Shifan Music

01 · Historical Records

Huangshi Huiyang shiyin took shape and developed during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and reached its height in the late Qing and early Republican period.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

Shifan music is also called "ten classes" or "five pairs", taking its name from the ten instruments played, which are made of silk, bamboo, leather, wood and metal. This music is light and lively, strongly rhythmic, harmonious in pitch and pleasing to the ear, and it is widely circulated in Fujian, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and other parts of China. Most shifan melodies come from folk minor tunes and huapa (suona pieces); they have also drawn much nourishment from opera, quyi storytelling and song tunes. Their performing forms are divided into seated performance, marching performance and dancing performance, and the player in charge of the clapper boards normally acts as the conductor. Huangshi Huiyang shiyin has a long and far-reaching history, being known as the "elegant music of central Fujian" and the "lingering tones of the primal ancient". It is circulated mainly in Putian City, Fujian Province and in neighbouring Fuqing, Huian and other counties of the Puxian-speaking area, and spreads further to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao and to the places where Puxian overseas Chinese have settled, such as Singapore and Malaysia. Transmitted through the ages from generation to generation, Huangshi Huiyang shiyin still preserves a batch of ancient instruments and tune patterns today, and is acclaimed as a "living fossil of Nanqu". A Huiyang shiyin ensemble generally consists of ten to twelve people, and the instruments used in performance are rather distinctive, falling into the bowed-and-plucked group and the wind-and-percussion group, including the four-string hu, the measure hu, the old hu, the single-string fiddle, the eight-cornered zither, the single-string small sanxian, the floating flute and so on. Its representative pieces, Meng Dao · Feng Ru Song, Gu Tai Xu, Gu Tai Lan and the like, are all famous tunes transmitted through the ages. When Huiyang shiyin is performed the bowings are even and orderly, the timbre is sweet, the rhythm is bright and clear and the atmosphere is lively; it has both the soft, graceful style of Jiangnan sizhu music and the bold features of northern music. It not only enriches and completes the history of Chinese music but also occupies a place in the history of world music.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

Huangshi Huiyang shiyin is circulated mainly in Putian City, Fujian Province and in neighbouring Fuqing, Huian and other parts of the Puxian-speaking area, and spreads to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao and to the places where Puxian overseas Chinese have settled, such as Singapore and Malaysia; it is known as the "elegant music of central Fujian" and the "lingering tones of the primal ancient". A Huiyang shiyin ensemble generally consists of ten to twelve people; its instruments fall into the bowed-and-plucked group and the wind-and-percussion group, including the four-string hu, the measure hu, the old hu, the single-string fiddle, the eight-cornered zither, the single-string small sanxian and the floating flute, and it is closely bound up with the Puxian dialect, with folk customs, and with activities such as the consecration of a new temple, weddings and birthday celebrations.

Other submitting regions for the same item: Shifan Music · Shifan Music · Shifan Music · Shifan Music · Shifan Music · Shifan Music · Shifan Music · Shifan Music.

04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

Huiyang shiyin is performed mainly at temple consecrations and at folk activities such as weddings and birthday celebrations; with important characteristics such as multiple sources and richness, it displays high artistic value. As an ancient folk art, the rich and varied content and the long transmission history of Huangshi Huiyang shiyin are rarely seen in the local music of other parts of China. At present the social basis on which Huangshi Huiyang shiyin survives and develops has changed, some traditional folk customs are fading day by day, many skilled shiyin performers are already advanced in years, the genre's development is extremely difficult, and urgent rescue and protection are needed. Fang Yuanwang (recorded in the official file of the associated inheritor): Male, of Han nationality, born in October 1934, native of Putian City, Fujian Province. He is especially skilled in playing the floating flute, his technique is superb, and he took part in the Fujian Province shifan music selection competition and won a silver award. Representative inheritor of the fourth national-level batch of the expanded national-level intangible cultural heritage project Shifan Music (Huangshi Huiyang shiyin). He has trained several inheritors and has devoted himself to collecting shiyin instruments and scores, preserving a large quantity of valuable physical and written material for Huiyang shiyin.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

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

• Chen Yingmu 02-0286
• Louzhengshou 03-0843
• Wang Rongtang 04-1524
• Li Zhenyu 04-1525
• Fang Yuanwang 04-1526
• He Hanpei 05-2076
• Liu Guangrong

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

1. Shifan Music (Putian, Fujian) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Fang Yuanwang · National Representative Bearer Archive

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗