Liu Baoquan

Also known as Also named Liu Shunquan · Courtesy name Yimin · King of the Drum-Song Stage

Liu Baoquan, also known as Liu Shunquan with the courtesy name Yimin, came from a family of Shenxian, Zhili, and was born in Beijing. He sang country drum-song with his father as a boy and at fifteen studied woodblock drum-song with Song Wu in Tianjin, later learning from Hu Shi and Huo Mingliang. Switching to Beijing pronunciation, absorbing Shiyun shu, Matou diao and Peking opera singing and stage movement, and adding sihu and pipa to the accompaniment, he transformed the rustic form into jingyun dagu, the Liu school. From 1908 he cut thirty-three discs for Pathé and other labels and was famous for Dandao Hui, Changban Po, Da Xixiang and Ningwu Guan, earning the title King of the Drum-Song Stage; his pupils included Bai Fengming and Tan Fengyuan. He died in 1942.