Beijing Pingshu Storytelling

01 · Historical Records

Beijing pingshu originated in the Tang and Song dynasties and flourished in the Ming and Qing; it is a form of quyi with far-reaching influence in the northern region, circulating mainly in Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang and other places. After the Song dynasty the flourishing of the art of “shuoshu” (professional storytelling) did to a certain extent promote the formation of the long novel in the vernacular, laying a solid foundation for the final emergence of Beijing pingshu.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

In Beijing pingshu performance a single performer sits behind a table and uses a folding fan and a striking block (xingmu) as props, employing gestures, facial expression and other means to carry the plot along and to shape the characters; he also often uses vocal mimicry to imitate the sounds of wind, rain, cannon fire and horses, so as to strengthen the rhythm and heighten the atmosphere. In its long course of development pingshu formed a set of formal conventions of its own, showing artistic characteristics such as “grand”, “tight”, “lively” and “hot”. It is organised by such structural units as the “shuliangzi” (opening address), the “huimu” (chapter heading), the “guanzi” (linking passage) and the “bokou” (improvised interlude), and it delineates people and things by such devices as “fu” (rhetorical description) and “zan” (panegyric), apt and precise in every case and clearly ordered in its layers. Its narration is full of spoken idiom; its style is bold and unadorned, ardent and lively, and it is told in a manner that holds the ear and draws the listener in. Since modern times a large number of performing artists of high artistic standard have emerged in the Beijing pingshu world, among them Yuan Kuocheng, Tian Lianyuan and Lian Li Ru.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

Anshan is the main base of pingshu in the north-east. Shan Tianfang came from a family of performers and later became a disciple of Li Qinghai, a pingshu artist of the Shenyang Quyi Troupe; in 1955 he joined the Anshan Quyi Troupe, where he received instruction from Zhao Yufeng, the master of Xihe dagu, and from Yang Tianrong, the pingshu master; in 1979 he recorded and broadcast his first broadcast pingshu, The Romance of Sui and Tang, at Anshan People's Broadcasting Station. Liu Lanfang entered the Anshan Quyi Troupe at the age of fifteen and studied successively under Zhao Yufeng, Yan Chuntian, Yang Tianrong, Yang Tianhui, Huo Shutang and others, before becoming a formal disciple of Sun Huiwen. The Anshan line is distinguished by the broadcasting of long works in serial form on the radio and by improvised narration; the Culture and Tourism Development Promotion Centre of Anshan City is the protecting unit for this project.

Other submitting regions for the same item: Beijing Pingshu Storytelling · Beijing Pingshu Storytelling · Beijing Pingshu Storytelling.

04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

The traditional book titles of Beijing pingshu are mainly The Romance of the Eastern Han, The Romance of the Western Han, The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, The Biography of Yue Fei and The Three Heroes and Five Gallants. In the course of their circulation these works performed an educational function by spreading historical knowledge and giving expression to traditional virtues, and their cultural value cannot be underestimated. At present the increase in forms of literature and art and the development of mass media have brought unprecedented prosperity to the cultural life of society; against this background the interest and enthusiasm of people in pingshu as an art form has been greatly weakened. This situation has affected the development of Beijing pingshu, so that the number of those who practise pingshu has fallen, the fine folk art that once shone for a time has no successors, and its transmission faces enormous difficulties; the departments concerned must take measures as soon as possible and begin its protection and support. Shan Tianfang (as recorded in the official archive of the associated inheritor): He came from a family of performers. At eighteen he entered the Northeast Institute of Technology but was forced to give up his studies because of illness; he later became a disciple of Li Qinghai, the famous pingshu artist of the Shenyang Quyi Troupe, and studied pingshu under him. In 1955 he joined the Anshan Quyi Troupe, where he received instruction from Zhao Yufeng, the master of Xihe dagu, and from Yang Tianrong, the pingshu master. In 1979 he recorded and broadcast his first broadcast pingshu, The Romance of Sui and Tang, at Anshan People's Broadcasting Station. In 1994 he narrated the pingshu The Seven Heroes and Five Lesser Gallants on Beijing Television. His voice is hoarse and distinctive; in performance his delivery is practised and full of strength, natural and flowing, the structure and the story of his books clearly ordered and full of dramatic rise and fall, and his language vivid and graphic, his content rich and interesting. He has recorded more book titles than any other pingshu performing artist in the country, more than one hundred and fifty of them, which are broadcast by over five hundred radio stations throughout the country. His representative works include The White-Browed Hero, The Biography of Tong Lin, Heroes of the Republic and Zhang Xueliang, the Meritorious General for All Ages. Male, Han ethnicity, born in November 1935, died in September 2018, native of Beijing. Representative inheritor of Beijing pingshu, a project of the third batch of national-level intangible cultural heritage. Liu Lanfang (as recorded in the official archive of the associated inheritor): Female, Manchu ethnicity, born in January 1944, native of Beijing. She came from a family of performers; her mother Liu Rulian and her aunts Liu Rujing and Liu Ruqing were all drum-song artists. From the age of five she began to learn the singing of Northeast dagu from her mother and her aunts. At thirteen she became a disciple of Yang Lihuan, a storyteller from Hebei, and learned the singing of Northeast dagu under her. At fifteen she entered the Anshan Quyi Troupe and studied Northeast dagu successively under Zhao Yufeng, the founder of the eastern school of Xihe dagu, the string accompanist Yan Chuntian (who was blind), the shuqu performers Yang Tianrong and Yang Tianhui, and Huo Shutang, an actor of Northeast dagu; she later formally became a disciple of the shuqu performer Sun Huiwen and studied drum-song performance under him. Her artistic style is distinctive; in performance her articulation is clear, her diction correct and her tone full, her singing and speaking both excellent, and her form and spirit complete in one. She is also skilled in improvisation, able to narrate on the spur of the moment according to the situation on the spot and the plot of the book. She has now published a number of monographs on pingshu, including The Biography of Yue Fei and The Generations of the Yang Family, as well as a number of personal biographies such as My Artistic Life. Her representative works number more than thirty pingshu, among them The Island Militia Women, The Sparkling Red Star, The Biography of Yue Fei, The Generations of the Yang Family and The Dream of the Red Chamber. Representative inheritor of Beijing pingshu, a project of the third batch of national-level intangible cultural heritage.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

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

• Lian Liru 03-1173
• Dantianfang 03-1174
• Liu Lanfang 03-1175
• Tian Lianyuan 03-1176

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

1. Beijing Pingshu Storytelling (Anshan, Liaoning) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Dantianfang · National Representative Bearer Archive
3. Liu Lanfang · National Representative Bearer Archive

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗