Yangge Dance

Ⅲ-2Traditional DanceChangli, HebeiBatch 1 (2006)Newly Added Item

01 · Historical Records

Yangge has a long history. Among the folk dance troupes described by Zhou Mi of the Southern Song in his Wulin Jiushi (Old Events of the Wulin) there is already a record of cuntian le ("village field music"); the Xinnian Zayong Chao (Selected New Year Verses) by Wu Xilin of the Qing dynasty states explicitly the lineage between the yangge that survives today and the Song-dynasty cuntian le. It first arose in the Yuan dynasty and has been transmitted down to the present. In 1996, Changli County was named a "Hometown of Chinese Folk Art" by the Ministry of Culture.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

Yangge is a collective term for a highly popular and representative genre of Chinese folk dance (chiefly in the north); different regions have their own names, styles and forms. In folk usage the term divides into two: the version performed on stilts is called "gaqiao yangge" (stilt yangge), and the version performed without stilts is called "di yangge" (ground yangge). The term "yangge" as used in modern times usually refers to "di yangge". In most places today yangge takes the form of a yangge troupe; a troupe numbers at least a dozen or so people and at times as many as a hundred. There are group dances as well as two-person and three-person dances and many other performance formats; according to the needs of the role the performers hold the appropriate props — handkerchief, umbrella, sticks, drum, coin-whip and the like — and dance freely to the accompaniment of gongs, drums, suona and other wind and percussion instruments. The dancing methods, movements and styles of yangge differ from place to place: some are imposing and heroic, others gentle and charming — a dazzling variety that never fails to delight. Yangge is one of the most representative folk dance genres in northern China. It is at once performative and self-amusing, entertaining the performers as much as the audience, and is deeply loved by ordinary people. Every region has produced some representative folk yangge artists, and many folk artists have played an important part in building the dance undertaking of the People's Republic of China. Changli ground yangge has a sharply distinctive character, from its outward form to its content. The role types of Changli ground yangge are niu (girl), chou (clown), a further type whose name is blank in the source text, and gongzi (young master); each is distinctive in performance. In its earliest days all the role types of Changli ground yangge were played by men. The best-known little plays within Changli ground yangge include "Pu Hudie" (Catching Butterflies), "Ju Gang" (Repairing the Crock), "Wang Erxiao Ganjiao" (Wang Erxiao Trudges His Pack), "Shazhuzi Jie Xifu" (Silly Pillar Takes a Wife) and "Pao Lu" (Donkey Run). The dance of Changli ground yangge stresses the coordination of all parts of the body; the shoulders, hips, knees and wrists twist freely, and the effect is humorous and amusing. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Changli ground yangge number "Pao Lu" (Donkey Run) took part in the World Festival of Youth and Students and won a silver medal. Changli ground yangge is a form of yangge that expresses the peasant's zest for life and has a distinctly original dance style; it reflects certain features of agricultural society and rural life, and the optimistic, humorous outlook of the peasantry.

Pao Lü (Riding the Donkey)

One of the most influential Changli Yangge playlets; after 1949 it was performed at the World Festival of Youth and Students and won a silver prize.

Pu Hudie (Catching Butterflies)

A well-known Changli Yangge playlet performed by the clown and young-woman role types, combining comic movement with fan and body technique.

Ju Gang (Mending the Vat)

A Changli Yangge playlet built on the banter between a travelling vat-mender and a village woman, a standard vehicle for the clown's patter and body work.

Sha Zhuzi Jie Xifu

A Changli Yangge playlet whose simple-minded protagonist carries a domestic comedy, among the most widely performed items at local New Year entertainments.

Wang Erxiao Gan Jiao

A Changli Yangge playlet drawn from the life of village porters, sung and danced with strong local colour.

The four role types

The four basic role types of Changli Yangge, all originally played by men; the clown's tasselled hat developed from Mongol dress, reflecting Mongol cultural influence.

Zhou, Zhang and Lu schools

The Zhou school of Zhou Guobao, the Zhang school of Zhang Qian and the Lu school of Lu Fengchun are the household style lineages of Changli Yangge.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

Changli ground yangge is one of the most representative folk dance genres of Hebei Province, distributed in Changli, Lulong, Funing, Laoting and Luan County of Hebei. In form it divides into "paijie yangge" (processional street yangge) and "changzi yangge" (arena yangge); in content, apart from "ping yangge", which has no fixed plot, most items are "yangge chuzi" — short inserted pieces. Changli ground yangge is closely bound up with the local folk song-and-dance and little plays. Its performance forms are lively and its content rich, showing artistic features of role characterization and role typing; it expresses the character and feelings of characters with depth and conveys the intention of the movements in a rich, delicate way, which makes it stand out among folk dances. Several stylistic schools of ground yangge each have their own charm and are known in every household: the Zhou school represented by the famous folk artist Zhou Guobao, the Zhang school represented by Zhang Qian, and the Lu school represented by Lu Fengchun.

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04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

Today, with the rapid development of the rural economy and the consequent change in the cultural environment, folk artists who still master traditional yangge skills and authentic dance style have become as rare as morning stars; protection and transmission are urgent. In its roles, structure and costume it has been influenced by Mongolian culture: the "yingzi mao" (tasselled hat) worn by the "chou" role in present-day ground yangge developed out of Mongolian dress. But because of the rapid development of the social economy and the advancing age of the artists, the transmission of Changli ground yangge faces a severe situation and urgently needs rescue and protection. Zhou Hehua (official file record of the associated inheritor): male, Han nationality, born in 1938, native of Changli, Hebei. Starting at the age of 14, Zhou Hehua studied ground yangge performance under famous ground yangge artists of Changli including Zhou Guobao, Zhang Qian, Qin Huan and Lun Baoshan. In 1954 he attended the Hebei Provincial Art School for the provincial folk art training class, where he mainly studied the "chou"-role dance of his uncle Zhou Guobao's "Zhou school", while also learning the other schools, drawing on the strengths of many and fusing them into one. In the "chou" role that Zhou Hehua performs in ground yangge, the movements combine strength and softness in a distinctive style; his "shan hua" (fan work) is endlessly varied and takes the eye; his facial expressions are humorous and playful, and even his pose alone divides into the hard pose (held on the strong beat) and the soft pose (held on the weak beat). Representative works include "Pao Lu" (Donkey Run), "Ju Gang" (Mending the Crock), "Pu Die" (Catching Butterflies), "Duan Qiao" (The Broken Bridge), "Mo Gan" (Touching the Pole), "Da Zao Wang" (Warding Off the Kitchen God) and "Tui Hua Che" (Pushing the Flower Cart). Representative inheritor of Yangge (Changli ground yangge), the second batch of national-level intangible cultural heritage projects. As a leading figure of Changli ground yangge and a successor of the Zhou school, whenever the county Cultural Bureau ran a ground yangge training and study class, Zhou Hehua took an active part in teaching ground yangge skills, training a large contingent of ground yangge artistic backbone for Changli County. Yu Zhenjiang (official file record of the associated inheritor): male, Han nationality, born in 1944, native of Changli, Hebei. His technical feature is the frequent use of crouching steps, with the upper body held straight, the shoulders, waist and hips being the most mobile parts; the hips pivot on the lower abdomen, rotating forward, backward, left and right at an even, steady rate. The clown characters he shapes with his distinctive performance technique have vivid personalities, briskly playful and humorous. Representative works include "Sha Guye Bai Nian" (The Foolish Son-in-law Pays New Year Visits), "Cuo Zhong Cuo" (Mistake Within a Mistake), "Bu Xiao de Er Xi" (The Unfilial Daughter-in-law), "Shen Yi" (The Divine Physician), "Zhi Guo Di Shou Ka" (Outwitting the Enemy Post) and so on. Representative inheritor of Yangge (Changli ground yangge), the second batch of national-level intangible cultural heritage projects. Beginning in 1984, Yu Zhenjiang organized a yangge troupe and took on apprentices, training more than one hundred of them, and over the years has trained a large number of talents in ground yangge for Changli County.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

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

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗

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