Gong and Drum Art

01 · Historical Records

The Linqing jia drum developed out of the jiegu, the double-headed barrel drum. According to the Ming-dynasty Linqing county gazetteer, “the jiegu began in the Tang”. The Jiegu Lu (Record of the Jiegu) by Nanzhuo of the Tang dynasty gives a detailed account of the form and playing characteristics of the jiegu, saying that the jiegu “is beaten with two sticks, its sound harsh, killing and resonant, and is especially suited to quick pieces in rapid, broken rhythm, producing the sound of sticks shattering in battle; it is also suited to the evening scene of a high tower, the bright moon and a gentle breeze, breaking through the air and carrying far, and is quite distinct from all other music”.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

The Linqing jia drum is a form of folk gong and drum art passed down through generations in Linqing city, Liaocheng, Shandong Province. Linqing city is conveniently situated, and northern and southern cultures meet here. Because it has a typical continental monsoon climate the locality is rather dry, and drumheads made of western Shandong cowhide are tough and elastic and sound out loud and resonant when struck. All this provided favourable conditions for the rapid development of jia drum culture in Linqing. The instruments of the Linqing jia drum are the drum, the dian gong and the shai gong, and it is a purely percussion ensemble art form. Its drum patterns are rich and varied, its sound loud and martial, its manner vast and magnificent; it is widely used in festival celebrations, shehuo performances and large competitions, and is a form of art that the local Hui people are glad to hear and see. The Linqing jia drum band numbers as few as eleven players, generally eight drums, two dian gongs and one shai gong, and as many as thirty-four, with twenty-four drums, eight dian gongs and two shai gongs. Its performing forms include the street procession and the circle; the drum patterns begin with Er Shi Ba Xiu (Twenty-Eight Mansions), include the long drum, the small line of drums and the old line of drums, and then have the dian drum patterns called “street points”, ending finally with the rolling drum. The performers generally tie the drum to the waist, stand with the legs apart about as wide as the shoulders, and hold the head high and the chest out, displaying a masculine air; the gong, as a directing instrument, serves to steady the drum patterns. It has playing techniques such as striking the drum rim, striking the drum shell and clashing the drumsticks together; its rhythm is rich and varied and it has extremely strong artistry and expressive power.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

It has a broad mass base, embodies the united spirit and fine traditions by which the local Hui and Han people create prosperity together, promotes ethnic integration and deepens ethnic friendship, and has high historical, cultural, artistic and social value.

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04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

At present the area in which the Linqing jia drum is active has Linqing city as its core, radiating to the neighbouring Xiajin county, Guan county and Linxi county in Hebei. At present the repertory of the Linqing jia drum consists chiefly of six pieces, Dian Gu (Pointed Drum), Lao Pai Gu (Old Line of Drums), Xiao Pai Gu (Small Line of Drums), Er Shi Ba Xiu (Twenty-Eight Mansions), Chang Gu (Long Drum) and Gun Gu (Rolling Drum), all of which are included in the Anthology of Chinese Folk Instrumental Music, Shandong volume. The Linqing jia drum is passed down through generations mainly among the Hui people, by master and apprentice and by transmission within the community, through the practice of its bands, and holds a very important place in the local folk music. In recent years the local government has supported the inheritor in establishing a jia drum transmission base at the Linqing National Experimental Middle School, and has increased media publicity, vigorously transmitting and popularising this traditional folk art among the public, especially among young people. Drawing on Grand Canal culture for its transmission and development, the Linqing jia drum enriches and perfects traditional Chinese folk music.

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 (Liaochengshilinqing, Shandong) · China ICH Official Project Archive

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗