Enshi Yangqin
01 · Historical Records
It took shape during the Tongzhi and Guangxu reigns of the Qing dynasty and has a history of more than a hundred and fifty years to the present day.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Enshi yangqin is also called “Enshi sixian” (Enshi silk strings); it is widely current in the town and countryside of Enshi City, Hubei Province, and in the surrounding counties and cities of Lichuan, Xianfeng, Laifeng and Xuan’en. In an Enshi yangqin performance the parts are sung by the role types sheng, dan, jing, mo and chou; when the performance reaches its climax or moves into the ending, it is accompanied by the chorus singing the caiqiang (colour tune). The yangqin is the principal accompanying instrument throughout the performance and the wanqin (bowl zither) is the instrument of colour; together with the erhu, sanxian, yueqin, jinghu, drum and chi (ruler) they are collectively called the “eight timbres”. When playing, the yangqin takes the lead and the other instruments are ranged around it. The instrumental accompaniment need not follow the vocal line strictly; the usual practice is to play simply when the vocal line is elaborate and to play in full when the vocal line is simple. During singing the instruments punctuate the voice; in the interludes they play in full. Apart from playing strictly according to the beat and the eye (yan), the drum and the chi must also, according to the needs of what is being sung, strike along with the vocal line in rhythms that are light, heavy, slow or quick. The music of Enshi yangqin has such vocal tune patterns as [Zhenggong], [Erliu] and [Pihuang], which can be divided into metrical (banqiang) type tune patterns, ballad type tune patterns, and the tune patterns of folk xiaodiao and of instrumental pieces. The repertoire performed in Enshi yangqin is rich and varied; its texts are concise and strictly ordered, the verses at the beginning and the end of a work are in the third person, and rhymed speech is often inserted into the dialogue between characters and the description of the plot. The basic structure of an Enshi yangqin script is fairly regular: it opens with four lines of verse that state the theme and four lines of verse that outline the content; spoken narration (shuobai) then carries the audience into the story of the roles, sung text and dialogue develop the plot by role type, and it closes with four lines of tail verse that set things straight and announce the piece to follow. Enshi yangqin belongs to a relatively refined culture of the townspeople; historically it had no professional performing troupes, and those who performed it considered themselves refined, singing only by invitation among families, or forming folk “qin societies” such as the Qingjiang Qin Society, the Boya Qin Society and the Qinyin Society, which met at regular intervals to exchange and to sing together.
The eight timbres
The instrumental set of Enshi yangqin: the dulcimer leads, with bowl-zither, erhu, sanxian, yueqin, jinghu, drum and ruler forming the “eight timbres”.
The Qingjiang and Boya qin societies
The amateur societies through which Enshi yangqin was maintained, since the genre had no professional troupes.
The four-line frame of the script
The fixed shape of an Enshi yangqin script: four lines stating the theme, four summarizing the plot, then dialogue and song, closed by four lines that announce the next piece.
Zhenggong, Erliu and Pihuang tunes
The tune labels of Enshi yangqin, divided into metrical, ballad, folk-song and instrumental types and sung in five role types.
The collective caiqiang refrain
The collective refrain sung at climax or close, with third-person opening and closing verses and rhymed speech inside the dialogue.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Enshi yangqin is current in the town and countryside of Enshi City, Hubei Province, and in the surrounding counties and cities of Lichuan, Xianfeng, Laifeng and Xuan’en. Historically there were no professional performing troupes; those who sang were mostly local scholars, teachers and shop assistants, who considered themselves refined and sang only by invitation among families, or formed folk qin societies such as the Qingjiang Qin Society, the Boya Qin Society and the Qinyin Society to gather and sing at regular intervals. In performance the yangqin leads and the wanqin (bowl zither) provides the colour, and together with the erhu, sanxian, yueqin, jinghu, drum and chi they form the “eight timbres”, the instruments ranged around on all sides; the accompaniment need not follow the vocal line strictly, and in general one plays simply when the line is elaborate and in full when the line is simple, punctuating during singing and playing in full in the interludes, while the drum and the chi strike along with the vocal line, light, heavy, slow or quick, according to the beat and the eye. The Enshi Municipal Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection, Inheritance and Performance Centre is the protecting unit of this project.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
In this sense, Enshi yangqin is at once the product of the blending of an imported culture with the local Tujia culture, and a representative of the refined art of the folk, and it has a certain value for the study of history and culture. But this genre is now in danger, with few successors, and urgently needs protection so that it may be handed down.
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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