Qinqiang Opera

Introduction

The root of northwestern bangzi opera, sung high, fierce and plaintive

Qinqiang is a bangzi (clapper) opera that grew out of the folk music and dialect of the Guanzhong plain in Shaanxi, and is performed across the Northwest in Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai and Xinjiang. Carried east and south by Shaanxi merchants from the Ming–Qing transition, it shaped dozens of later regional forms, and in the Qianlong reign Wei Changsheng's performances in Beijing set off the rivalry between 'flower' and 'elegant' theatre. Its music has a bright huanyin mode and a mournful kuyin mode, led by the banhu fiddle over the clapper; male roles sing in a high, forceful voice, and the stage uses feats such as fire-breathing and hair-whipping.

Timeline

1. 1368OriginAt the Yuan–Ming transition, Guanzhong ballads, folk music and dialect combine into Qinqiang
2. 1779ImpactWei Changsheng's Shuangqing troupe stages Gunlou in Beijing to packed houses, opening the flower–elegant rivalry
3. 1912EvolutionLi Tongxuan, Sun Renyu and others found the Yisu Society in Xi'an, a combined school and troupe

Heritage Listings

1. 2006National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage1st batch · IV-16 · Shaanxi
2. 2008National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage2nd batch extension · IV-16 · Gansu
3. 2014National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage4th batch extension · IV-16 · Ningxia