Rong Jianchen

Also known as Born Rong Xun · Zi Jianchen

Rong Jianchen, of the Guan'erjia clan, born Rong Xun and styled Jianchen, was a Manchu of Beijing born in 1881 or 1886. An amateur who turned professional, he performed danxian inside the Beijing city walls from the early Republic, expanding Wu Shi Hui, the Wu Song cycle, from four to ten instalments and Du Shiniang from two to five, and enriching the suite tunes with Laoting drum-song melodies. His mellow, rounded singing and distinctive cadences became the Rong school. After performing in Tianjin in 1926 he was hailed as the King of Danxian, and in the 1930s and 1940s he recorded Du Shiniang and other pieces. He died in 1958.