Distinguished Folk Drama

58.Distinguished Folk Drama

Nominating Unit: Huaiji County, City of Zhaoqing

Originated from Qiaotou Town, Huaiji County in City of Zhaoqing at the end of the Qing Dynasty, Distinguished Folk Drama is one type of local plays based on local dancing, singing and singsong music. From solo during the reign of Emperor Tongzhi and Emperor Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty to multiple roles in the twentieth century, full-length plays arise to the dominant status of the Opera. Now the Opera boosts a history of over 120 years.

The traditional repertoire, either the earlier ones like Wuji Buys Wood, Ah-lan Sells Pigs, or later ones like Romance between Shanbo and Yingtai, Five Brave Men Conquer the West, Hengwen Chai, Pauper and Chuangyuan (No. 1 in the imperial examination), etc. there is no distinction in the number of showings. Another feature is the Distinguished Folk Drama’s tune, a combination of local teaplucking tone and modified Horse Tune of horse-dancing music. It is from this coupling that it gains the name “Distinguished Folk Drama”, the only one available and shared by both male and female roles.(https://www.daowen.com)

But the performers can adjust the tune according to the development of the story and the roles’emotional changes, so that it becomes smooth and slight for releasing soft feelings, loud and short for venting anger, and low and deep for conveying sadness. The spoken parts in the opera are carried out in vernacular, while the rhythmical and poetical parts are in Cantonese. Accompanied by Drums and Gongs as well as by suona (trumpet), the opera is characterized by the different ways that gongand-drum are played throughout, from appearing on the stage, entering the stage, mid-scene singing, speaking, Ganarium album, path-fi nding to martial art performing. There are three roles in the Opera, namely Sheng, Dan, Chou (“jack-of-all-trades” by locals), among which Sheng is subdivided into literary and martial types, Dan into young or middle-aged female and old female, and Chou into male and female. In the earlier days, male roles all wear unified plain long-sleeved blouses with ancientstyled hats while female roles in Qing–styled long gowns. It is later that costumes become diversified to go with the different dynasties the plays represent. Now the theatrical costumes are similar to that of Cantonese Opera.

Born in the remote northwest mountainous areas of Guangdong Province, the Opera, far away from modern metropolitan cultures, is full of countryside’s flavor and has become symbol of local culture as well as carrier of local folks’ spiritual life. Therefore, research on the Opera proves significant to the study of local dramas’ formation and evolution. In 1996, Qiaotou Town, the hometown for Distinguished Folk Drama, is honored as “Homeland for Folk Arts in Guangdong Province”.

However, impacts exerted by market economy and diversified cultures reduce the Drama to imminent danger. Such a situation should arouse concern from relevant departments and actions must be taken before it is too late.