Pansuoli
01 · Historical Records
Pansori (Pansuoli) is a genre of quyi narrative singing of the Korean ethnic group. The term “Pansori” is a transliteration from the Korean language; its original sense is “a place of amusement”, and here it is extended to mean “a song sung before a large audience”. Pansori circulates in the Korean settlements of Jilin, Liaoning and Heilongjiang provinces. From the mid-20th century onward, performances on a raised platform (gaotai) appeared and became an important performance form of the professional arts troupes of the Korean ethnic group. Traditional programmes draw largely on Korean folk tales such as “The Tale of Chun-hyang”, “The Tale of Shen Qing” and “The Xingfu Song”, together with programmes adapted from Chinese literary stories such as “The Chibi Song” and “The Kongming Song”, as well as short pieces reflecting the real life of a new era. Since the beginning of the 21st century the development of Pansori has run into difficulties: performances have contracted, transmitters are few, and it urgently needs support and protection.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The traditional performance form is one performer standing and delivering the narrative in the Korean language, song predominating with spoken passages interspersed; another performer sits and beats a drum in accompaniment, and in some cases a gayageum or a yangqin is added to the accompaniment. Its vocal styles and tunes include pingdiao, shangpingdiao, jiemiandiao, pingjiemian diao and xiajiemian diao. In the past it was performed on wandering tours, at banquets, at New Year festivals and at celebrations, and during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression there were also artists who made a living by singing it in restaurants and teahouses.
The five melodic modes
Its melodic modes run from the plain and upper plain to the kyemyeon modes, assigned according to mood and situation.
The core story cycles
The traditional items are largely drawn from Korean story cycles; these three are the most widely performed and remain the backbone of teaching.
Items from Chinese romance
Among the repertoire are items adapted from Chinese literary tales, circulating alongside the Korean story cycles and new short pieces.
Kayagum and yangqin accompaniment
A singer stands to chant in Korean while a seated drummer accompanies, with the kayagum or yangqin sometimes added.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Pansori circulates in the Korean settlements of Jilin, Liaoning and Heilongjiang provinces; the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture is its main area of transmission, and the Yanbian Song and Dance Troupe (Yanbian Drama Troupe) is the protecting unit. Raised-platform performance appeared from the mid-20th century onward and became an important form for the professional arts troupes of the Korean ethnic group; in the past it was usually sung on wandering tours, at banquets, at New Year festivals and at celebrations, and during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression there were also artists who made a living by singing it in restaurants and teahouses. In Yanbian the teaching and creative forces for Pansori are relatively concentrated. Transmitters such as Jiang Xinzi combine teaching with research, have devised for themselves a vocal method with a mellow and high-pitched timbre, and have adapted the singing modes of Pansori and of Namdo folk ballads to modern taste; by holding teaching-report concerts they have also created opportunities for young performers to appear on stage.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Pansuoli.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Jiang Xinzi (as recorded in the official archival record of the associated inheritor): Female, of the Korean ethnic group, born in February 1941, a native of Yanji City, Jilin Province. Combining teaching with research, she devised for herself a vocal method with a mellow and high-pitched timbre, formed a complete vocal system, and adapted the singing modes of Pansori and of Namdo folk ballads so that they suit the way modern people sing. Most of the Pansori pieces she transmits come from the “Five Traditional Songs” such as “Shenqing Song” and “Chunxiang Song”. Over many years, by holding “Jiang Xinzi Teaching Report Concerts”, she has created opportunities for her students to perform on stage and has trained a good number of Pansori performers. Representative inheritor of Pansori, a project in the fourth national-level batch of intangible cultural heritage.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Jiang Xinzi 04-1731
- Jin Lihao 05-2522
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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