Nanyin Narrative Singing
01 · Historical Records
Nanyin storytelling, also called simply "Nanyin", had formed no later than the mid-Qing dynasty. It circulates in the Pearl River Delta and in the Hong Kong and Macao area, where it is performed in Cantonese (Guangdong vernacular). It is a separate quyi genre that merely shares its name with the Nanyin popular in southern Fujian and is in fact entirely different from it. Around the 1950s, the spread of radio broadcasting carried Nanyin storytelling far and wide, and for a time it flourished. Since the 1960s it has steadily declined.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
In its traditional form, Nanyin storytelling is performed by a single singer, who plays a qinzeng, yohu, sanxian or qinhu himself while narrating and singing. The early repertoire consisted mainly of long works. Later, two performers singing in alternation also appeared, the pieces tended towards shorter sung segments, and accompaniment with yangqin, paiban wooden clappers and xiao flute was added. The lyrics are rhymed seven-syllable verse. The vocal styles are divided into "benchuang" (the local style), "Yangzhou style" and "Plum Blossom style"; and according to the vocal style adopted and the area of circulation, the form has further branches and alternative names such as "dishui Nanyin" (waterland Nanyin).
Deoi Seoi Naam Jam (boat-people's naamyam)
The river-delta branch of naamyam sung among boat people, whose low, drawn-out melodies are the main line kept by Hong Kong and Macao music societies.
The three vocal modes
The three vocal modes of naamyam: the local Ben mode plus the Yangzhou and Meihua modes named after the tunes they absorbed.
Qinqin and yangqin accompaniment
Early singers accompanied themselves on zither, yehu or sanxian; later duets added yangqin, clappers and flute, with the qinqin shadowing the voice.
Recorded anthologies
The naamyam recordings left by the inheritor Au Kwan-cheung, who with Ng Wing-mui has taught and performed in Hong Kong and Macao for decades.
Macao teahouse stages and music societies
The Macao venues where naamyam survives: thriving with radio in the 1950s but declining after the 1960s, now kept alive by two music societies.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Nanyin storytelling has as its centres of circulation Guangzhou, Foshan and Dongguan in the Pearl River Delta together with Hong Kong and Macao; differences of dialect and vocal style have produced distinct regional branches. The version sung by fishermen and people living on the water in the waterways of the Pearl River Delta is called "dishui Nanyin", and the quyi societies of Hong Kong and Macao mostly carry on this line. By the origin of their vocal styles the form divides into three currents, "benchuang", "Yangzhou style" and "Plum Blossom style": benchuang is the native Cantonese mode, while Yangzhou style and Plum Blossom style were formed by absorbing tunes brought in from other provinces. In Macao, Nanyin storytelling has been carried on through Cantonese Opera quyi societies and teahouse song forums. The "Xiang Le Le Yuan" quyi society, co-founded by the Qu Junxiang Cantonese Opera Quyi Society and Wu Yongmei, is the only remaining centre where the art is still taught, and it has long given performances and instruction at schools and in the community.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Today it faces an even greater danger of disappearing; in Macao only a very small number of inheritors remain, such as Qu Junxiang. The item is therefore in urgent need of support and protection. Wu Yongmei (as recorded in the official file on associated inheritors): Enamoured of quyi since childhood, she began learning Nanyin at the age of ten, is well versed in the ancient paichang ceremonial pieces and bayin ensembles of Cantonese Opera, and is skilled on the yangqin and the qinqin. Her vocal delivery is calm and gentle, expressing the soft, reserved character of Lingnan women. The timbre of her qinqin playing is pure and clear, and her command of such techniques as down-stroke, up-stroke, rolling and plucking is quite superb; her instrumental line follows the singing as closely as a shadow, fully bringing out the melodic beauty and the vernacular beauty of Nanyin. She has accompanied the noted Nanyin performers Gan Mingchao and Qu Junxiang on the qinqin, and has recorded a number of compact discs. For twenty-eight years she has taught apprentices with devotion, helped found the "Xiang Le Le Yuan" quyi society in Macao, performed and taught there, and taken part in public-welfare activities. Having long resided in Hong Kong, she is regarded as a veteran quyi master of Hong Kong and Macao, and the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government honoured her as a "treasure of Nanyin". Female, of Han ethnicity, born in October 1927, died in July 2014, a native of the Macao Special Administrative Region. Representative inheritor of Nanyin storytelling among the national-level intangible cultural heritage projects in the fourth batch. Qu Junxiang (as recorded in the official file on associated inheritors): Male, of Han ethnicity, born in October 1944, a native of the Macao Special Administrative Region. He has recorded a number of Nanyin records, such as "Selected Nanyin" and "The Dishui Nanyin of Qu Junxiang". He is skilled at playing the various accompanying instruments of quyi, and adapts and composes Nanyin texts. In 1995 he founded the Qu Junxiang Cantonese Opera Quyi Society, and has persisted in teaching and promoting Nanyin. For a long time he has taken part in performances at schools, and has repeatedly been invited to sing and lecture at institutions such as the University of Hong Kong, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the University of Macau. His artistic achievements have won broad recognition and acclaim in the Hong Kong and Macao region. Representative inheritor of Nanyin storytelling among the national-level intangible cultural heritage projects in the fifth batch.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Wu Yongmei 04-1733
- Qujunxiang 05-2525
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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