Zezhousixianshu
01 · Historical Records
Zezhou Four-String Storytelling (Zezhousixianshu) had already taken shape no later than the Guangxu reign period of the Qing dynasty, giving it a history of more than one hundred and fifty years.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Zezhou Four-String Storytelling is a form of quyi storytelling that circulates mainly throughout Zezhou County of Shanxi Province, as well as in the southeastern part of Qinshui County, the eastern part of Yangcheng County and the western part of Lingchuan County. It takes its name from the four-string fiddle (sihu), its principal accompanying instrument. The performance alternates speech and song, with song predominating, and is delivered in the Zezhou local accent. In its early days a single performer accompanied himself on the four-string fiddle and the leg clappers; later, accompaniment by several musicians came into use. Its vocal styles and tunes belong to the banqiang (metrical pattern) system, the principal ban patterns being pingban, jinban, jieban, sandao ban and guanyun. The accompanying instruments comprise the lead instruments — the four-string fiddle, the sanxian and the huhu — together with two two-string fiddles (erba), as well as one each of the large, medium and small leg clappers and a pair of cymbals. The accompaniment is interlude-style: the instruments do not play while the singing is under way. The sung lyrics basically follow a seven-character paired-line form, with the lower line rhyming. In former times those who performed Zezhou Four-String Storytelling were all blind folk artists, and the principal occasions for their performances were the villagers' offerings to the gods, the redemption of vows and celebrations. Traditional programmes frequently performed include “Youtiantai (A Tour of Mount Tiantai)”, “Da Baxian (The Great Eight Immortals)”, “Fugui Changchun (Wealth and Everlasting Spring)”, “Fupih Huashan (Cleaving Mount Hua with an Axe)”, “Du Linying”, “Sanjie Luofan (Third Sister Descending to the Mortal World)”, “Tianxian Songzi (The Celestial Being Delivering a Child)”, “Xu Gongzi Baishou (Young Master Xu Paying Birthday Respects)”, “Long Sanjie Baishou (Third Sister Long Paying Birthday Respects)”, “Xixiangji (The Story of the Western Wing)” and “Liang Zhu Xiashan (Liang Zhu Descending the Mountain)”. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Zezhou County established the Zezhou County Quyi Troupe, whose main repertory was Zezhou Four-String Storytelling. It created and performed new programmes such as “Kaoshenpo (Examining the God-Diviner's Wife)”, “Wu Quanyou Receives His Daughter” and “The River God Takes a Wife”. During the same period, styles of performance standing still and moving about also appeared. At the same time the two-string fiddle (erhu) replaced the four-string fiddle as an accompanying instrument, and the suona, the small drum and the clapper board were added.
The four-string fiddle and leg clappers
Named for its leading four-string fiddle, the genre also uses sanxian and three sizes of leg clappers, with accompaniment falling between vocal phrases.
The five metres of Zhaozhou sixiang
The arias are metrical in type with five principal metres, sung in couplets of seven characters rhyming on the second line.
Representative traditional items
Regularly performed traditional items steeped in myth and legend, forming the core of the repertoire alongside Wandering to Tiantai.
Blind singers and votive occasions
The players were traditionally blind, hired mainly for thanks-offerings and temple celebrations, at first one man alone with fiddle and clappers.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Zezhou Four-String Storytelling circulates mainly throughout Zezhou County of Shanxi Province, as well as in the southeastern part of Qinshui County, the eastern part of Yangcheng County and the western part of Lingchuan County; the Zezhou County Cultural Centre is the protecting unit. In former times the performers were all blind folk artists, and the villagers' offerings to the gods, the redemption of vows and celebrations were the principal occasions for their performances. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Zezhou County established a quyi troupe whose main repertory was Four-String Storytelling; it created and performed new programmes such as “Kaoshenpo”, “Wu Quanyou Receives His Daughter” and “The River God Takes a Wife”, styles of performance standing still and moving about also appeared, and the two-string fiddle replaced the four-string fiddle as an accompanying instrument while the suona, the small drum and the clapper board were added.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
After the beginning of the 21st century, as old performers grew older and passed away one after another, performances declined day by day, and Zezhou Four-String Storytelling came close to disappearing, so that it urgently needs rescue and protection. Chen Shuanfa (as recorded in the official archival record of the associated inheritor): Male, of Han ethnicity, born in November 1953, a native of Zezhou County, Shanxi Province. At the age of 14 he became a disciple of the folk artist Yuan Xiaomi of Zezhou Four-String Storytelling, studying the singing techniques, the da guanshu and the xiaoduan shu. At the age of 19 he began to lead his own troupe on tour to the countryside. His vocal style is mellow and melancholy, his utterance is agile and his voice resonant; his singing carries a strong flavour of the Jincheng dialect, and the characters he portrays have sharply individual personalities. Over his long practice in storytelling, his performance style has won the approval of the people of Jincheng. Representative works include “Wunü Xingtang Zhuan (The Story of Five Women Blessing the Tang Dynasty)”, “Lievü Zhuan (Biographies of Chaste Women)”, “Jiang Taigong Sells Noodles”, “Hongluo Shan”, “Lintong Shan”, “Yang Bajie You Chun (Eighth Sister Yang's Spring Outing)” and “Meng Liang Ban Bing (General Meng Moves Troops)”. Representative inheritor of Zezhou Four-String Storytelling, a project in the fifth national-level batch of intangible cultural heritage. For many years he has devoted himself to the performance of Four-String Storytelling and to the training of inheritors.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Chen Shuanfa 05-2521
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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