Gong and Drum Art

01 · Historical Records

From the Ming dynasty onward, Changshan battle drums grew increasingly flourishing, taking shape with the characteristics of clear performance routines and imposing scale, and they circulated widely among the people.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

Although the instruments used vary from place to place, they consist mainly of high-volume percussion instruments such as gongs, drums, naos and cymbals; the rhythm is stirring and sharply marked, the performance scenes are grand, the artistic style is marked by imposing momentum, martial vigour and ardent warmth, and it is performed mainly at various folk auspicious celebrations and ceremonial occasions. Changshan battle drums are a folk gong-and-drum performance art current in Zhengding County, Hebei Province, named for the fact that Zhengding belonged in historical times to Changshan Commandery. It has a long history and a distant source; according to the 《Zhengding County Gazetteer》, Changshan battle drums had already taken embryonic form as early as the Warring States period. In the Song and Yuan periods Zhengding became the centre of performing arts for the whole country at the time, and the performance of the battle drums was already very mature. The performance of Changshan battle drums calls for a variety of percussion instruments such as drums, large biaos, medium biaos, small biaos and small gongs; the ensemble numbers from a few dozen people to several hundred; the routines are varied, the content rich and the tune patterns numerous; the performance is heroic and martial, of grand momentum, with tight drum beats, complex and artful variation, and a high, ringing sound. Changshan battle drums consist mostly of independent gong-and-drum pieces linked and combined together, in as many as 9 chapters and 72 suites, mainly including 【Da Chuan Zhang】, 【Er Chuan Zhang】, 【Mai Da Bu】, 【Xiao Xi Gu】, 【Er Duo Jiao】 and 【Ba Wang Bian】; and on the basis of the traditional tune patterns, new formations and tune patterns such as 【Zhan Gu Qi Ming】, 【Shi Mian Mai Fu】, 【Liang Jun Dui Lei】 and 【Sheng Li Kai Xuan】 have been excavated and organized. Changshan battle drums are used mainly for square performances, and those of Dongyangzhuang and Xiyangzhuang in Nanniu Township, Zhengding County, are the most famous; in performance they beat while dancing, the drummers leap and shift about, the drums and cymbals fly up and down, the dance postures are graceful, the formations rich, the technique exquisite and the momentum imposing. Changshan battle drums are used mostly for weddings, birthday celebrations and festival ceremonies, and are an indispensable part of the cultural life of the countryside in Hebei.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

Gong-and-drum music is a relatively common form of folk instrumental performance in China; it is widely distributed, and is found in Hebei, Tianjin, Shanxi, Shanghai, Henan, Hubei, Shanxi and other places.

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04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

The transmission of Changshan battle drums is strict, following two patterns: transmission within the family and masters training apprentices. It is an important legacy of the traditional cultural expression forms of the ancient city of Zhengding, and has research value in such fields as folklore and folk art. At present, as the times change and the aesthetic tastes of the people gradually shift, the performance space for Changshan battle drums is shrinking day by day and its prospects for development are not encouraging; urgent rescue and protection are needed. Zhang Shushe (per the official archive record of the associated inheritor): Male, of Han ethnicity, born in August 1954, a native of Zhengding County, Hebei Province. Born into a family of battle drummers, he came into contact with it constantly from childhood and developed a strong interest in Changshan battle drums at a very young age, beginning to study the art of drumming at the age of 10. After reaching adulthood, through continual learning and practice he mastered different drumming methods, while also absorbing the techniques of many drumming methods and stick techniques, and then evolving and innovating upon them into a comparatively systematic set of Changshan battle-drum methods. Representative inheritor of the gong-and-drum music (Changshan battle drums) item of the fifth national-level batch of intangible cultural heritage. He successively led his team to take part in such events as the opening ceremony of the 11th Beijing Asian Games and the torch relay of the Beijing Olympic Games, and took part in numerous competitions, winning awards.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

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

• Liu Yaowen 03-0882
• Zhao Manzong 05-2134
• Zhang Shushe 05-2135
• Wu Mingchang 05-2136
• Yang Renhe 05-2137
• Liu Qingyun 05-2138
• Liu Zhen 05-2139
• Li Xingguang 05-2140
• Wangdaozhang 05-2141
• Cheng Qinxiang 05-2142
• Wang Guohai
• Xuezongfeng
• Hong Yuqing

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

1. Gong and Drum Art (Zhengding, Hebei) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Zhang Shushe · National Representative Bearer Archive

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗