoling arose one after another, and the region in which Shandong dagu circulated expanded from the towns and villages of Shandong to Xuzhou, Nanjing, Shanghai, Zhengzhou, Luoyang, Hankou and Chongqing, reaching northward to Beijing, Tianjin and every part of the Northeast, and it was at its height for a time. Shandong dagu has a great many traditional programmes. The known middle-length works number several dozen, among them Sanguan Town, Jinsuo Town, The Great Rout of Mengzhou, The Great Sending of the Bride and Fan Mengting Pushing the Cart; the short passage books are especially rich, and the largest number of sung passages take the Three Kingdoms as their theme, more than sixty of them, including Dongling Pass, Changbanpo and Seeking a Brother in Hebei; next come the sung passages on the theme of Dream of the Red Chamber, more than ten of them, such as Daiyu Burying Flowers and Baoyu Visiting the Sick; and the Water Margin passages include Li Kui Seizing the Fish and Yanqing at the Boxing Ring. In addition there are sung passages based on operatic stories and folk legends, as well as passages transplanted from the dizishu form, two hundred-odd in all. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, a good many new programmes were created and performed. Shandong dagu has a long history, distinctive music and vocal style, a rich store of programmes and a strong local colour; it directly gave rise to Shandong kuaishu and had a major influence on the formation and development of the "Qiao school" of Henan zhuizi and of Xihua dagu, and it possesses high historical and cultural value.
Pear-blossom plates and drum
From striking ploughshare shards to the half-moon pear-blossom plates, low drum and sanxian of the mature form.
Three Kingdoms arias
Over sixty Three Kingdoms arias are the largest group of short pieces, followed by Dream of the Red Chamber and Water Margin arias.
Medium-length works
Medium-length pieces such as Three Towns, the Gold Lock Town and Breaking Mengzhou, part of a repertoire of over two hundred items.
The four Yu
The four celebrated female singers surnamed Yu; Zuo Yuhua inherited Xie Dayu's fervent manner and sings Borrowing Arrows with Straw Boats and other pieces.
Its influence
It directly gave rise to Shandong kuaishu and strongly influenced the Qiao school of Henan zhuizi and the Xihe dagu.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
With northwestern Shandong as its birthplace, Shandong dagu was sung and narrated mainly in the villages and market fairs of the Liaocheng and Linqing area before the late Qing, with famous performers such as Guo Laozhan, He Laofeng, Fan Qifeng and Li Laofeng; after Bainiu (Wang Xiaoyu) and Heiniu came into the cities to perform, female performers increased in great number and Jinan became one of the centres of performance. After the 1930s the names that held the field were the "Four Great Yus", Xie Dayu, Li Dayu, Zhao Dayu and Sun Dayu. Before them there had already been Shangbanjie, Xiamanjie, Gai Shandong, Baicaixin, Guo Dani and others, each famed for a particular special skill, and after them Du Dagui, Ji Suying and Lu Qiaoling arose in turn. The region of its circulation expanded from the towns and villages of Shandong to Xuzhou, Nanjing, Shanghai, Zhengzhou, Luoyang, Hankou and Chongqing, reaching northward to Beijing, Tianjin and every part of the Northeast, forming a drum-song network that spanned several provinces.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Shandong Dagu Drum Balladry · Shandong Dagu Drum Balladry.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Since the late twentieth century Shandong dagu has gradually declined, and today only a few performers can still present it, so that it urgently needs support and protection. Zuo Yuhua (as recorded in the official file of the associated inheritor): Female, Hui ethnicity, born in 1947, native of Jinan, Shandong. Zuo Yuhua inherited the stirring and unrestrained singing manner of Xie Dayu; her vocal line is mellifluous, her articulation agile and clear, and her performance combines force and gentleness with elegance and ease. Representative works include Borrowing Arrows with Straw Boats and Wild Geese Carrying a Letter. Representative inheritor of Shandong dagu under the second batch of national-level intangible cultural heritage projects.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Zuo Yuhua 02-0713
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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