Jingzhou Huagu Opera

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Jingzhou Huagu Opera

Applicant: Qianjiang City, Hubei Province

Project No.: 203

Project No.: Ⅳ - 59

Time of publication: 2006 (the first batch)

Category: Traditional Drama

Region: Hubei Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Qianjiang City, Hubei Province

Protected by: Hubei Huagu Opera Art Research Institute (Hubei experimental Huagu theater)

Brief introduction of Jingzhou Huagu Opera

Applicant: Qianjiang City, Hubei Province

Jingzhou Huagu opera is one of the main local operas in Hubei Province, formerly known as Huaguzi and tianmian Huagu opera. After the end of Ming Dynasty, it was a kind of local opera gradually developed by absorbing the repertoire, tune and performance of other operas in the folk singing forms such as three stick drum, walking on stilts and picking lotus boats in Jianghan Plain. It was popular in the areas under the jurisdiction of Jingzhou and spread to the neighboring areas such as southern Hubei and Northern Hunan.

According to statistics, there are 197 plays of Jingzhou Huagu opera, including "drawing the bolt", "pinching the vegetable moss", "telling the master", "standing on the flower wall", "Shuangpai bamboo shoots", "Da Lianxiang", "Jianghan painting", "he Duanyang", "Da bugui", "Xichan", "Sanguantang", "Ci Dian", "Yinshen", "telling Jingcheng", etc. The early roles of Jingzhou Huagu opera were mainly Xiaosheng, clown and Xiaodan. Later, with the change of the play, the five trades of Xiaosheng, Shengjiao, Zhengdan, Huadan and Chou were formed. His performance is free and flexible, relaxed and lively, full of strong local sentiment and folk life atmosphere, with "picking flowers", "color", "biting bowl" and other special effects.

Jingzhou Huagu opera music belongs to Daoqiang, its singing is divided into main tune and minor tune. The main tune belongs to banqiang, including Gaoqiang, dailuo tune, Siping tune, Qishui tune and so on; minor tune is divided into single tune, special tune and interlude. The music is short, beautiful melody, light rhythm and rich color. The traditional singing form of Jingzhou Huagu opera is "one singing, many harmonizing, accompanied by gongs and drums". The singing is high pitched and simple, the tune range is wide, and the melody has many big jumps in progress. Both men and women sing with their own voice and falsetto. The three aspects of "singing, helping and playing" cooperate closely, forming a unique singing style. The main accompaniment instruments include Bian Gu, Zhu bang, cymbals, Da Gong, Ma Gong, Xiao Gong, suona, etc. there are about 20 kinds of percussion instruments.

Jingzhou Huagu opera is rooted in the fertile soil of Jianghan Plain. Around the 21st century, Jingzhou Huagu opera has encountered an irresistible crisis. It is very important to explore and rescue Jingzhou Huagu opera for the inheritance, protection and research of Jingchu folk culture and art.