What are the cultural customs and local operas in Hebei Province?

Hebei Province is located in the North China Plain, referred to as "Hebei", the capital of Shijiazhuang. Hebei has a long history. It has been one of the birthplaces of the Chinese nation since ancient times. Since the Western Zhou Dynasty, it has been a part of China territory. Both the "Five Lakes" and the Qidan have a history of being kings here. The Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties all took Beijing, the hinterland, as their capital, forming the national political and cultural center, which was also the ruling core of the royal regime in previous dynasties. All these reflect Hebei's pivotal position in the historical process of Chinese civilization and its great contribution to the formation of special culture. Zhao Yan is located in the north of China, north and south of Yanshan Mountains, inside and outside the Great Wall. Since ancient times, it has been a zone of disputes and exchanges between the northern nationalities and the Central Plains nationalities. People of all ethnic groups gather here through various channels and ways, so that two different but mutually preserved historical cultures, the nomadic people in the north and the Han people in the Central Plains, meet and merge here.

Traditional architecture

Chengde mountain resort, located in the north of the center of Chengde, Hebei Province, is also called Chengde Palace or Rehe Palace. It is the place where the royal family of the Qing Dynasty spent the summer and handled government affairs. The summer resort was founded in 1703, and it took about 90 years to complete after three generations of Qing Dynasty, namely Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong. It is the oldest palace in China. When Emperor Kangxi passed Chengde on his way to the north, he found that the terrain was good and the climate was pleasant, especially the geographical position was special, overlooking the customs and controlling various parts of Mongolia, so he decided to build a palace here. Chengde mountain resort is divided into palace area, lake area, plain area and mountain area, while majestic temples and temples are surrounded by mountains like stars holding the moon, reflecting the national unity and centralization at that time. 1994, chengde mountain resort and its surrounding temples were officially listed on the World Heritage List because of their unique style.

Acrobatic culture

Wuqiao county is a world-famous "hometown of acrobatics". With the development of acrobatics in China, a unique Wuqiao acrobatic culture has gradually formed, which is mainly spread in Wuqiao area of Hebei Province and parts of Ningjin County and Lingxian County of Shandong Province. Hebei has been one of the cradles of acrobatics in China since ancient times. As early as the Warring States period, there were silver figurines and bronze lamps practicing acrobatic images in the tomb of King Cheng of Sun Yat-sen State. A long time ago, Wuqiao area was the most densely populated area in Jizhou, and murals of banquet acrobatics had appeared in the tombs of the Jin Dynasty. In the Song Dynasty, acrobatics began to appear among the people, and acrobatic performances such as "Goulan" and "Washe" appeared. During the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, Wuqiao acrobatics reached its peak. Wuqiao acrobatic culture has been enriched and developed for more than 2000 years. It worships "Lv Zu" as its professional god, and its influence has spread widely all over the world. Therefore, there is a good saying that "there are nine Wuqiao acrobatics" and "there is no acrobatic class without Wuqiao people".

Traditional drama

Hebei Bangzi is a local opera in Hebei Province, which belongs to the Bangzi tune and is one of the earliest operas that reflect contemporary real life in China. In the old society, Hebei Bangzi used to have many national names. Hebei is known locally as Zhili Bangzi, Hebei Bangzi or Bangzi Opera, and is also known by foreigners as Beijing Bangzi, flute stick and anti-tune. After the founding of New China, it was officially named Hebei Bangzi in 1952. Hebei Bangzi first spread to neighboring provinces and cities on the basis of Beijing and Tianjin and some rural areas in Hebei, and it was produced between 1820 and 1850. Hebei Bangzi sings in three lines, namely, voice, Dan and ugliness. In traditional performances, Wenchang takes banhu as the main accompaniment instrument, supplemented by flute, and other instruments include sheng, suona and sanxian. Hebei Bangzi's performances are easy to understand, and most of them are sung in the local spoken language of Hebei, full of strong local flavor of Hebei. On May 20th, 2006, Hebei Bangzi was listed in the national intangible cultural heritage list.

Traditional folk custom

As one of the most representative folk dances in Hebei Province, Changli Yangko is mainly popular in Changli, Lulong, Funing, Laoting, Luanxian and other places in Hebei Province. Changli Yangko is famous for the free and flexible twisting of performers, and at the same time, it has made a more delicate and interesting drama performance. As a traditional folk custom, it has a long history, which can be traced back to the Yuan Dynasty at the earliest, and has developed for more than 1000 years. Local yangko teams will spread all over Changli on New Year's Day or festive days. People here entertain themselves and take part in performances, which is a traditional custom passed down from generation to generation by Changli people. There are two main forms of yangko performance in Changli, namely, off-site yangko and street yangko, both of which are mainly professional performances. On May 20th, 2006, Changli Yangko was listed in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage.

Traditional folk art

Hebei Laoting Drum is a very representative form of Quyi drum book and drum music in northern China, which is widely spread in eastern Hebei, Beijing and Tianjin, and also spread to Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang and other regions in the northeast. During the performance of Laoting Drum, one person stood and knocked on the drum board, while others accompanied them with three stringed instruments. According to old artists, Laoting Drum was founded by Wen Rong in Laoting County, Hebei Province around 1850. In the past, together with Pingxi and Tangshan shadow play, it was called "Three Flowers of Jidong Folk Art". Since the formation of Laoting Drum, celebrities have come forth in large numbers and spread widely, with a very deep mass base and cultural heritage. Laoting Drum, a traditional repertoire passed down from generation to generation, contains more than 300 long, medium and short stories, among which the Eastern Han Dynasty, Sui and Tang Dynasties, Three Heroes and Five Righteousnesses and the Palace of Eternal Life are the most typical. The lyrics of Laoting Drum are smart and elegant, with high literary value, and as a kind of "banqiang" singing, its tunes are very rich and varied.

Local operas include Pingju, Hebei Bangzi, Hejian Drum, Wuan Pingdiao, Wuan Luozi, Handan Siguxian, Yongnian Xidiao, Handan Heizai Opera, Handan Shadow Play, Handan Dongfeng Henan Opera, Weixian Daming Dapingdiao and Cixian Huaidiao.