Xiangsheng (Comic Dialogue)
01 · Historical Records
It took shape in Beijing around the Xianfeng and Tongzhi reigns of the Qing dynasty, and afterwards spread widely through the northern regions, being most active in the Beijing-Tianjin area. It has now passed to the ninth generation. After taking shape in Beijing, xiangsheng organised its succession by generation-name characters such as de, shou, bao and wen; by the end of the 20th century it had reached the ninth generation.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Xiangsheng is one of the most widespread and most popular genres of narrative arts, distinguished by its humour, its satire and its strongly theatrical character. Xiangsheng performance was originally divided into two kinds. Those staged behind a curtain were called “an Chun” (hidden spring) and consisted mainly of ventriloquism items; those performed in public were called “ming Chun” (open spring) and consisted mainly of spoken items. The open-spring forms of xiangsheng performance include three types: dan kou xiangsheng, performed by a single person; dui kou xiangsheng, performed by two; and qun kou xiangsheng, performed collectively by three or more — of which the paired form is the most common. Judged by the way a piece is staged, paired xiangsheng further divides into types such as the weighted-lead form (yi tou chen), the evenly matched form (zi mu gen) and the rapid recitation form (guan kou). In recent years new forms with strong comic colouring have appeared, such as costumed xiangsheng and xiangsheng sketches. The traditional repertoire of xiangsheng is extraordinarily rich. Among the pieces preserved through editing and tidying are solo works such as Promotion Through Three Ranks, Pearl, Jade and White Broth, Straightening a Candle Wick and Little Immortal; paired works such as Praising Your House, A Funeral Gathering, A Full Manchu-Han Banquet, Yellow Crane Tower, Guan Yu Fights Qin Qiong, A Miscellany on Theatre and Guessing Lantern Riddles; and group works such as The Waistcoat and The Adamantine Legs. Tianjin xiangsheng forms a school of its own: centred on speech, marked by satire, fiery and vigorous, and rich in humour. Works with a particularly strong satirical edge such as Zhang Shouchen's The Ministry of Jokes, Xia Mogu's The Tooth Powder Bag, and Ma Sanli's Opening a Congee Factory, Selling Fake Tickets and Buying a Monkey are representative of the Tianjin style. Tianjin's wen gen (literary) xiangsheng also has a long historical tradition, and a number of different performing schools have emerged in turn. Taking the traditional piece Wen Zhang Hui alone, several stage scripts have been used by such performers as Zhang Shouchen, Ma Sanli and Su Wenmao, each with a style of its own on stage.
Paired classics
Classical paired routines such as Praising Your House and Guan Yu Fights Qin Qiong.
Group routines
Group pieces for three or more performers, built on verbal entanglement and tongue-twisting word play.
Costumed and sketch forms
Costumed and sketch-like variants that merge the four comic skills with staged dramatic scenes.
Dougen and penggen
In paired routines one performer leads the comedy and the other supports him, the text unfolding through four fixed parts.
Teahouse performances
Steady teahouse and variety-hall engagements, with nightly line-ups of performers, shaped the lively Beijing and Tianjin manner.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
In the performance text of paired xiangsheng, the performers are divided into two, jia and yi: jia is responsible for the dou gen, leading the comedy, and yi for the peng gen, providing the supporting part.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Xiangsheng (Comic Dialogue) · Xiangsheng (Comic Dialogue).
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Today xiangsheng is gradually slipping towards the edge of “fast-food culture”, and under the influence of mass media it has become alienated to some degree. At present, training the next generation of performers has become the urgent task in the transmission and development of xiangsheng and calls for high priority. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the venue for xiangsheng performance moved from the open-air stages of teahouses and street pitches into theatres, and the Beijing Quyi Troupe became the main performing and transmitting body for the genre in the capital. Most pupils entered either through a training class or by apprenticing to a master, first honing their “shuokou” (the art of narration) and “dianhua” (introductory patter) in teahouses and storytelling venues before going on stage to perform complete pieces.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Chang Baoting 03-1168
- Jiang Kun 04-1715
- Ma Zhiming 05-2504
- Zhao Yan
- Chang Baofeng
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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