Tanhuang
01 · Historical Records
Tanhuang originated during the Qianlong reign of the Qing dynasty and has a history of more than two hundred years.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
It is mainly transmitted in Hangzhou and in nearby Shaoxing, Jiaxing, Huzhou and other places. The form transmitted in Hangzhou is called “Hangzhou Tanhuang”, abbreviated as “Hangtan” and also known as “Ankang”; the form transmitted in Shaoxing is called “Shaoxing Tanhuang”, also known as “Shaoxing Parrot Play”. In performance the performers speak and sing by role type, usually with five people to a troupe, accompanying themselves as they sing: the sheng plays the huqin fiddle, the dan plays the pipa, the jing plays the sanxian, the mo beats the drum, and the chou strikes the clappers. There are also troupes of seven to eleven people; as the number of singers grows, instruments such as the zheng, sheng, xiao, flute and yangqin may be added to the troupe. Before the singing begins, Tanhuang plays ensemble pieces such as “Sihe Ruyi”, “Erliu” and “Xingjie” to settle the audience; this is called “heyin”, the harmonizing of sounds. In the formal performance the opening passage is sung first, followed by the main text. The lyrics of Tanhuang have a balanced sentence structure, refined and elegant diction, and strict attention to the tonal and metrical rules of the vocal music. Its vocal styles fall into three categories: the basic tune, tune patterns and folk ditties. The basic tune is the main melody sung in “Hangtan” and is divided into male and female registers; the metrical patterns used include pingban (plain metre), kuaiban (fast metre) and liushui ban (flowing metre); the main tune patterns include “Dianjiangchun”, “Duanzhenghao”, “Fengrusong” and “Jisangqiang”; the folk ditties include “Sixi diao”, “Caicha diao”, “Yangliuqing” and “Youhun diao”. Tanhuang uses no percussion section; the accompanying instruments are mainly the drum, clappers and string instruments. Tanhuang has one hundred and twenty traditional repertoire items (sections) in all, divided into two categories, “front Tanhuang” and “back Tanhuang”. In “front Tanhuang” the spoken parts of all characters except the chou use the Zhongzhou rhyming, the lyrics are mainly in paired seven-character lines, and the “luodiao” refrain does not use the one-up-one-down “fengdiantou” pattern. Most of its repertoire works were transplanted from Kunqu, such as the “Chan Zi”, “Song Zi”, “Chu Lie” and “Hui Lie” scenes of “The White Rabbit Chronicle”. The lyrics are more colloquial than the lines of the original Kunqu, but they are still comparatively refined literary language. The lines observe the level-oblique tonal patterns called “erwu” and “sisi”: besides requiring the last character of the paired lines to be oblique in the upper line and level in the lower line, they also require that “the first, third and fifth positions need not be regulated, while the second, fourth and sixth must be clearly distinguished”. “Front Tanhuang” is exacting about vocal delivery: “strengthen the mouth, master the four tones, enunciate truly, carry the drawn-out phrases lightly, keep the intonation accurate, put feeling into it”; in the use of the breath it stresses such techniques as “thorough, borrowed, checked, blown, closed and gathered”. When the chou role sings “Kuaiban” and “Liushui ban”, the lyrics commonly follow the “qi, die, luo” rise-and-fall pattern.
The White Rabbit Chronicle
Most of its repertoire works were transplanted from Kunqu, such as the “Chan Zi”, “Song Zi”, “Chu Lie” and “Hui Lie” scenes of “The White Rabbit Chronicle”. The lyrics are more colloquial than the lines of the original Kunqu, but they are still comparatively refined literary language.
Giving Birth
Most of its repertoire works were transplanted from Kunqu, such as the “Chan Zi”, “Song Zi”, “Chu Lie” and “Hui Lie” scenes of “The White Rabbit Chronicle”. The lyrics are more colloquial than the lines of the original Kunqu, but they are still comparatively refined literary language.
Seeing Off the Son
Most of its repertoire works were transplanted from Kunqu, such as the “Chan Zi”, “Song Zi”, “Chu Lie” and “Hui Lie” scenes of “The White Rabbit Chronicle”. The lyrics are more colloquial than the lines of the original Kunqu, but they are still comparatively refined literary language.
Going Hunting
Most of its repertoire works were transplanted from Kunqu, such as the “Chan Zi”, “Song Zi”, “Chu Lie” and “Hui Lie” scenes of “The White Rabbit Chronicle”. The lyrics are more colloquial than the lines of the original Kunqu, but they are still comparatively refined literary language.
Returning from the Hunt
Most of its repertoire works were transplanted from Kunqu, such as the “Chan Zi”, “Song Zi”, “Chu Lie” and “Hui Lie” scenes of “The White Rabbit Chronicle”. The lyrics are more colloquial than the lines of the original Kunqu, but they are still comparatively refined literary language.
Selling Hay Ricks
By contrast, “back Tanhuang” is more grounded in everyday market life; all of its repertoire items are single-episode stories of everyday life, such as “Selling Hay Ricks”, “Rowing the Lake Boat”, “The Mill Troupe”, “Meeting at the Thatched Hermitage” and “The Blind Man Catches an Adulterer”. The lyrics are sung in local dialect, and the paired seven-character lines of the basic tune still follow the “erwu” and “sisi” patterns.
Rowing the Lake Boat
By contrast, “back Tanhuang” is more grounded in everyday market life; all of its repertoire items are single-episode stories of everyday life, such as “Selling Hay Ricks”, “Rowing the Lake Boat”, “The Mill Troupe”, “Meeting at the Thatched Hermitage” and “The Blind Man Catches an Adulterer”. The lyrics are sung in local dialect, and the paired seven-character lines of the basic tune still follow the “erwu” and “sisi” patterns.
The Mill Troupe
By contrast, “back Tanhuang” is more grounded in everyday market life; all of its repertoire items are single-episode stories of everyday life, such as “Selling Hay Ricks”, “Rowing the Lake Boat”, “The Mill Troupe”, “Meeting at the Thatched Hermitage” and “The Blind Man Catches an Adulterer”. The lyrics are sung in local dialect, and the paired seven-character lines of the basic tune still follow the “erwu” and “sisi” patterns.
Meeting at the Thatched Hermitage
By contrast, “back Tanhuang” is more grounded in everyday market life; all of its repertoire items are single-episode stories of everyday life, such as “Selling Hay Ricks”, “Rowing the Lake Boat”, “The Mill Troupe”, “Meeting at the Thatched Hermitage” and “The Blind Man Catches an Adulterer”. The lyrics are sung in local dialect, and the paired seven-character lines of the basic tune still follow the “erwu” and “sisi” patterns.
The Blind Man Catches an Adulterer
By contrast, “back Tanhuang” is more grounded in everyday market life; all of its repertoire items are single-episode stories of everyday life, such as “Selling Hay Ricks”, “Rowing the Lake Boat”, “The Mill Troupe”, “Meeting at the Thatched Hermitage” and “The Blind Man Catches an Adulterer”. The lyrics are sung in local dialect, and the paired seven-character lines of the basic tune still follow the “erwu” and “sisi” patterns.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
By contrast, “back Tanhuang” is more grounded in everyday market life; all of its repertoire items are single-episode stories of everyday life, such as “Selling Hay Ricks”, “Rowing the Lake Boat”, “The Mill Troupe”, “Meeting at the Thatched Hermitage” and “The Blind Man Catches an Adulterer”. The lyrics are sung in local dialect, and the paired seven-character lines of the basic tune still follow the “erwu” and “sisi” patterns. Unlike “front Tanhuang”, “back Tanhuang” delivers its spoken passages in the everyday vernacular of local dialects such as Hangzhou and Shaoxing.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Lanxi Tanhuang · Tanhuang.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
In the course of its transmission, Tanhuang music was absorbed into Hangju and Shaoju opera; some of its tune patterns and basic vocal styles are still handed down today, which shows a high research value for art and culture. Song Xiaoqing (as recorded in the official file on the associated inheritor): A woman of Han ethnicity, born in March 1945, from Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province. She has a naturally bright and ringing voice, crisp enunciation, accurate pitch in her singing, a rich flavour, and a witty, humorous performing style, with easy control of rhythm; she can play both dan and chou roles, is skilled at male impersonation, and is dearly loved by audiences. After retirement she recalled and collated nineteen traditional repertoire works, including “Abida Returns to His Wife's Family”, “Huzi Ge” and “Selling Green Charcoal”, and recorded seventeen compact discs. She is the representative inheritor of Tanhuang (Shaoxing Tanhuang), the third batch of national-level intangible cultural heritage projects. She takes an active part in relevant training and teaching work, cultivating successors and leading her troupe in performances on urban and rural stages.
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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