Simingnanci

01 · Historical Records

Ningbo’s history records a number of guild organisations for Siming nanci, the most famous of which was the “silk-and-bamboo singing troupe” of the Tongzhi and Guangxu reigns of the Qing dynasty.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

Siming nanci is popularly called “Siming wen shu” or “Ningbo wen shu”, and is transmitted mainly in Ningbo, Shanghai and other places. It came into being in the late Ming and early Qing period and has a history of more than three hundred years. A group of performers in the troupe known as the “five dukes” were outstanding in skill; they were the key figures carrying Siming nanci from one generation to the next and exercised great influence over the audience. They adapted the finest chapters of the traditional books into performed “zhezi shu” (excerpted plays), which were warmly received by the broad masses of the people. Siming nanci is recited and sung in the Ningbo dialect; each performer combines singing, instrumental playing, narration, spoken delivery and acting in a single person, and the performance lays great stress on imitating the movements of the characters, which sets a high demand. The sung text consists basically of seven-syllable lines and makes frequent use of tune patterns and vocal styles such as [Lanhuamei] and [Sanwuqi]. The music of Siming nanci is clear, graceful and refined; its vocal styles are collectively called “shu diao”, and the basic vocal styles are the three of “fu diao”, “ci diao” and “Pinghu diao”. Of these, “fu diao” is compact and flowing and is used mostly for narration; “ci diao” is delicate and lingering and is used mostly to express plaintive and impassioned emotion; “Pinghu diao” is lively and bright and is used mostly to express a joyful and uninhibited mood. Each of the three melodies in turn has rich ornamental variations, and they had an important influence on other Ningbo folk-art forms such as Jiaochuan zou shu (Jiaochuan narrative singing) and chang xinwen (singing the news). Siming nanci performances usually take the “double dang” form, with two performers, one of whom sings and narrates while accompanying himself on the sanxian while the other plays the yangqin; in some performances the cast grows to five or more, with the pipa, the erhu and the shengxiao added as accompanying instruments. Siming nanci is divided into wen shu and wu shu: wen shu emphasises spoken narration, while wu shu emphasises vocal technique. The traditional repertoire falls into two categories, long works and short works. Zhenzhu Ta (The Pearl Tower), Yinguo Lu (The Record of Cause and Effect), Yu Qingting (The Jade Dragonfly), Dahong Pao (The Crimson Robe), Yulian Huan (The Jade Chain), Sifa Yuan (Fate Bound by a Single Hair), Liu Mei Tu (The Six Beauties), Hetong Ji (The Marriage Contract) and Panlong Zhuo (The Coiling Dragon Bracelet) are classics among the long works, while Xihu Shijing (The Ten Views of the West Lake) and Baxian Shangshou (The Eight Immortals Presenting Longevity) are representative of the short works.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

Siming nanci centres on the urban area of Ningbo, and its range of circulation also covers the surrounding counties and cities of Yin County, Zhenhai, Cixi, Yuyao and Fenghua. In the Tongzhi and Guangxu reigns of the Qing dynasty it was further carried into Shanghai by merchants and native folk of Ningbo, who set up their own dang there to perform, so that Ningbo and Shanghai came to be known together as the two great centres of performance. In Ningbo there were guild organisations of the “silk-and-bamboo singing troupe” type, in which the most accomplished performers were known as the “five dukes” and served as the key link between one generation and the next. The same text is sung in different styles according to the line of teaching and the locality, and the urban area of Ningbo and Shanghai gradually formed two distinct flavours of singing. Chen Xiangyuan (recorded in the official file of the associated inheritor) is outstanding on the yangqin and commands the technique of “playing a written score alive”, and is skilled in performing traditional books such as Zhenzhu Ta (The Pearl Tower) and Yu Qingting (The Jade Dragonfly). The protecting unit is the Haishu District Cultural Centre of Ningbo City.

04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

At present, for a variety of reasons the original Siming nanci performers have gone off into other trades one after another, and the few old artists still left are all well past seventy, so that this excellent local folk-art form has no successors; in these circumstances its rescue and protection can no longer be delayed. Chen Xiangyuan (recorded in the official file of the associated inheritor): Male, of Han nationality, born in September 1947, native of Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province. He is fully skilled in both the singing of Siming nanci and instrumental accompaniment, and is especially expert on the yangqin, mastering the unique technique of “playing a written score alive”. He has compiled and published two monographs and collected and preserved a batch of precious materials on this art form. He organises performance troupes to carry out transmission activities, and is skilled in performing traditional books such as Zhenzhu Ta (The Pearl Tower) and Yu Qingting (The Jade Dragonfly). He opens classes in schools to teach the art, and has trained a core of young performers. Representative inheritor of Siming nanci in the fifth national-level batch of intangible cultural heritage. In 2009 he was named among the first group of outstanding folk artists of Zhejiang Province by the Propaganda Department of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture and other bodies.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

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

• Chen Xiangyuan 05-2507

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

1. Simingnanci (Ningbo, Zhejiang) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Chen Xiangyuan · National Representative Bearer Archive

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗