Lanxi Tanhuang
01 · Historical Records
During the War of Resistance against Japan, performers from the city took refuge in the countryside, and Lanxi tanhuang was accordingly carried into the villages of Lanxi County such as Yongchang, Zhuge and Youbu. Because its mode of activity was confined to exchanges among enthusiasts, it spread only slightly, and with the impact of the war, by the late 1940s Lanxi tanhuang had very nearly died out. In the 1980s, in the course of compiling the ten-series Chinese literature and art chorographies, the artistic tradition of Lanxi tanhuang was dug out and collated accordingly, and as a result a batch of new programmes was created anew, so that folk tanhuang singing activities were able to be carried out.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Lanxi tanhuang is a form of quyi singing that took shape and became popular in the Lanxi area of central-western Zhejiang Province and in places such as Jinhua and Quzhou. By the twenty-sixth year of the Guangxu reign, the 'Yuqing Society' appeared in the city of Lanxi, devoted to the performance of Lanxi tanhuang; it was later renamed the 'Qunle Society' and then the 'Yongchun Society'. For a time Lanxi tanhuang flourished. Lanxi tanhuang has a refined literary diction, and its performance insists on clear articulation, pure vocal quality and correct diction with a round and mellow tone; it has always been favoured by scholars and men of taste. Under its influence, other seated-singing troupes were also made up mostly of those who fancied themselves refined, the singers and instrumentalists commonly wore long gowns and bore themselves with literary elegance, so they were known as 'tanhuang xiansheng'. Apart from accepting invitations from members' relatives and friends to add festivity to celebrations or to sing in honour of the gods, the seated-singing troupes never engaged in paid performance. Later, many of the beautiful vocal styles and tunes of Lanxi tanhuang were absorbed by Wuju opera. The Wuju operas Li Yu Bie Zhuan, Ku Cai Hua and Seng Ni Hui, composed with Lanxi tanhuang, thus became artistic masterpieces. But in the face of all kinds of impact, how Lanxi tanhuang is to gain development and move towards flourishing remains a severe problem, and calls for special attention.
The three song societies
The seating societies of Lanxi tanhuang: Yuqing Society of 1900, later renamed Qunle and Yongchun.
The tanhuang gentlemen
The name for tanhuang performers, long-gowned amateurs who sang only for celebrations and temple offerings, never for trade.
Tanhuang-based Wu operas
Three Wu operas built on Lanxi tanhuang tunes, showing how far its melodies travelled.
Melodies absorbed by Wu opera
When the amateur societies dissolved, the tunes survived on the Wu opera stage and were later recorded from elderly singers.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
According to legend, in the last years of the Qianlong reign of the Qing dynasty, a yamen attendant in Lanxi, in his spare time between official duties, taught the 'tanhuang' tunes brought from Jiangsu to the sons and children of the merchants of the Lanxi market, singing them in the local dialect to while away the time and amuse himself; in the course of time this gradually developed into Lanxi tanhuang, with a system of its own.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Tanhuang · Tanhuang.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
The tunes of Lanxi tanhuang were absorbed by Wuju opera in bulk, and Wuju works such as Li Yu Bie Zhuan, Ku Cai Hua and Seng Ni Hui were composed with tanhuang vocal styles; this is one piece of concrete evidence for judging the range of its musical influence. The original mode of activity of tanhuang depended on tanhuang societies formed among enthusiasts; the singers and instrumentalists commonly wore long gowns and were known as tanhuang xiansheng, and apart from accepting invitations from members' relatives and friends to add festivity to celebrations or to sing in honour of the gods they never engaged in paid performance, so that no professional troupes supported it and once the members of a society dispersed, singing and playing ceased with them. It very nearly died out by the late 1940s; when the ten-series Chinese literature and art chorographies were compiled in the 1980s, the cultural authorities recorded the vocal styles and repertoire works from the memories of elderly performers and created anew a batch of new programmes, and folk tanhuang singing activities were carried out in the townships of Yongchang, Zhuge, Youbu and elsewhere.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Song Xiaoqing 03-1162
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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