Jiaodong Dagu Drum Balladry
01 · Historical Records
In the 1920s, blind performers who were popular throughout the Jiaodong Peninsula absorbed the vocal styles and melodic material of eastern-route big drum, Laiyang danci, Maoxiang and other genres, and the art took on a new phase of development. Judging from the time when Rongcheng's Liu Xueyi appeared in the early Qianlong reign, this genre already has a history of about 250 years. When the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression broke out in 1937 (the twenty-sixth year of the Republic of China), blind artists in all parts of Jiaodong, moved by patriotism, converted the blind people's guild known as the Sanhuanghui into the Blind People's Association for Resisting Japan and Saving the Nation, using performances of big drum to carry out anti-Japanese propaganda.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Jiaodong dagu was originally created by blind people, and its early performers were storytellers who also told fortunes. Only after the Jiaqing reign of the Qing dynasty did it gradually take shape, combining the [Kaoshan diao] melodic mode, into the early tunes of big drum. The accompanying instruments of Jiaodong dagu are the drum, the clapper and the sanxian (a three-stringed plucked instrument). Jiaodong dagu occupies an important position in the folk culture and folk customs of Jiaodong; it is a microcosm of the rich and colourful folk culture of the region, and in various historical periods, especially during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, it played an important role and exerted a far-reaching influence.
From guild to resistance society
The blind performers' guild was turned into an anti-Japanese resistance society in 1937 and used the drum songs for wartime propaganda.
The Kaoshan melody
After the Jiaqing reign the genre absorbed the Kaoshan melody to form its early drum-song tunes.
The three routes
The northern route with the Liang school, the eastern with Peng Runzhi's school, and the southern with Xu Shanghou's.
Drum, clappers and sanxian
Its accompaniment uses a drum, clappers and a sanxian, handled by one musician.
Short pieces
Short pieces from a repertoire of over sixty shorts, ten-odd medium and ten-odd long works.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Jiaodong dagu is a form of drum-and-song storytelling popular on the Jiaodong Peninsula, and it can be broadly divided into three routes. Jiaodong dagu is divided into the northern, eastern and southern routes. The northern route is popular in Penglai, Muping, Fushan, Yantai and other places; its most representative school is the Liang school, whose singing is resonant and vigorous, turning circuitously and tenderly, and which is skilled at using changes of vocal style to portray all kinds of characters. The eastern route is popular in Wendeng, Rongcheng, Weihai, Rushan and other places; its principal school is the Peng school, represented by the blind artist from Rongcheng, Peng Runzhi, with plain tunes that lay emphasis on voice and rhyme. The southern route is popular in Haiyang, Laiyang, Jimo, Yexian, Qixia and other places; in the course of its transmission there emerged the Lü school, represented by Xu Shanghou, whose vocal style is flowing and beautiful, rich in the flavour of local opera.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Jiaodong Dagu Drum Balladry.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Excavating, rescuing and protecting Jiaodong dagu will play an important promoting role in the building of spiritual civilization in the Yantai region and in the nation as a whole, in enriching the cultural life of the people, in raising the quality of the people, in promoting their all-round development, and in constructing a harmonious socialist society. Jiaodong dagu was originally created by blind people, and its early performers were storytellers who also told fortunes; only after the Jiaqing reign of the Qing dynasty did it gradually develop, by combining the [Kaoshan diao] melodic mode, into the early tunes of big drum, and its accompanying instruments are the drum, the clapper and the sanxian. Blind artists in Yantai, Laizhou, Penglai and other places had the guild organization called the Sanhuanghui; after the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in 1937 (the twenty-sixth year of the Republic of China), blind artists throughout Jiaodong, moved by patriotism, turned the Sanhuanghui into the Blind People's Association for Resisting Japan and Saving the Nation, using big drum performances to carry out anti-Japanese propaganda. Today there are few artists who can still sing the old repertoire pieces in full, so emergency rescue recordings and the collation of musical scores are the pressing task at hand.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Liang Jinhua 03-1161
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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