What is a commentary book?

Reviewing books, also called commentaries, are popular in North China, Northeast China and Northwest China. In Jiangnan it is called commentary. It has a long history, as early as in the Spring and Autumn Period, there were people talking about books. It is a kind of oral literature created by the working people of China. As an independent variety of storytelling, Shushu was formed around the beginning of the Qing Dynasty. Most of the book-reading artists by the "rapping" artists to change their profession.

The performance form of the commentary on the early days of the book for a person sitting behind the table, with a folding fan and wake up the wood as a prop, wearing a traditional long shirt, speaking speech comment on the story. Development to the mid-20th century, mostly without tables and chairs and folding fans, wake up the wood and other props, but standing speech, clothing is not fixed to wear a long shirt. The commentary is based on the northern voice, the Beijing voice as the standard tone of the ordinary speech.

There have been ten generations of actors and actresses. The most famous of them are: "king of the commentary" Shuang Houping (sixth generation), "net street king" Wang Jiekui (eighth generation), the commentary artist Lien Kuo Ru (ninth generation), the commentary actor Liu Lanfang (tenth generation). All of them are good at telling historical dramas about crowns, wattles and robes, as well as about the golden sword and the iron horse. Since the founding of New China, actors who have made great achievements in compiling and performing new books include Yuan Kuaocheng, Tian Lianyuan, Li Qingliang, and Tian Zhanyi. The representative works of the commentary: The Hundred Days' Reform, Eastern Han Dynasty, General Xue, Xue Gang Against the Tang Dynasty, Feuding the Gods, Liangshan Mountain in Water, Changshan Mighty Wind, Money Dart, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Souls of the Red Rock, Red Guts and Loyalty, Fiery King Kong, King of the Western Chu Bully, The Plains of the Forest and the Sea of Snow and the Stormy Weather and so on.