Guangchang Meng Opera

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Guangchang Mengxi

Applicant: Guangchang county, Jiangxi Province

Project No.: 158

Project No.: Ⅳ - 14

Time of publication: 2006 (the first batch)

Category: Traditional Drama

Region: Jiangxi Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Guangchang county, Jiangxi Province

Protected by: Guangchang cultural center, Jiangxi Province

Introduction to Guangchang Meng Opera

Applicant: Guangchang county, Jiangxi Province

Guangchang Meng opera is a kind of opera with the theme of Meng Jiangnu crying on the Great Wall. It is popular in Guangchang county, Jiangxi Province. It is commonly known as Meng opera, also known as Xuhe opera. It originated in the early Ming Dynasty and has been performed for more than 500 years. Meng opera sings in a high voice, which is proved by experts to be a legacy of Haiyan tune, the first of the four major tunes in Ming Dynasty. There are three routes of Mengxi opera in Guangchang, Chixi Zengjia Mengxi and dalubei Liujia Mengxi, and Shexi Mengxi has been lost in the 1960s. Meng opera is only performed once a year in the first month for folk activities.

Zeng's Mencius opera is considered to be the original version. There are 64 scenes in the opera, which are divided into two versions, one for one night. Full of rebellious spirit, Meng Jiangnu tears down the great wall and commits suicide in order to preserve her chastity. At the same time, she strongly attacks the feudal court. Liu's Meng opera is a legend of the Ming Dynasty. It started in Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. There were 69 scenes in the opera, which were performed in three nights. Although Meng Jiangnu was sad because her husband died under the Great Wall, she had no sense of resistance. As a result, she was granted the title of first lady by the king of Qin and was given gold and silver. There are more than 140 pieces of tunes in the scripts of Liu's and Zeng's dramas, which have aroused wide attention in the field of opera music.

Guangchang Mencius opera belongs to Qupai style. It sings in a high tune, with the characteristics of "mixed singing". The Nanqu opera sung by Zeng Jiameng opera is more ancient than Yiyang opera, and absorbs the elements of Haiyan opera. It is sung in Guangchang Mandarin and accompanied by percussion instruments such as drums, gongs and cymbals. The rhythm is faster, showing the characteristics of simple and primitive ancient music. Liu Jiameng's operas are mainly performed in Haiyan tune, with Yiyang tune, Qingyang tune and Huizhou tune.

Both Zeng's and Liu's Mengxi scripts are the original works of Gunan opera, which provide precious materials for the research and inheritance of Chinese opera and folk customs, and have unique artistic and sociological values. In 1962, at the opera work conference held in Guangchang county, Jiangxi Province, opera workers called for the protection of Meng opera. Under the organization of the county government, the rescue excavation and sorting work was carried out. After the "Cultural Revolution", Jiangxi Provincial Department of culture and Local Cultural Bureau attached great importance to Guangchang Meng opera and carried out a series of rescue and protection work. However, due to financial constraints, many plans and measures can not be implemented quickly. The successors of operas are aging and there is no successor. If we do not try to save them, it is likely that they will be annihilated in the long history like Shexi Meng opera.