Gaoqiang (Chenhe Gaoqiang)

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Gaoqiang (Chenhe Gaoqiang)

Applicant: Luxi County, Hunan Province

Project No.: 151

Project No.: Ⅳ - 7

Time of publication: 2006 (the first batch)

Category: Traditional Drama

Region: Hunan Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Luxi County, Hunan Province

Protection unit: Chenhe Gaoqiang school, Luxi County

Introduction to Gaoqiang (Chenhe Gaoqiang)

Applicant: Luxi County, Hunan Province

Gaoqiang is a kind of opera derived from Yiyang tune in Ming Dynasty and later Qingyang tune. In the course of hundreds of years of evolution, great changes have taken place in the branches of Yiyang tune, which have different degrees of integration with local folk music, thus forming different musical styles of Gaoqiang.

Chenhe Gaoqiang is a kind of local opera mainly composed of Gaoqiang, tanqiang and a small number of Kunqiang. It is popular in Chenhe, a tributary of the middle and upper reaches of Yuanjiang River in Hunan Province, and affects parts of Guizhou and Sichuan Province. Chenhe Gaoqiang originated from Yiyang opera, one of the four major tunes in traditional Chinese opera. It was developed in Daoguang and Xianfeng years of Qing Dynasty. Du Fenglin, an old artist, established the earliest Chenhe Gaoqiang Troupe "Dahong Troupe" in Western Hunan and toured all over the country. Chenhe Gaoqiang began to spread among the people.

In the long process of development and evolution, Chenhe Gaoqiang has formed a unique artistic style. It has 48 copies of "Mulian opera" and plays such as "golden seal", "red robe", "yipinzhong", "Pipa", "pretending to be crazy" and so on. It has been popular in Western Hunan for a long time. There are more than 500 tunes in Chenhe high tune, which are suitable for expressing different thoughts and feelings. The main tunes are guichaohuan, jianghuanglong, langtaosha, panjinling, pudengmoth, etc.

Chenhe's high pitched voice is high pitched and exciting, with a wide range, which can rotate in the high, middle and low range. When it's extensive, it can crack gold and jade, resounding through the sky; when it's soft, it can be as fine as gossamer, tactful and moving. The male voice sings with a big voice, giving people a sense of rough and unrestrained; the female voice's high octave coloratura is euphemistic, clear and pleasant. In the early days, Chenhe Gaoqiang was divided into eight roles: Sheng, Dan, Jing, Chou, Wai, Fu, Mo and tie. After the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, it became Sheng, Dan, Jing and Chou. Sheng Jiao was divided into Zhengsheng, Laosheng, Hongsheng and Xiaosheng, Dan Jiao was divided into Zhengdan, Xiaodan, Yaodan and laodan. The actor's performance is simple and natural, with a strong earthy atmosphere, and has the characteristics of paying attention to singing skills, singing more legends, and being good at performing Mulian opera. The accompaniment instruments include suona, dizi, Jinghu, erhu, Sanxian, Dagu, Xiaogong, Yungong, cymbal, Xiaogu, etc. the special high pitched suona has a high pitched and beautiful voice, which can be integrated with the singing, and plays an important role in helping and accompaniment.

Chenhe Gaoqiang completely retains the national and regional characteristics and has a broad mass base. It is known as "the earliest stream of consciousness art in the world". Chenhe Gao Qiang has caused a sensation when it was performed abroad, and is known as "the treasure of Chinese drama".

Due to the shortage of funds, lack of talents, localization and aging of audiences, Chenhe opera has almost lost its popularity, and only a few troupes insist on performing under difficult living conditions. Measures should be taken to change this situation as soon as possible.