Changde Sixian

01 · Historical Records

Within it, the 'paizi sizixian' is sung mainly to set tune patterns, and its melodies are very rich: there are 【Putianle】, 【Qingjiangyin】, 【Yizhi Hua】 and 【Xiaotaohong】 derived from the southern and northern ququ, there are 【Yinniusi】, 【Jiulianhuan】, 【Daoban Jiang】 and 【Sida Jing】 derived from the shidiao xiaoqu (popular short tunes) of the late Ming and early Qing, and there are also 【Lianhualo】, 【Fengyang Diao】, 【Douba Gaoqiang】 and 【Anqing Diao】 derived from other local quyong genres and folk songs.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

Changde sizixian is an important branch of the Hunan silk-string genre Hunan sizixian; because it is the most highly developed within Hunan sizixian and has the greatest influence, it has by now attained the status of an independent genre. Hunan sizixian is current in all parts of Hunan Province, and takes its name from the stringed instruments used for accompaniment, such as the yangqin, pipa, yueqin, sanxian, erhu and jinghu. This genre is performed in the Hunan local dialect. As it spread in different parts of Hunan Province it formed a number of branches each with its own character, including 'Changde sizixian' centred on Changde, 'Changsha sizixian' centred on Changsha, 'Liuyang sizixian' centred on Liuyang, 'Pingjiang sizixian' centred on Pingjiang, 'Hengyang sizixian' centred on Hengyang and 'Shaoyang sizixian' centred on Shaoyang; of these, 'Changde sizixian' is the most flourishing. The traditional performing form of Hunan sizixian, including Changde sizixian, is for a number of performers each to take one of the yangqin, drum board, jinghu, erhu, sanxian and pipa and sit in a circle, taking turns at reciting and singing; both the seating order and the position of each instrument follow a fixed rule, hence the saying 'yangqin against drum board, jinghu against erhu, sanxian against pipa'. Performance is mainly sung, with spoken lines interspersed. Spoken lines fall into four types: 'biaobai' (third person), 'shuobai' (first person), dialogue and interpolated speech; most are in prose form, with rhymed spoken lines occurring occasionally. The repertoire consists mostly of long legendary stories such as The West Chamber, The Second Plum Blossom and Qin Xianglian. Later Hunan sizixian moved on to the stage, changing into a form in which one or two singers perform standing and mark the beat with clappers and the like, while a separate group of performers takes up the yangqin, drum board, jinghu, erhu, sanxian and pipa and devotes itself to accompaniment; the repertoire also grew shorter and more concentrated, the representative works being Autumn River, Chasing Han Xin, Xu Ce's Run to the City and Longing Through the Four Seasons. The vocal music of Hunan sizixian is rich and varied; according to the vocal style used, it is divided into two categories, 'paizi sizixian' and 'banzi sizixian'. The basic metrical patterns of the basic vocal styles of 'banzi sizixian' are 【yi liu】, 【er liu】 and 【san liu】, three in all. Changde sizixian has more than a hundred traditional pieces, most of them drawn from historical stories and folk legends, of which Baoyu Cries at the Shrine, Lu Zhishen Drunkenly Striking the Mountain Gate, The Two Descending the Mountain, Wangpo Scolding the Chicken and Zhaojun Passing the Frontier are the most famous. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, a new batch of repertoire reflecting real life emerged, such as Many New Things, The Praising Pedlar and Visiting Kin through Wind and Snow.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

It developed from the fusion of the shidiao xiaoqu (popular short tunes) that flowed into Hunan from the Jiangsu and Zhejiang region with local Hunan folk song tunes, beginning at about the early Qing dynasty. 'Banzi sizixian' is further divided into two vocal styles, 'laolu' and 'chuanlu'. 'Laolu' is the local style of singing current in the Changde area, deep and full in sound, its representative works being Xue Mei in Mourning and Qingfeng Pavilion; 'chuanlu' is said to have been brought in by the Sichuan artist Wan Bincheng in the early years of the Republic of China, lively and cheerful in style and playful and humorous in singing, its representative work being Kao Hong. Changde sizixian has a marked local character and a rustic flavour, and enjoys a high artistic value.

Other submitting regions for the same item: Sixian.

04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

However, since the 1980s it has lacked professional performing troupes, and the older generation of sizixian performers has passed away one after another, so it now faces the danger of being lost and urgently needs rescue and protection. Chen Xiaohui (as recorded in the official dossier of an associated inheritor): female, Han, born in 1954, a native of Changde, Hunan. She now works at the Wuling District Cultural Centre of Changde City. From 1971 she studied under the veteran Changde sizixian performer Dai Wangben as her master; her singing is solid, her voice sweet and her articulation clear. Representative inheritor of Changde sizixian in the second batch of national-level intangible cultural heritage projects. In recent years she has won prizes many times in national, provincial and municipal quyi competitions. The children's sizixian The Moon Is Round that she directed and staged won a silver award at the National Television Art Awards; Quiet Whispers won a gold award at the first Hunan Province Children's Art Exchange Performance; Walking the Streets won a gold award for creation and a silver award for performance at the Hunan Province Art Festival exchange performance. Zhu Xiaoling (as recorded in the official dossier of an associated inheritor): female, Han, born in 1969, a native of Changde, Hunan. Deputy head of the Changde Sizixian Art Troupe and a second-grade performer. Her representative works include The Unfinished Birthday Banquet, The Special Party Committee Meeting, Sending Off the Son-in-Law and The Turning Banknote. Representative inheritor of Changde sizixian in the second batch of national-level intangible cultural heritage projects. Her stage manner is rigorous, her voice sweet, her performance delicate and her singing true to word and tone; she is good at depicting character, and has received awards from the Ministry of Culture and at provincial and ministerial level many times.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:

• Chenxiaohui 02-0738
• Zhu Xiaoling 02-0739

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

1. Changde Sixian (Changde, Hunan) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Chenxiaohui · National Representative Bearer Archive
3. Zhu Xiaoling · National Representative Bearer Archive

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗