Jinmenfagu

01 · Historical Records

In the Ming dynasty the consorts of the emperor Chongzhen bestowed on Guajia Temple half a set of imperial ceremonial regalia; in the ninth year of the Yongzheng reign of the Qing dynasty (1731) the monks of Guajia Temple used that regalia to found the Guajia Temple Qingyin fagu ceremonial association, which has a history of more than three hundred years. The Guajia Temple Qingyin fagu ceremonial association began as a folk “civil” fagu; after martial fagu was introduced in the sixth year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing dynasty (1801), flying nao and flying cymbals were added.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

Fagu is an important item of the Tianjin folk flower gatherings; it derives from Buddhist music, and it is said that the earliest fagu troupe was the Dajue'an Jinyin fagu association. The instruments of a fagu association consist of drum, cymbals, nao, small cymbals (gezi) and small gongs (dangzi), the drum taking the lead and standing at the centre of the band; the cymbals stand left and right, seven or eight players to each, while the gezi and dangzi have two players each, all behind the drum. In performance all the hand-held instruments must be played in the showy manner called “shua”, and the players take turns performing. The beginning of a performance is called “kai”: the drum is struck several times first, then the head cymbals are struck four times in succession, after which all the instruments play together from their scores. In a procession, however, only the gezi and dangzi play the named tune Chang Yuan Dian in order to keep the steps in time. A fagu has about a dozen suites of named tunes, those in common use being Lao Xi He, Yao Tong Gu and others. There are many folk fagu associations, the better known including the Guajia Temple Qingyin fagu, the Yangjiazhuang Yongyin fagu, the Liuyuan Xiangyin fagu, the Longting Jingyin fagu, the Jiyuan Huayin fagu and the Houjiahou Yongyin fagu. The Guajia Temple Qingyin fagu circulates mainly in Guajia Temple street and its surroundings in Hexi district, Tianjin; it is a folk music form of great distinctiveness, in whose performance fine props, superb technique and graceful dance movements are combined. The Qingyin fagu has five percussion instruments — dangzi, gezi, cymbals, nao and drum — and several dozen sets of musical scores and tune suites; the scores now in common use include the score for assembling the members, the opening score and the revised score, while the many tune suites include such pieces as Dui Lian, Qiao Tou, Que Tui, Xiu Qiu, Lian Zhu Pao, Shuang Qiao and Lao He Xi. The most distinctive feature of the Qingyin fagu in the use of these tune suites is that five suites are alternated with one, giving great variety and great sweetness, so that its reputation has spread far and wide. The movements of the fagu performance combine hardness and softness and are unsurpassed in excellence; among them are hidden “thirteen supreme feats”, so that it is held to be the orthodox of folk art; in particular the flying cymbals mounted on the drum stage are famous throughout Tianjin, with extraordinary movements such as the tiger and dragon leaping, the swallow flying and the phoenix dancing, the flower tucked in to cover the head and the red whip in the shape of a cross, which fill the beholder with wonder. The techniques of the cymbals and the nao each have their own character, yet each produces something new and striking. The flower sticks of Guajia Temple are finely made, handsome and elegant; in performance, though there is no instrumental accompaniment, bronze bells are fixed to the sticks, one to a hand, which strike against each other and beat out various ornamental patterns as the players walk, while they sing folk ditties of their own composition. The Guajia Temple Qingyin fagu has a strong flavour of the local soil and is a traditional folk cultural form that fuses splendid props, superb performing technique and graceful dance movement into one. Most of the performers in the old fagu associations take part from childhood. The Qingyin fagu often turns out for performance at New Year festivals and large folk events, and is celebrated throughout Tianjin for the distinctive character of its props and playing.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

The Guajia Temple Qingyin fagu ceremonial association centres on Guajia Temple street in Hexi district, Tianjin; when it turns out it still uses the half set of ceremonial regalia bestowed by the consort of the Ming emperor Chongzhen, the regalia and its ceremonial retinue being followed in order by the fagu band, forming the fixed pattern of a civil ceremonial procession and a martial field of percussion; the most distinctive feature of the Qingyin fagu in its use of tune suites is the “five suites followed by one”, a suite of a different pattern being inserted after every five named-tune suites, giving great variety and great sweetness.

Other submitting regions for the same item: Jinmenfagu · Jinmenfagu · Jinmenfagu.

04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

At present, owing to the demolition of the meeting place, the damage to the props and the ageing of the members, the Qingyin fagu old association is declining and urgently needs protection and support. Fu Bao'an (associated bearer, as recorded in the official archive): male, Han, born in August 1950, a native of Tianjin. Influenced by his family from childhood, he took a liking to the Guajia Temple Qingyin fagu. At the age of four he began to learn to strike the small gezi, at ten he could play the flying cymbals, and at sixteen he had mastered all five of the percussion instruments of the fagu. After taking the famous fagu master Sun Shangping as his teacher in 1964, he studied the ancient fagu scores and dance movements more systematically and came to understand them comprehensively. In study and practice he demands much of himself, observes the rules of the association, masters the fagu technique comprehensively and accurately, becomes familiar with the history of the ceremonial regalia, and afterwards takes part in the maintenance and management of the fagu instruments and of the regalia. At the same time he transmits what he has learned without reserve, going into the communities year round to teach apprentices. He is a representative inheritor of Jinmen fagu (Guajia Temple Qingyin fagu), a national-level intangible cultural heritage item of the fifth batch. Yang Kuiju (associated bearer, as recorded in the official archive): male, Han, born in November 1935, a native of Tianjin. He is expert in the fagu technique, able to master with skill the playing and the routines of the five instruments drum, bo, nao, dangzi and cha-ge (raising the flag, the six-nine bo, stacked gold coins, fishing the moon, rolled curtain, crotch drum), as well as the scores (picture of wealth and honour, yin-yang fishes, couplet, four seasons as one wishes, eight trigrams diagram, embroidered ball). In 1995 he became president of the local fagu association, leading its members in public-benefit performances and academic exchange activities. He is a representative inheritor of Jinmen fagu (Yangjiazhuang Yongyin fagu), a national-level intangible cultural heritage item of the fifth batch. In 2007 he was awarded the title of “Drum King of Jinmen” by Tianjin municipality.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

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

• Fu Baoan 05-2130
• Yang Kuiju 05-2131
• Tian Wenqi 05-2132
• Cao Guihua 05-2133
• Liu Yuxin
• Wu Qiang

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

1. Jinmenfagu (Hexi, Tianjin) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Fu Baoan · National Representative Bearer Archive
3. Yang Kuiju · National Representative Bearer Archive

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗