Suona Art
01 · Historical Records
Suona is a transliteration of the Arabic “surna” (zurna), called in antiquity “suoliao” or “su'ernai”, and widely current in many countries of Asia, Africa and Europe; it came into China at the latest in the Jin and Yuan periods. In addition, the small suona used in the performance of Fujian nanqu is called the “aizi” or “nan'ai”; the suona used to accompany Puxian opera is called the “meihua” or “chuibian”, and a larger kind is called the “dalong” or “dahaidi”; the all-wood suona of the Uyghur is called the “su'ernai”; and the Tibetan, Miao, Mongol and Korean peoples each have suona of different form.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
In Chinese folk usage it also has the names of bronze flute, tin flute, pear blossom and sea flute. The suona is made up of the reed, the staple, the air disc, the body and the bronze bell; its finger-holes are arranged in order according to the heptatonic scale, the distances between them being basically equal, it can turn through seven modes, and its range is generally two octaves and a major second. It has such blowing techniques as portamento, tonguing, arched-breath tone, top-breath tone, the rolling “du-lu” and circular breathing (blowing without a break for a long time), and is a solo instrument of very strong expressiveness. Its volume is great and its tone high and ringing, making it one of the indispensable instruments of the wind-and-percussion band; in antiquity, besides playing military music, it was used for the drum-and-wind music of the yamen and as accompaniment to opera, song and dance, and in the daily life of the people it is mostly used for festivals, weddings and funerals and theatrical scenes.
All Red
Representative pieces of the Tangshan flower blowing include All Red, The Young Girl's Love, The Peep-Show and Xiudele.
The Young Girl's Love
A representative piece of the Tangshan flower blowing, a kind of drum-and-wind music of the Tangshan area of Hebei.
The Peep-Show
A representative piece of the Tangshan flower blowing, performed in folk activities of weddings and funerals, shop openings, festivals and temple fairs.
Xiudele
A representative piece of the Tangshan flower blowing, played on two large trumpets with hall drum and small cymbals.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The Tangshan flower blowing circulates mainly in the coastal and plain townships of Caofeidian, Fengnan and Luannan in the Tangshan area of Hebei, mostly moving from village to village in the form of troupes, and its area of performance extends also to the Tianjin and Qinhuangdao areas.
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04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
The Tangshan flower blowing is the crystallisation of the collective wisdom of folk artists and an important variety of drum-and-wind music in north China, of great value for the study of traditional music and local culture. At present those who can command the Tangshan flower blowing comprehensively can be counted on the fingers. Under the strong impact of powerful foreign culture the traditional environment of survival of the Tangshan flower blowing has greatly changed, and it faces a break in transmission and a lack of successors, so that rescue and protection brook no delay.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- He Deyi 02-0276
- Li Jinhai 02-0277
- Yao Shaolin 03-0837
- Lu Buliang 03-0838
- Niuqiyun 03-0839
- Liu Yousheng 03-0840
- Mo Baihuai 04-1520
- Li Qishan 04-1521
- Wang Shifa 04-1522
- Ma Zigang 04-1523
- Liu Fushou 05-2062
- Cui Qingyun 05-2063
- Liu Xiaohong 05-2064
- Tang Haifeng 05-2065
- Yang Chengwei 05-2066
- Li Shupeng 05-2067
- Jiang Fajie 05-2068
- Liu Qiulin 05-2069
- Ding Qinghua 05-2070
- Wang Shuyin 05-2071
- Liu Guofu 05-2072
- Chen Dewang 05-2073
- Liu Daorong 05-2074
- Zhou Benxiang
- Xiehaiming
- Sun Huayang
- Yao Xina
- Suo Zhongxiu
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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