Shandong Laozi
01 · Historical Records
Shandong luozi is commonly called "lianhualuo" or "guangguang shu". It is a form of quyi that originated within the borders of Shandong Province and takes its name from the refrain words "luo lianhua" and "lianhualuo" of its early tunes. Shandong luozi is spread across the border areas of Jiangsu, Shandong, Henan and Anhui; around the 1950s it was concentrated chiefly in Heze City of Shandong Province, in Jinxiang, Jiaxiang, Yutai and other counties of Jining City, and in the area around Shangqiu City of Henan Province. From the 1960s onward this performance form gradually extended to Zaozhuang City and Liaocheng City of Shandong Province, to Xuzhou City of Jiangsu Province, and to Dangshan County, Xiaoxian County and other places in Anhui Province. Shandong luozi derives from the "Luohua" tune sung by monks soliciting alms at the end of the Sui and the beginning of the Tang; it was called "sanhua luo" in the Tang, "lianhualuo" in the Song, and in the Ming the narrative form "xushi lianhualuo" came into being.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Shandong luozi uses large cymbals and bamboo clappers as accompanying instruments; it has no orchestral accompaniment, and its singing style is rugged and forceful. Its traditional repertoire is comparatively rich: there are long works such as Shuangbian Ji, Shi Gong An and Yinglie Zhuan; medium-length works such as Yang Xiuying Ban Bing, Baishe Zhuan and Xu Mu Ma Cao; and short works such as Jiang Ziya Mai Mian, Wu Hu Nao Guan, Hei Song Lin and Ku Chang Cheng. The performance form is narration spoken and sung in the Shandong regional pronunciation; the singing style belongs to the banqiang system and, according to expressive function, is divided into the linking style, the grinding style, the long style and the low style; the ban patterns include the fast ban and the slow ban; and the singing techniques include swallowing, breaking, delaying, hurrying, yin-yang articulation, and high and low registers. Its singing style is highly improvisatory, the language is plain and popular, the tunes are simple, singing is the principal element and speech the accessory. The structure of the lyrics divides an episode into a number of sections; these may run to a dozen lines or more, or as few as two lines drawn out into one long drawn-out phrase, after which a stroke on the cymbals serves as an interlude. The basic line pattern consists chiefly of seven characters and follows rhyming metre. The accompanying interlude has no fixed length; the performer may decide how long it runs according to the mood of the plot and the needs of emotional expression. Accordingly, its free and informal vocal styles, musical manner and performance — with no fixed vocal style, phrases that may be long or short, and a rhythm that may be hurried or unhurried — form the core characteristics of Shandong luozi. Shandong luozi belongs to the Qiuzu Longmen school; the earliest known noted performer is Liu Benchun of the "ben" generation, while the "he" and "jiao" generations have produced the most noted performers. Shandong luozi portrays folk legends and historical stories in vivid and lively language, giving them a distinctly literary quality.
Long items: Double Whip, Judge Shi and Heroes
Representative long pieces of Shandong laozi, built on historical romance and court-case matter and told over many days.
Middle-length items
Middle-length pieces that can be finished in one sitting, suited to temple fairs and wedding gatherings.
Short items
Concentrated short pieces, often performed before the main tale to draw a crowd.
The vocal techniques of Shandong laozi
The genre's vocal devices include abrupt stops, delays, swift runs, the yin-yang mouth and register shifts, deployed across four functional tunes.
The Qiu Longmen lineage and Liu Benchun
The genre belongs to the Qiu Longmen lineage; its earliest known master Liu Benchun bore the "ben" generation character, and most famous singers belong to the "he" and "jiao" generations.
Zhang Qingmin's flying cymbal feat
Zhang Qingmin's signature feat is to hurl his great bronze cymbals two or three zhang high, spin, catch them with a flying kick and carry on singing in time.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
By the middle of the Qing dynasty "lianhualuo" was current throughout southwestern Shandong; by the end of the Jiaqing reign the singers of Shandong luozi in southwestern Shandong had gathered together in a host of noted masters.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Shandong Laozi.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
From the 1980s onward the market for quyi performances gradually contracted, and under the protection of the competent authorities Shandong luozi overcame its difficulties and collected and arranged a batch of traditional works, which have been handed down to this day by master-and-disciple transmission. The course of its development displays the regular features of the transformation of religious art into folk art; the language of its lyrics is rich in colloquial character and in local flavour, reflects the worldview, outlook on life and values of the sons and daughters of Qilu, and has considerable historical, artistic, social and cultural value. Zhang Qingmin (as recorded in the official file of the associated inheritor): Male, Han ethnicity, born in December 1961, native of Jinxiang County, Shandong Province. At sixteen he took Dai Yongqing as his master; he was naturally gifted and diligent and painstaking. After the age of eighteen he spent most years travelling and singing in southwestern Shandong, northern Anhui, northern Jiangsu and other places, and his performing skills improved steadily through practice. His performance style is rugged and forceful, with pronounced local characteristics of southwestern Shandong. His specialty is that, whenever the performance reaches its liveliest moment, he often tosses the large cymbal in his hand high into the air two or three zhang, spins round sharply, catches it again with a flying kick and then goes on singing, without letting the rhythm fall out of time. His representative works include Kua Da Suan and Sanba Ershi San. Representative inheritor of the Shandong luozi project under the fifth batch of national-level intangible cultural heritage. He has trained a body of young Shandong luozi performers, among them Li Mingjin.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Zhang Qingmin 05-2516
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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