◎Laoting Drum (a national intangible cultural heri...
Laoting Drum is a kind of folk rap art formed by integrating many factors such as humanities, geography, local customs, and so on. It is based on various folk arts such as Laoting's folk tune Qingping Song, and has drawn strengths from various rap arts. It has been reformed and innovated by generations of artists, and has gradually developed and matured after long-term practice. Laoting Drum was formed in the Ming Dynasty and prevailed in the Qing Dynasty. Its formation is directly related to the history, customs and local dialects of the Ming and Qing dynasties, so it has distinct local characteristics.(https://www.daowen.com)
Laoting Drum is one of the main types of music in northern China and it is named “Laoting Drum” because that it originated in the county. It is said that it was founded by artist Wen Rong in 1850 or so, and then became popular in Laoting, Luanxian County, Changli and Tangshan of Hebei, as well as Beijing, Tianjin and some areas in Northeast China. Since the birth of this art form, Laoting Drum has been performed by many famous people and is widely spread and embraced by the general public for its culture value. In addition to Wen Rong, his successors, such as Chen Jichang, Qi Zhen, Feng Fuchang, Wang Enhong, Wang Deyou, Qi Yongwu, Qi Wenfeng, Han Xiangpu, Jin Wenran, Zhang Yunxia, Jia Youran, Yao Shunyue, were also representative Laoting Drum artists in various historical periods. Among them, Han Xiangpu and Jin Wenran were the most famous in the period of the Republic of China, who were respectively respected as founders of the Han (Xiangpu) School and the Jin (Wenran) School. Laoting Drum, together with Ping Opera and Tangshan Shadow Play, is known as the “Three Flowers of Eastern Hebei Folk Art.” As a major art genre in Hebei Province, it has influenced the formation and development of Beijing Qinshu and Beijing Fengdiao Drum.