Linhaicidiao
01 · Historical Records
The "Haiyan style" that appeared in the Southern Song period was handed down to the early Yuan period, where it was reworked by Yang Zi and kept developing; it flourished in the Jiaxing, Wenzhou and Taizhou areas in the middle Ming period, and by the late Ming it had finally evolved into Linhai citiao. In 2002 folk practitioners in Linhai founded the Linhai Citiao Society, which gave some impetus to the preservation and development of Linhai citiao.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Linhai citiao is also called "Caizi diao" or "Xianhe diao". It is popular in Linhai City and the surrounding areas of Zhejiang Province, and has a history of more than three hundred years. Linhai citiao has more than forty tune patterns, including [nangong], [nvgong] and [pinghe]; its melodies attend to rhythm and rhyme, being elegant and airy, supple and pleasing to the ear. In singing, the melodic line flows naturally, full-bodied and expansive, with endless flavour; it insists on "clear diction, round tone, elegant sound and steady beat", and "every line has spirit, every character has work". Linhai citiao is normally performed on traditional folk festivals or in the slack farming season, and all the performers are men: those with a high, clear voice sing the female roles, those with a rough voice sing the florid styles, and all spoken parts use the official dialect of Taizhou Prefecture. During the performance the female-role singer keeps time on the tanban (wooden clappers), and the other performers each have to play several instruments. Dressed in long gowns and holding sheng, xiao, qin and xian instruments, the performers sit in a circle, playing and singing for themselves. The repertoire of Linhai citiao is drawn mostly from historical and folk stories, with themes of praising historical figures who devoted themselves wholeheartedly to the country, condemning treacherous ministers, and celebrating faithful love. More than thirty traditional pieces are preserved, including Three Kingdoms, Water Margin, Diaochan Worshipping the Moon and The Broken Bridge, with ornate diction and an elegant style.
Three Kingdoms
The repertoire of Linhai citiao is drawn mostly from historical and folk stories, with themes of praising historical figures who devoted themselves wholeheartedly to the country, condemning treacherous ministers, and celebrating faithful love. More than thirty traditional pieces are preserved, including Three Kingdoms, Water Margin, Diaochan Worshipping the Moon and The Broken Bridge, with ornate diction and an elegant style.
Water Margin
The repertoire of Linhai citiao is drawn mostly from historical and folk stories, with themes of praising historical figures who devoted themselves wholeheartedly to the country, condemning treacherous ministers, and celebrating faithful love. More than thirty traditional pieces are preserved, including Three Kingdoms, Water Margin, Diaochan Worshipping the Moon and The Broken Bridge, with ornate diction and an elegant style.
Diaochan Worshipping the Moon
The repertoire of Linhai citiao is drawn mostly from historical and folk stories, with themes of praising historical figures who devoted themselves wholeheartedly to the country, condemning treacherous ministers, and celebrating faithful love. More than thirty traditional pieces are preserved, including Three Kingdoms, Water Margin, Diaochan Worshipping the Moon and The Broken Bridge, with ornate diction and an elegant style.
The Broken Bridge
The repertoire of Linhai citiao is drawn mostly from historical and folk stories, with themes of praising historical figures who devoted themselves wholeheartedly to the country, condemning treacherous ministers, and celebrating faithful love. More than thirty traditional pieces are preserved, including Three Kingdoms, Water Margin, Diaochan Worshipping the Moon and The Broken Bridge, with ornate diction and an elegant style.
Daqingshou (Grand Celebration of Longevity)
Daqingshou is a typical piece of Linhai citiao, containing twelve tune patterns, and has high value for the study of history and culture.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Linhai citiao is centred on Linhai, the prefectural seat of Taizhou Prefecture, and is transmitted along the coast of Taizhou and in the areas of Tiantai and Xianju; practitioners also call it "Caizi diao" or "Xianhe diao". All the performers are men: those with a high, clear voice sing the female roles and those with a rough voice sing the florid styles, and all spoken parts use the official dialect of Taizhou Prefecture. In performance everyone is dressed in a long gown and, holding sheng, xiao, qin and xian instruments, sits in a circle; the female-role singer keeps time on the tanban, the others divide the instruments between them, and they play and sing for themselves, insisting on "clear diction, round tone, elegant sound and steady beat" and "every line has spirit, every character has work". It uses more than forty tune patterns, including [nangong], [nvgong] and [pinghe]; the melodic line flows naturally, full-bodied and expansive, and performances are generally given on request at traditional folk festivals or in the slack farming season. Its scripts draw mostly on historical and folk stories, praising figures who devoted themselves wholeheartedly to the country, condemning treacherous ministers and celebrating faithful love, and more than thirty traditional pieces are preserved, including Three Kingdoms, Water Margin, Diaochan Worshipping the Moon and The Broken Bridge. The tune-pattern structure of Linhai citiao is rigorous: the single play Daqingshou alone contains twelve tune patterns, making it a typical specimen for examining the way its tune patterns are linked together.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Daqingshou is a typical piece of Linhai citiao, containing twelve tune patterns, and has high value for the study of history and culture. Yet the society lacks outstanding performers and has no successors, so this ancient Linhai citiao still faces the danger of extinction and urgently needs rescue and protection.
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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