Qijiayanxi
01 · Historical Records
It takes its material from the story of the Qi tusi obeying the dispatch of the Ming court and repeatedly leading troops on campaign; it praises the Tu officers and men headed by the Qi tusi, who were loyal to the sovereign and loved their country and, to safeguard the unity and peace of the state, risked death and campaigned east and west, and were afterwards persecuted to death by treacherous ministers—a solemn and stirring story. Which tusi the protagonist Qi Yanxi specifically refers to is still undetermined, but from clues found in the Xining Prefectural Gazetteer and the New General Gazetteer of Gansu it can be judged that the events told in Qijiayanxi took place in the Ming dynasty; this long narrative poem was probably composed towards the end of the Ming and has been handed down to the present by folk artists in the form of narration or singing.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Qijiayanxi is a relatively representative Tu heroic narrative poem, current mainly in the Huzhu Tu autonomous county of Qinghai (originally the territory of the Qi tusi), the Datong Hui-and-Tu autonomous county and the Tu areas of settlement in the Tianzhu Tibetan autonomous county of Gansu. Qijiayanxi is relatively widely sung in the Huzhu Tu autonomous county. This heroic narrative poem has intricate and moving episodes; it chiefly praises the noble sentiment of the Qi tusi's loyal defence of the state and his superb strategy and tactics, and lashes the ugly conduct of the scheming Commander Chai, who falsely transmitted an imperial edict, persecuted the loyal and good, took the credit for others' deeds and finally secretly assassinated Qi Yanxi. Each line of the Qijiayanxi poem has seven or nine characters, four lines form one stanza, and one complete episode forms one canto. Its main story line is clear, its episodes intricate and highly interesting and full of romance. It has fixed tunes and melodies, with neat metre and a deep, solemn and stirring tune, bearing the typical features of folk sung-narrative art.
The Qi Tusi's Campaigns East and West
The story of the Qi tusi obeying the dispatch of the Ming court, leading troops on campaign, and being loyal to the sovereign and loving his country.
Commander Chai Falsely Transmits an Imperial Edict and Persecutes the Loyal
A lashing of the ugly conduct of Commander Chai in taking the credit for others' deeds and assassinating Qi Yanxi.
The Tunes and Canto System of Qijiayanxi
The system of seven- or nine-character lines, four lines to a stanza and one episode to a canto, set to fixed tunes.
Village Gatherings and Father-to-Son, Master-to-Apprentice Singing
The manner in which Qijiayanxi is sung at Tu village gatherings and between father and son and master and apprentice.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Qijiayanxi is current mainly in the Tu areas of settlement of the Huzhu Tu autonomous county and the Datong Hui-and-Tu autonomous county of Qinghai and the Tianzhu Tibetan autonomous county of Gansu; among them the Huzhu Tu autonomous county was originally the territory of the Qi tusi and is where it is most widely sung, radiating to the surrounding Tu villages.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
This narrative poem has more than ten folk versions; its transmission is mostly by village gatherings, master to apprentice, family and father to son, its transmitting group being mainly the Tu people, though some Han and Tibetan people of the Huzhu Tu autonomous county also sing it. The story told in Qijiayanxi has a romantic colour and vividly reflects the Tu customs with their pastoral and agricultural character; it is of reference value for the study of social life in the late Ming and early Qing and of the historical evolution of Tu society, is of great significance for carrying forward traditional culture and enriching the people's cultural life, and plays a positive role in building a harmonious society and safeguarding ethnic unity. (Associated bearer recorded in the official archive:) Suo Deyuan, male, Tu, born May 1972, a native of the Huzhu Tu autonomous county, Qinghai, a singer of Qijiayanxi. Influenced by him, his two daughters Suo Lanying and Suo Lancuo also learned to sing Qijiayanxi from him, and his disciple Suo Dejin is a singer famous far and near. He is a representative bearer of the fifth batch of national-level intangible cultural heritage items, Qijiayanxi. In 2013 he won a special contribution award at the local intangible-cultural-heritage-in-the-schools activity. In the same year he took part in the selection contest for bearers of intangible cultural heritage items of the Huzhu Tu autonomous county and was awarded the title of outstanding folk singer.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Suo Deyuan 05-2031
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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