Northern Shaanxi Storytelling
01 · Historical Records
From the 1940s onwards, the Literary and Artistic Association of the Shaan-Gan-Ning Border Region set up a storytelling group, and new literary workers such as Lin Shan helped Han Qixiang and other performers to compose and stage one after another new repertoire works that served the revolutionary struggle, such as Liu Qiao's Reunion, Wang Piqin's Journey to the Southern Road, The Great Victory at Yichuan, Record of Turning Over and Telling Stories to Chairman Mao.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Northern Shaanxi storytelling (Shaanbei shuoshu) is a form of quyi storytelling of considerable importance in the northwest region, popular mainly in Yan'an and Yulin in the north of Shaanxi Province. It originated when poor blind men used northern Shaanxi folk minor tunes to sing legendary stories; it later absorbed the tunes of meihu, Qinqiang, daoqing and xintianyou, and gradually took shape as a storytelling form in which long stories are narrated in speech and song. The traditional performance form of Northern Shaanxi storytelling has the performer use the northern Shaanxi accent and, holding a sanxian or a pipa, accompany his own singing while alternating between speech and song to narrate the story. According to the accompanying instrument used, it is also called 'sanxian shu' or 'pipa shu'. By the 1930s and 1940s, under the reform of famous performers such as Han Qixiang, Northern Shaanxi storytelling had developed into a form of quyi storytelling accompanied by five instruments played by a single performer at once: the large sanxian (or pipa), the bangzi clappers, the shua ban beat-boards, a small wooden beat-striker known as 'ma zha zha', and a small gong (or cymbal). The lyrics of Northern Shaanxi storytelling are plain and flowing, with a strong local flavour; the tunes are comparatively rich and the style stirring and rugged, and it has long been known for 'nine modes and eighteen tunes'. Among those in common use are [danyin diao], [shuangyin diao], [Xiliang diao], [Shandong qiang], [ping diao], [ku diao], [duidui diao] and [wu diao]. Northern Shaanxi storytelling has many traditional programmes. Representative long works include Hualiu Ji, Yaoqian Ji, Guandeng Ji and Diaoling Shan, and short pieces include Zhang Qijie Descends to the Mortal World and others. Han Qixiang, together with Liu Xuwang, Dang Fuxiang, Wang Jinkao and others, are influential and well-known performers of Northern Shaanxi storytelling.
Liu Qiao's Reunion
One of the new story-titles made in the 1940s by Han Qixiang and fellow artists under the Border Region writers' group.
Nine airs and eighteen tunes
The collective name for the genre's repertory of airs, whose common items include the single-note, double-note and Xiliang tunes.
The mazhazha clappers
One of the five instruments played simultaneously by a single artist, alongside the sanxian, bangzi, shuaban and small gong.
Four traditional long tales
Four representative long traditional tales of northern Shaanxi storytelling, alongside short pieces such as Zhang Qijie Descends to Earth.
Han Qixiang and the storytelling group
The Border Region literary association's storytelling group worked with Han Qixiang to create new pieces, turning a blind beggars' art into organised performance.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Northern Shaanxi storytelling is centred on the two places of Yan'an and Yulin and spreads to Yanchang, Yanchuan, Zichang, Ansai, Qingjian, Suide, Mizhi, Jia County, Wubao, Shenmu, Fugu and the outskirts of Yulin city; according to the accompanying instrument used it is separately called sanxian shu or pipa shu. The Yan'an line came under the influence of revolutionary literature and art early, and the adaptation and creative activity of the storytelling group of the Border Region Literary and Artistic Association in the 1940s took this place as its base; the Yulin area, by contrast, preserves more of the tradition of singing long works at temple fairs and markets. Performers were formerly called shu jiang (booksmiths), and were commonly engaged by invitation to open a performance at temple fairs, rain-prayer ceremonies, thanksgiving of vows, birthday celebrations and soil-thanking rites; long works were performed hui by hui in succession, while short pieces, poems and preludes served to open the show or to fill the intervals between items.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
In recent years the development of Northern Shaanxi storytelling has fallen into difficulties: the old performers have passed away one by one, the artistic succession lacks successors, and the art urgently needs support and protection. Han Yinglian (official archive record of the associated inheritor): Female, Han nationality, born in 1957, native of Yan'an, Shaanxi Province. Daughter of the famous Northern Shaanxi storytelling performer Han Qixiang. She began to study storytelling under her father in 1976, chiefly playing the 'shuangyin diao', and she has mastered the 'nine modes and eighteen tunes' of Northern Shaanxi storytelling, opening the way for women to perform Northern Shaanxi storytelling. She is now vice-chair of the Shaanxi Province Quyi Association and deputy director of the Yan'an Quyi Museum. Her performance of the 'shuangyin diao' is imposing in scale, spans a wide range and is highly distinctive. Her representative works are Hen Niang, A New Look at Yan'an and others. Representative inheritor of Northern Shaanxi storytelling under the second batch of national-level intangible cultural heritage projects, and a national second-grade actor. Jie Mensheng (official archive record of the associated inheritor): Male, Han nationality, born in 1951, native of Ansai County, Shaanxi Province. His instrumental technique is distinctive, his language concise, his vocal style round and mellow, his performance fine in every detail and his characterisation lifelike; he is especially skilled in the music of Northern Shaanxi storytelling and is the first person to set the strings to the standard tuning for the 'danyin' mode of Northern Shaanxi storytelling. His representative work is Yi Pan La Rou (A Plate of Cured Meat). Representative inheritor of Northern Shaanxi storytelling 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:
- Han Yinglian 02-0724
- Jiemingsheng 02-0725
- Cao Boyan
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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