Arts >Opera
Yangge Opera
Yangge Opera is an opera genre widely popular in China, and is mainly distributed in Shanxi Province, Hebei Province, Shaanxi Province, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Shandong Province, etc. It originated from songs that ancient people sang while working in the fields, and later gradually formed an opera pattern through integrating with the performing arts of folk dance, acrobatics and martial arts. This opera features a flexible and free performing form, and is good at presenting real life. In 2006, Yangge Opera was included in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List.
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Yangge-xi (Yangge Opera) in Shanxi

Yangge-xi is a folk drama popular in the northern areas, covering the provinces of Shanxi, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia and Shandong. Derived from the songs singed by farmers working on the fields, Yangge-xi combines the folk art, acrobatics and martial art in its later development and performs as entertainment during Spring Festival and then it gradually forming itself into one type of Chinese opera. By the Mi-Qing Dynasty (1644 to1911) when Bangzi (Chinese local operas performed to the accompaniment of wooden clappers) was popular, the Yangge-xi in Shanxi, Hebei and Shannxi provinces draw lessons from popular operas and developed a form of stage performance. Shuozhou City, prefecture level city in Shanxi, is also famous for its Yangge-xi. Shuozhou Yangge-xi is a folk art form combining martial art, dance and Chinese operas which is popular in Shuozhou City and other southern cities of Inner Mongolia such as Jining, Hohhot, Baotou and Hetao, as well as Zhangjiakou City of Hebei Province. With a long history, originally performed by troupes in public areas, it integrated Kungfu the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and storytelling in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Today, it is popular in both the dance and drama form. The Yangge-xi which focuses on dance is called "tigu (kick drum) yangge", mainly performed in the folk activities for festivals, birthdays, and celebration of bringing a son-in-law into the family and so on. There are 108 performers in the Shuozhou Yangge show. On some occasions, 30 or 50 performers can also present the Yangge show. The male performers are called "tiguzi (kick drum)" and females called "lahua(a kind of dance movement)," and often act as characters from China's classic novels like Water Margin and Journey to the West. The performance has a series of programs, for example, visiting others for a happy New Year call, performing at public squares among others. Grand Yangge refers to the focus on acting rather than dancing that combines the local popular folk songs and draws lessons from other operas to form a unique style. The contents include stories influenced by Chinese Taoism and other folk legends. Shuozhou Yangge developed various forms with a living fossil studying the history of China's folk arts. However, due to the impact of modern multi-cultures and the time limitation of the performance, Shuozhou Yangge, similar to other folk arts, often disappeared.

Shaanxi Ten Strange Customs

Noodles as wide as belts Panpakes as big as pan cover Capsicum as delicious as a dish Bowls as big as basins Operas singing as high as roaring Hanker-chief headdresses Paomo sells in big bowl Houses built in half-like Girls marry locally Squat on stool The above Ten Strange has formed the Shaanxi image of honest and loyal, also reflected the unique Shaanxi features. Shaanxi people are bold and unconstrained not only in nature but also in diet culture. The belt-like noodles, cover-like pancakes and oiled capsicums are typical demonstrations. About the house architecture, it is the great result of making best use of the sunshine. The roaring-like opera are due to the special landforms Shaanxi that knaps and dongas abound. Women marry locally, in a large degree, indicates that Shaanxi was a place rich in land, resources and telant. Ballad & Nursery Rhyme of Guanzhong Area Xian is one of the birthplaces of the ancient Chinese culture, due to influences from the factors as weather, landform, economy and culture etc. in the aspects of living, eating, or else like that, Shaanxi people have formed its own way of saying, as the famous dialect there. These dialects, the evolutive traces of the ancient Chinese civilization can be seen, also a taste of the real achievement of today could be present to be favorable appreciation. The emotional Shaanxi folk songs and ballads have long been spread widely among common people. As kinds of humorous, satirical, hortative, criticized ones on the social ills and expressions of personal sentiment, all of which based on Shaanxi dialect as carrier, is the concentrated expression of Shaanxi folkways. Folk Songs are colorful, full of swinging scene. In terms of content, mainly fun-filled children’s songs that reflect the era characteristics and personalities, as well as real life, criticized ballads exist. In form, some brief, jocular humor, and some attack on the social ills with extreme words, still some filled with gratitude, enthusiastically eulogize, some are ask and answer correspondingly contrast to the ones confide in low voice. In representation, men, animals, plants and things around are widely adopted to it that lay out the profound social changes. Northern Shaanxi Yangge Yangge is a kind of art that combined songs and dances together, the traditional large-scaled yangge is to sing after dance, as the ordinaries say that strike out and dance well then with singing out follow suit. The ecumenic process is that to start singing with the jacket collar. Basically speaking, they always create improvisatory depend on the scene presented with music followed and crowds chorus for the last sentence. Nowadays, the traditional form has been innovated and improved, new content added, new forms of yangge opera has created that popularized both local and nationwide. Regale on Kang Kang is the local name of bed, in order to show the locals’ hospitality, they always treat the guests on their “kang”, the kang here is not the same as the usual bed as we thought, but a hollow bed made of dust or slate that connected with kitchen range in order to keep warm. Such kind of warming method both economizes firewoods and avoids contamination to keep air clean. Crossing your legs to sit on the “kang”, you will feel warm deep in heart, not only because of the hot cushion on the top but also the hosts’ warm welcome. You will pertake the natives’ hospitality of the local snacks served on followed. Customs of Noodles It is widely known that Guanzhong and its surrounding area mostly take noodle s as their staple food, therefore various kinds of noodles have made in different cooking methods. Gradually, special kinds have possessed fixed meaning as a custom. Agglomerate Noodles: It is a kind of noodle for the whole family to eat together to express their blessing on the husband or son who will go of for a long distance. Longevity Noodles: Just as its name goes by, it is the noodle that congratulates the elders’ birthday. Red Noodles: Usually red noodles were eaten on the last day of a year, to express propitious and wish for a more thriving year to coming. Egg Noodles: The special noodle is made by mother-in-law for the newly married son-in-law to express her favor on him. Porridge noodles: It is the common saying “Laba rice porridge” that eats on the day of Laba. It indicates the gone of last year and a year of ample food and clothing is coming. Cold Noodles: As what we say it cooked without fire to commemorate incorrupt Jie Zitui in Jin Dynasty, people take it around Tomb-sweeping Day named “Cold Meal”. Nowadays, it is common eating such kind of noodle in hot summer. Four-Colored Gift The presents are sorts of cultured gifts from junior to senior in Xian. Four colors means four seasons of a year, intents the meaning of from beginning to the end, perfection and complete, blessed a lot to the elderships. For instance, after the engagement, the verile has to take the four gifts to the female’s family like tobacco, alcohol, meat, cans, fruits or else; as for the female part, thay also have to echoplex as convenance, such as shoes, socks, pens or notes etc. With increased income and improved living standard, gifts and the grades are also changed and elevated correspondingly. Five Kinds of Beans To eat the five kinds of beans is a folk custom in the Guanzhong area of Xian. On the 5th of the twelfth month of the lunar year, take soybean, tiny bean, mung bean, red bean and black bean together into the pan to seethe. The finished meal should be eaten by the whole family but there must be some left. To express their wishes that good harvest and superabound will be gained in the year to come. It is the day that after midwinter when daytime becoming longer and night shorter, so the five beans meal also signify the seasonal changes. At present, such custom has still been popular in villages. Handle Affairs on the 100th The affairs could be divided into completed two kinds as opposite; one is congratulation on the 100th day of a new lease of life while the other is to mourn for the death after 100 days. Celebration on the 100th is to show everybody’s blessing on the baby of 100 days, it is a happy occasion. The unhappy and serious situation is on the 100th day of the death. The death’s main relatives and neighbors are all come to join the sacrifice activity and the funeral family, as a kind of acknowledgement, has to junket the guests. Thereafter, the death’s relatives have to back to their normal work and life.

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山西的秧歌戏

秧歌的表演多在行进中或在广场,秧歌队行进在一个较宽敞的广场时,原地围起一个“场子”,围好后,有的秧歌队会在场子中间由两三个演员表演一些具有简单情节、诙谐幽默的小段子,久之“秧歌戏”诞生了。 秧歌成为戏曲,很受山西百姓的欢迎,在山西遍地开花,而且一些地方早就有了专业剧团,至今还是山西境内流行的主要剧种。在20世纪80年代编纂的《中国戏曲志·山西卷》中,收录了秧歌戏和与秧歌有关的剧种15种:朔县大秧歌、广灵大秧歌、繁峙大秧歌、泽州秧歌、汾孝秧歌、介休干调秧歌、壶关秧歌、翼城秧歌、襄武秧歌、祁太秧歌、太原秧歌、沁源秧歌、左权小花戏、河曲二人台、凤台小戏。在上世纪90年代初编纂的《中国戏曲音乐集成·山西卷》中,编收了秧歌戏和与秧歌有关的剧种12种:晋北大秧歌、晋中秧歌、襄武秧歌、沁源秧歌、西火秧歌、壶关秧歌、泽州秧歌、平腔秧歌、汾孝秧歌、河津小花戏、左权小花戏、二人台。 在《清代竹枝词》中有这样两句诗:早春戏馆换新腔,半杂秧歌侑客觞。这表明在乾隆时的戏馆中,已有了秧歌腔。但这两句诗仍不能说明戏馆中的“新腔“是有了秧歌戏,还是在戏中“杂”用了秧歌的腔调。 关于山西秧歌成戏,从志书记载看,河曲县五花城乡大念墕村的龙王庙戏台同治八年(1869)的题壁中“阳歌盛事”是较早对秧歌戏的记载,其中“小寡妇上坟”是20世纪初仍在省内各地流行的民歌小调。 在长治县柳林乡寺庄村同治四年(1865)立的石碑“奉官禁止演唱秧歌”,一定是秧歌的内容不符合当时的政治或道德标准,“有伤风化”,才予禁止。从秧歌中现在仍能够知道的“粉段子”和后来一些地方“禁秧歌”的条文看,当时所禁的秧歌是有情节的小戏。 由此可见,在同治年间,山西的秧歌已经成戏并已有专业演出了。之后,对于秧歌戏的记载多了起来,记录的剧目也多了起来,如清徐县尧城大队舞台题壁记有光绪二十一年(1896)的演出和剧目:五月初七日,祁太德盛社,首日,《吃油馍》《采茶》;午,《换碗》《求妻》;晚,《翠屏山》《大观灯》《大算命》《卖豆腐》。秧歌成戏后继承了小而短的传统。小是指角色小、演员少。小生、小旦,最多再加个小丑即可成一段戏,因此多被人称作“三小戏”。短是戏短,秧歌戏没有成本连台的“大戏”,多是反映日常生活、家长里短的生活“小戏”。当然秧歌戏还有一些自身的特点,如演的多是当时的“现代戏”,演出服装、道具简单,机动灵活,唱腔是地方小调,道白用地方方言,语言风趣幽默、贴近生活等。 秧歌成戏后唱腔逐渐朝着“戏曲化”的方向发展。到20世纪80年代,秧歌戏的唱腔体式已有四种。 一是保留早期秧歌民歌小调形态。唱腔仍是以民歌小调为主,演出小戏一剧一曲,剧名即曲名。这种秧歌戏虽然保留了民歌小调的形态,但在发展过程中已经吸收了较多的“曲子”(主要是“明清俗曲”)和其他地域流行的唱调,曲调逐渐丰富。这类秧歌戏以晋中秧歌为代表。 二是将传统的秧歌小调简单化,成为以上、下两句无限反复的唱腔。唱腔只有一种或两三种,以唱词的字数作为唱腔的基本结构和唱调。这类秧歌戏有泽州秧歌、平腔秧歌和汾孝秧歌。 三是以传统的一首或几首秧歌小调为基本曲调,将唱腔的曲调板式化。虽然唱腔是以“板式”称谓的,但唱腔中仍保留着“四句秧歌”唱调的基因。这类秧歌戏以晋东南的襄武秧歌为代表。 四是虽然尚保留有传统一剧一曲的曲调,但在发展中不仅使自己的曲牌体唱腔板式化,而且把梆子戏中各种板类的板式完整地吸收进来,与原有的曲调同用于一剧中。这类秧歌戏以晋北大秧歌为代表(包括朔州大秧歌、繁峙秧歌、广灵秧歌)。 秧歌戏的乐队早期都是以打击乐器为主,全省大多称为“干板腔”或“干板秧歌”,在不断的发展中,各地秧歌戏才逐渐有了管弦乐器的伴奏,使用乐器大多是当地梆子戏、其他戏或民间乐队常用的乐器。 早期秧歌的表演形式有“唱”“扮”和“演”。正是由于秧歌的多样的表演形式,才使得秧歌成为“歌”、成为“舞”、成为“戏”的民间艺术形式,成为了山西人民喜爱的、重要的、不可或缺的艺术品种。

Knowledge Graph
Examples

1 Yangge Opera, ancient folk art, has been discovered in the nick of time, since it's on the brink of extinction.

2 Yangge Opera actually has nothing to do with the dance.

3 A Yangge Opera Singer said, "I don't know when it originated, nor how it developed. Not only me, most of them know nothing."