Douchanggushu
01 · Historical Records
It grew out of the tradition of lecture and teaching in the academies of Duchang in the Song dynasty and of the "jiangzhuan" performances narrating legendary stories of the Ming dynasty; it later absorbed artistic elements from Duchang wenxianxi, caicha opera and Jiangxi daoqing, and developed step by step, so that it has a history of more than 1,500 years. It springs from the folk and is widely transmitted, and it helps carry forward fine traditional culture and strengthen cultural confidence; it has high social and academic value.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Duchang drum storytelling is a form of quyi "small book" storytelling that took shape in and is mainly practised in Duchang County, Jiangxi Province. It is commonly called "chang zhuan" (singing the tale), and the people also call it "shuoshu" (telling stories). Those who perform Duchang drum storytelling are mostly blind artists. They strike the clappers with the left hand and beat the drum with the right; the clappers set the rhythm and the drum strokes build the atmosphere. Sometimes the clappers are also used as a symbolic prop: with stirring drum strokes and changing clapper sounds they imitate all sorts of sound effects to heighten the atmosphere of the storytelling venue; the rise and fall, the stops and the abrupt accents of voice, drum and clappers are used to shape the personalities of the characters, and this is very moving. Its narrative text is mainly in seven-syllable lines, rhyming in pairs, though sometimes the first, second or fourth lines rhyme; its vocal style belongs to the banqiang system, the commonly used clapper patterns being "sanban", "zhengban", "baban" and "shuban"; its basic melodies include "maiqiang", "sanhuadia", "huogong erhang" and "shubantou", and the tuning is set at 5-2. Its performance form is of two kinds: one is seated-hall singing by three or more people, of whom one sings while three to five share the large drum and the gong for accompaniment, used mainly for weddings and funerals; the other is solo singing accompanied by small drum and clappers, generally delivered standing, in any convenient place. Its programmes are mainly of medium and long length, with wide-ranging content covering both historical stories and contemporary life. Traditional repertoire includes "The Three Kingdoms", "The Chronicle of the Sui and Tang" and "The Generals of the Yang Family", while modern repertoire includes "The Henpecked Husband", "Admonishing the World" and "A Comparison of Old and New Marriage". Most of its scripts are marked by a legendary character, with twists and turns in the plot that hold the audience; they are welcome and enjoyed by the people. In performance, singing carries the narration, the telling is vivid and lifelike, and it draws the audience in.
Traditional titles
Traditional titles drawn from history and romance, with modern pieces on domestic and social themes.
Clappers as props and drum mimicry
Left hand claps, right hand drums, and the clappers sometimes serve as props while varied strokes imitate sounds and heighten the scene.
Its metres
A banqiang system with scattered, standard, eight-board and counting metres and a set of named basic tunes tuned to 5-2.
Hall and solo formats
A hall format with a singer and three to five percussive accompanists for weddings and funerals, and a solo standing format anywhere.
Academies and storytelling
It grew from Song academy recitation and Ming tale-telling, later absorbing local opera and Jiangxi Daoist narrative.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Duchang drum storytelling takes Duchang County of Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province, as its centre of formation and circulation. In former times the artists were mostly blind people who went from village to village singing the tales and opened their performances in ancestral halls, main rooms and market places. Besides Duchang County, it is also very popular in the surrounding counties and towns of Hukou, Pengze and Poyang, as well as in Jingdezhen and Leping. Performances take two forms: the first is seated-hall singing by three or more people, of whom one sings while three to five share the large drum and the gong for accompaniment, used mainly for weddings and funerals; the second is solo singing accompanied by small drum and clappers, generally delivered standing, in any convenient place. Transmission rests mainly on master-disciple succession, though some artists have also made themselves masters through self-study.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Today, besides Duchang County, it is also very popular in the surrounding counties and towns of Hukou, Pengze and Poyang, as well as in Jingdezhen and Leping. Duchang drum storytelling is transmitted mainly by master-disciple succession, though some artists have also made themselves masters through self-study. Duchang drum storytelling is a rare and precious form of folk quyi, and it has far-reaching historical value. Its mode of performance is distinctive, with one singer and many answering, and it has varied drumming technique and vivid means of characterisation; it has a high artistic value. Its content is rich and is based mainly on traditional repertoire, and it has weighty national cultural value.
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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