Hunan Yugu

01 · Historical Records

It is generally held that the historical source of Hunan yugu can be traced back to the daoqing of the Tang and Song periods, and that in the Ming and Qing dynasties it finally took shape as an independent local quyi form of Hunan Province. In the late Qing and early Republican period, many professional performers emerged in all parts of Hunan Province; the mode of performance also moved from itinerant street performance to seated storytelling, guild organisations were founded, and an annual assembly was held to offer collective sacrifices to the founding master Han Xiangzi.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

Hunan yugu is a traditional quyi form transmitted widely in all parts of Hunan Province. Hunan yugu uses Hunan local speech and alternates speech and song with the singing predominant; the body of the repertoire is a narrative form alternating prose-like passages with rhymed singing, narration carrying the main weight and impersonated speech serving as a supplement. The sung text is basically in seven-syllable lines following the “two-two-three” word pattern, together with ten-syllable lines based on it following the “three-three-four” word pattern. The composition of a typical script generally consists of three parts: the introductory poem, the main text and the closing formula. Its vocal music is of the metrical system, with common metrical forms such as the ping ban (level form), the shu ban (counting form) and the san ban (free form); but in the different areas of transmission, absorbing and making use of different musical elements, different functional and school-specific vocal styles arose. In the Yuan River area of northern Hunan there are the “yun qiang” (cloud style), the “nu qiang” (furious style), the “bei qiang” (sorrowful style) and the “niangniang qiang” (lady's tone) evolved from the principal style and its “old-style tune”, while in southern Hunan there are the “sanliu diao” (free-flow tune) and the “duo ban” (stacked form) evolved from the principal style. The principal accompanying instrument is the yugu drum, supported by the jianban clappers, small cymbals, yueqin and sanxian. The performance mode is by a single performer, and there are also cases in which two to four people perform together. In the course of its long development, differing from place to place in speech sounds, vocabulary, vocal styles and melodies, Hunan yugu formed the distinct shuo-chang styles of central Hunan, southern Hunan, northern Hunan and western Hunan. Hunan yugu is performed mainly at weddings, funerals and festivals. Its traditional repertoire is large, and performers through the ages have named the works by subject matter as “da chuan” (great narratives), “xiao ji” (small records), “si fang” (private inspections) and so on. Its programme forms include medium- and long-length works performed over several sessions, short pieces performed complete in one sitting, and short passages of nao chang (comic interlude), jing chang (quiet-scene) or fan chang (scene-turning) performance. The basic styles and their variant styles differ to some degree between the various schools, while the sung texts are made by the performer: he first becomes familiar with the novel or story, grasps the essentials of the plot and the characters' temperaments, and then writes the “qiaoben” (bridge text) in condensed language. Hunan yugu is rooted in the important life rituals and local folk customs of the people, is closely bound up with their daily lives, and reflects the many aspects of society and human life; it is an indispensable part of the life customs of the Hunan people and an important vehicle of local culture and spirit.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

Hunan yugu forms four regional styles according to its area of transmission: central Hunan, southern Hunan, northern Hunan and western Hunan. In the Yuan River area of northern Hunan, the cloud style, furious style, sorrowful style and lady's tone were evolved from the principal old-style tune; in southern Hunan, the free-flow tune and the stacked form were evolved from the principal style; and along the Qidong–Qiyang line it is especially flourishing.

04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

There are two forms of transmission, family transmission and master-disciple transmission, with the performers passing the art on by inherited succession and by oral teaching from heart to heart. Its spoken and sung words, which blend the local language, are rich in artistic expressiveness and appeal, and it has a high research value in historical, artistic and academic terms. Zou Kunshan (as recorded in the official file on the associated inheritor): male, of Han nationality, born in April 1963, native of Qidong County, Hunan Province. As a child he followed his father to learn the Qidong yugu vocal styles and spoken passages, inheriting and mastering the traditional singing style in its authentic form. In his youth he specialised in the xiaosheng (young male) role type at the Qiju Opera Troupe of Qidong County, and later went into business with his family before devoting himself exclusively to singing yugu. He boldly borrows different vocal styles and is warmly welcomed by the audiences. He blends cultural elements into his performance, bringing out the distinctive character of Qidong and interpreting the local Qidong flavour very well. In his stage practice he has formed an artistic style whose singing is mellow and full-bodied and whose characterisation is mature and steady yet free and grand. Representative inheritor of Hunan yugu in the fifth batch of national-level intangible cultural heritage projects.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:

• Zou Kunshan 05-2529
• Zou Huachun

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

1. Hunan Yugu (Hunan) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Zou Kunshan · National Representative Bearer Archive

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗