Jia Shusan

Also known as Called Blind Jia

Jia Shusan, a native of Chengdu who went blind as a child, learned the Sichuan zhuqin (bamboo-drum ballad) and could recite dozens of long and many short pieces from memory. Zhuqin had been sung seated by groups of four or five, each taking a role; in the 1930s he made it a one-man form, sung seated or moving, with a single voice playing every part. He cut the four-line tune to two lines, sped up the beat, and borrowed melodies from Sichuan opera, Sichuan qingyin and folk songs to build a varied 'coloured' vocal style, taking zhuqin from the street into storytelling halls. His Jia school became the most influential in the genre; his pieces include Huarong Dao and Pipa Ji. Republican-era Chengdu counted 'Blind Jia' among its 'three marvels'.