Jin Opera

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Jin Opera

Applicant: Shanxi Province

Project No.: 162

Project No.: Ⅳ - 18

Time of publication: 2006 (the first batch)

Category: Traditional Drama

Region: Shanxi Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Shanxi Province

Protection unit: Shanxi Jinju Theater

About Jin Opera:

Applicant: Shanxi Province

Jin opera is one of the four major operas in Shanxi Province. It is also called Zhonglu opera because it is produced in the middle of Shanxi Province. It is mainly distributed in the middle and north of Shanxi Province and some areas of Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia and Hebei Province. In the early Qing Dynasty, Puzhou Bangzi flowed into Jinzhong, combined with Qitai Yangko and Jinzhong folk tunes, and formed Jinju opera with the participation of Shanxi merchants and local literati. After several changes, it developed and spread in Central Shanxi, northern Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Hebei and Northern Shaanxi. Jin opera was developed in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China. At that time, there were many classes and talented people. Especially after the appearance of the first generation of actresses represented by Ding Guoxian, the art of Jin opera was promoted to a new stage.

There are more than 200 traditional operas of Jin opera, including Weishui River, dajinzhi, Lintong mountain, qiankundai, Shatuo Kingdom, zhanwancheng, baishuitan, jinshuiqiao, huoyanju, fanwanggong, shuangsuoshan, etc. In the process of development, Jin opera retained the impassioned artistic characteristics of Puzhou Bangzi and formed a subtle and delicate lyric style. Jin opera is rich in singing, including Luantan, qiang'er and qu'zi. The style is changeable and expressive. For example, Luantan Banlu is divided into seven types: flat, splint, dual nature, flowing water, medium board, inverted board and rolling white. The traditional band of Jin opera consists of nine people, including fenwen and Wuchang. The accompaniment instruments of Wenchang are Huhu, Erxian, Sanxian and Sixian. The Wuchang uses Guban, cymbals, Xiaogong, mahuo and Bangzi. The roles of Jin opera mainly include Xusheng, Zhengdan and dahualian, and Xiaosheng, Xiaodan and Xiaohualian. Their performances are bold and passionate. They not only inherit the unique skills of Bangzi opera, but also have further development in Lingzi and Maoqi.

As a representative drama in Shanxi Province, Shanxi Opera plays an important role in the study of Shanxi local drama, music, folk custom and history. At present, due to the influence of commodity economy and the impact of modern life style, the number of dramas on show is rapidly decreasing, and a large number of urban audiences are lost, while the rural audiences are mainly the elderly. The future of Jin opera is worrying.