A Brief History of the Two Clip Strings

The two-stringed opera was developed on the basis of the popular opera form "Flower Drum Dingxiang" in the south-west of Shandong Province. The "Flower Drum Dingxiang" was mainly popular in the southwestern part of the country, and was named after the frequent performance of "Huixiang" (Zhang Lang's repudiation of his wife). "Flower Drum Dingxiang was popular in Heze as late as the middle of the Qing Dynasty, and its singing form was mainly "sitting on a bench" (clear singing) or "playing on the floor" (simple make-up singing), using only The form of singing is mainly "sitting on a bench" (clear singing) or "playing the floor" (simple make-up singing), using only a hand gong, a clapper, and a convex-bellied flower drum on the side of the waist, with no accompanying stringed instruments. Commonly used tunes include: [Zanzi], [Preface], [Chopping Heads], [Cargo Tune], [Cold Rhyme], [Flat Tune], [Weeping Fuzzy], [Over Preface], etc. The plays are often performed, except for "The Trouble with the Trouble with the Trouble with the Troubles". In addition to "Hugh Clove", there are dozens of plays regularly performed, such as "Standing on the Wall of Flowers", "Liang Zhu Goes Down to the Mountain", "An An Sends Rice", "Lv Mengzheng Catches up with Zhai", "Xiao Guxian", "Wang Dingbao Borrows Pawns" and so on.

Qing Xianfeng early years (1851), Shandong Puzhou cited horse set (now belongs to Shandong Jancheng County) there is a poor scholar Bai Dianyu, good at poetry, through the music, love the flower drums Dingxiang, often make up some new words of the flower drums to teach his wife chanting. Later, he sang on the flower drums only with a convex belly drums to accompany the beat, y boring, often thinking of increasing the silk strings, in order to strengthen the sound. His wife often humming words when spinning cotton, each singing a line, and then they will "buzz, buzz, buzz" spinning cotton, spinning wheel sound into a natural accompaniment to the singing, Bai Xiu Cai was inspired, after many tests, finally made such as erhu-like "strings" for his wife's accompaniment, the rhythm and harmony! The rhythm is harmonious and the color is greatly enhanced. On the basis of the flower-drum dingxiang, Bai Dianyu made up the words and sang them according to the meaning of the words, breaking through the rhythmic norms of the original cadence and incorporating the cadences of other sister arts, which won the favor of the audience. Bai Dianyu collected three beggars as his disciples in the Citing Horse Collection, who were Li Ji'an from Xinxian County, Qi Chengxing from Dongping, and Mei Fucheng from Jining.

Hamfeng eight years (1858), Puzhou was flooded, Li Ji'an north return, white Temple Yu with Qi, Mei two disciples, begging to Caozhou (now Heze) northeast of the large Xuzhuang settled, and then by the Qi, Mei two people in the large Xuzhuang dozens of disciples in the rural areas of Heze, Jancheng, Yuncheng, Dingtao, Caoxian, Juano, Liangshan, Dongping, "playing the ground stalls "Singing. During this period, due to the increase in personnel, by one person singing, gradually developed to seven, eight people subcontracted to catch the corner of the form, the genre is also narrated by the rap style, the transition to the operatic endorsement of the body, with a more complex performance program, sung a more complete opera story, the instrument in addition to a convex belly drums, and the addition of the silk strings (two strings "strings"), there is a hand drum, and a hand drum. "), and a hand gong, a clapper. The two-stringed opera was in the beginning of its wrinkled shape. Qing Dynasty Tongzhi years (about 1864 or so), Caozhou city southwest of Wei Tang village tribute Wei Jinyu hired Chi Chengxing, Mei Fucheng division, set up in the village of the two strings playmate class, and then took advantage of the village to celebrate Mrs. Wang chastity plaque, in the four pacific car built into the stage, performed "An An send rice," which is the beginning of the two strings have a stalls on the stage of the small singing. Chi Chengxing, Mei Fucheng in the singing often bushel fan as a simple props, the masses sent them "big bushel fan", "two bushel fan" of the art number.

The two-stringed opera of this period is still a "playgroup" that sings in the farm leisure and disperses in the farm busy, without a strict Koban system, and its singing is not subject to the "frame" and "rules". All kinds of constraints. This mobile and free characteristics, coupled with the strong desire of the artists to turn their own vulgar songs into "big opera", so that a large number of the advantages of other arts absorbed, and was able to develop rapidly. In terms of singing, it was influenced by local folk songs (e.g., Boat Rowing, Beat You Eight Stick Hammers, Big Saw Jar, etc.), operatic songs (e.g., Shandong Qinshu, Shandong Drums, Pendant, etc.), and operas (e.g., Shandong Bangzi, Liuzi Opera, and Dapin Tunes, etc.), which enriched it more and more, and in terms of performance, it learned from the programs of other operas.

In 1853 (the third year of Qing Xianfeng), while trying to improve the quality of performances, the instruments were also reformed. In order to expand the volume of the main strings, they increased the two strings on the original "strings" (like the erhu) to four strings, and one strand on the bow was increased to two strands, which is the main string of the "sihu" (also called the four strings) that is used to this day. After that, "Wenle" added pipa and erhu, and "Wule" added gongs, hand cymbals and drums, which were mostly used for "playing through" before the opening of the opera. However, the form of performance was still relatively simple, and the number of performers was very small. Artists often say: "tight seven, slow eight, six people scratch blind". Musicians often play several instruments at the same time. Clothing and props are also very few, a class, generally only a pleated, two cloth shirt, an official coat, a hat and other "lines". The repertoire is also mostly small plays with "three little" (i.e., the little boy, the little girl, and the clown) as the main characters. Such as: "Anan send rice", "Huu Clove", "Xiao Guxian", "Lanqiao Hui", "Wang Hanxi borrowing year", "Tethered dolls", "Standing Wall of Flowers", "bride for a bride", "Liangzhu down the mountain", "Lv Mengzheng catching fasting", "holding the spirit card" and so on. By now, the two-stringed theater has gradually matured.

At the same time, another disciple of Bai Dianyu, Li Ji, who lived in Xinxian and Linqing areas north of the Yellow River, although he was also an apprentice, absorbed very little nutrients from other arts, and his songs and patterns were basically Bai's first passages, which were not as euphonious and delicate as those of the two-stringed opera of Caozhou (Heze), which could easily express various feelings. It is easy to express all kinds of feelings. Between them, the audience called the two-stringed songs in the area north of Jancheng and Xinxian as the two-stringed songs of the North, and the two-stringed songs in the area of Caozhou (Heze) as the two-stringed songs of the South. The two-jerseyed strings in the south developed rapidly, and there were many artists, and the area of circulation soon expanded to Anyang, Xinxiang, Kaifeng, Shangqiu and other places in Henan Province. After Li Ji'an, only Wang Guande and Wu Zhixiu from Jancheng were famous. The most recent famous performer of Beiqi Liangxin is Wang Ziduan from Jancheng, who is famous for singing "Wangwu scolding chickens", and he can sing more than 200 lines in one breath with his quick and fluent speech, and he is known as "Weng Pouring Mountain". In the early years of Guangxu (about 1875), Qi Chengxing, Mei Fucheng in Dingtao County, Zhangwan Village, again apprenticeship, teaching playmate class, and later became famous for Dan Wang Yuhua, and so on.

In the spring of 1878, the Heze Dongguan Taishan Grandmother Temple Assembly, specifically invited Chi Chengxing's two-stringed class to perform a family drama, which was sung for four days in a row, Caozhou Prefecture, magistrate, watched the performance and rewarded fifty taels of silver. Since then, the two strings from the village stage to the city stage.

In the sixth year of Guangxu (1880), Liu Dahuan, Zhang Zhitong, Xu Xiaoyan, Wang Yuhua, and Zhang Zhitong's apprentices Xu Guangsi (a native of Daxuzhuang), Xu Guangyuan (a native of Daxuzhuang), and Ma Tiancang (a clown known by the stage name of Ma Laoping), were invited to perform on the stage in the town of Luling in Heze. (a native of Luling Town, Heze) and Liu Dahuan's apprentice Xu Qijing (a native of Daxuzhuang) entered Kaifeng, a large city in the eastern part of Henan Province, and at first performed in the remote Chenghuang Temple, but due to its popularity, they moved to the bustling Xiangguosi Temple Market, and their performance became so popular that they became famous in the eastern part of Henan Province, and were known as the "Two Sandwich Strings" by the local people. In 1910 or so (Xuantong II), Wang Yuhua (a Danjiao actor) organized the first "Two Sandwich Strings" professional troupe around Mallou, Cao County, called "Hongxing Ban", and the "Hungxing Ban". "Hongxing Ban", which performed on a commercial basis at a price of 800 copper coins per day. During this period, the two strings drew on the practice of other types of theater, according to the specific conditions of the two strings, the raw, Dan, net, end, ugly each line of work carried out a detailed, clear division of labor, changing the past "three small" monopoly of the two strings on the stage of the situation. In order to enrich the repertoire, it rehearsed public case plays (such as "Qing Palace Broken"), kung fu, martial arts plays (such as "Nine Women's Nunnery"), and serialized plays (such as "Golden Bracelets and Jade Rings"). Xu Guangsi also took Cui Lanqin (stage name "Dajinya") and Daqi Erni (from Jancheng) from Cao County as his pupils around 1911, and cultivated the first generation of female performers of the two-stringed Chinese opera. Their beautiful and soft singing and graceful dancing soon became a sensation in Heze, Caoxian, Kaifeng, Shangqiu and other cities. 1925 or so, Xu Guangshi took Zhang Xiuxiang (a native of Dongming County), the wife of Huang Errun, a beggar, to teach him the art, and he became famous for his performance of Standing on the Flower Wall, and because of his white boots at the time of his debut, the audience sent him his stage name, "Big White Boots" (later called "Old White Boots"), and "Old White Boots". Because she wore white boots when she first appeared on the stage, the audience gave her the name "Big White Boots" (later called "Old White Boots"). She was the mother and master of Huang Yunzhi, a famous actress of the two-stringed Chinese opera.

In 1928, Xu Guangyuan's senior apprentice, Wang Wende (in his middle and youthful years, from the Dan line, and later changed to the Sousheng, the stage name "Xiaoyin (art)"), gathered more than twenty artists in the temple courtyard of the village (Xianxingsi Temple, Anxing Town, Heze City), and set up the "*** Art Class" (Hongyi Class), which was the first class of the two-stringed Chinese opera. "The main actors were Wang Wende and his brother Wang Wensheng (stage name "Erbao"), Wang Wenliang (stage name "Eryanzi"), Zhang Xiuxiang, Cui Lanqin, Zhao Xiuzhen (stage name " Erjin Ya"), Ma Fuqin and others. Under the leadership of Wang Wende, the troupe absorbed the performance programs of Shandong Opera and Liuzi Opera to perfect their performances. In terms of music, the troupe reformed and enriched the singing style of the two-stringed opera, for example, on the basis of the "original northern lyrics", the troupe created the "slow northern lyrics" and the "even northern lyrics", and the "slow northern lyrics". For example, on the basis of the "original northern words", the "slow northern words" and "even northern words" were created. Instruments such as flute, sheng and suona were added. Cultivated a number of new forces. For example, Yang Guilian (stage name "Ermafeng") and Zhang Hailian (stage name "Sanmafeng", "floating on the water"), the main actors of the Kaifeng District Erjiaoqin Troupe in Henan Province, were in the "*** Art Class" in the same year. The "*** Art Class" (Hong Art Class) had learned the art in those years. Through their efforts, the unique style of the two-stringed opera eventually came to maturity. At the same time, also due to the emergence of these outstanding actors, so that the two strings of this young theater, increasingly widespread popularity, the scope of its activities, at that time, the north to the Hebei Province, Da Ming, Guangping, Tantao; east to Jining, south to Bengbu, Anhui Province, Jiangsu Province, Pukou, the southwest spread to the Henan Province, Kaifeng, Minquan, Lankao, Fugou, Anyang, Wu Shibi and other counties, and Anhui Province, Boxian, Fuyang, and other places. After the founding of the country, the two strings art has been developed rapidly, many places set up a professional performing groups, only in Heze, Shandong Province, there are: Heze County New Art Theater (Heze Prefecture, the predecessor of the two strings troupes), Juno County New Art Troupe, Shan County New People's Theater Troupe, Dongming County two strings troupes, Kaifeng, Shangqiu, Henan Province, and the two areas and Yanjin, Taizen County, Bo County, Anhui Province, there are two strings professional troupes. The two strings of the northern words have no professional performing groups, and their excellent nutritional industry has been incorporated into the category of the two strings of the northern words to be passed on and developed down.

Shandong two-clip string development

Heze County New Art Theater Society was founded in 1951, with the original "*** Art Class" (Hong Yi Ban) actors as the main body of the establishment. 1954, after the registration of the theater, the people's government of Heze County under the leadership of the national official professional arts organizations, while absorbing a number of young actors, the troupe grew to more than 50.

In 1954, the troupe was registered under the leadership of the People's Government of Heze County and became an official professional art group of the state, and at the same time absorbed a group of young actors, and the troupe developed to more than 50 people. 1959, the troupe was transferred to the Special Office and became the Heze Prefecture Two Clip String Troupe.

Under the guidance of the Party's policy of "let a hundred flowers blossom and promote innovation", the artistic level of the two-stringed actors was further improved. Huang Yunzhi (stage name "Little White Shoes"), a famous actor of the Heze Prefecture Two-stringed Opera Troupe, was famous for her delicate, melodious and melodious singing voice and graceful and light steps, which prompted the Two-stringed Opera to further strengthen the improvement of dancing skills on the basis of heavy singing, and made the Two-stringed Opera become a perfect synthesis and unity of the arts.

1952 and 1954. Shandong Province, the first and second session of the Opera Observation and Performance Conference, Huang Yunzhi performance of modern drama "divorce" and finishing the traditional repertoire of "standing on the flower wall", "exchange of marriage" won the first prize for the actors, Ma Fuqin, Li Jinghua and so on won the third prize, the repertoire won the first prize. And by the Shanghai studio recordings, Huang Yunzhi attended the national meeting. 1959 October, Mao Zedong in Jinan to watch the two-stringed "three pull room" and other plays. In November of the same year, Shandong Liuzi opera, two-stringed opera, Liuquan joint troupe went to Beijing to report on the performance, the Heze area performed two-stringed opera "three pull room", "stand flower wall", "tethered dolls", "three soldiers" and other repertoire, during the performance in Beijing, received by Liu Shaoqi, Zhu De, Chen Yi, Guo Moruo and other national leaders. 1960 Huang Yunzhi was elected as a member of the Shandong Province Political Consultative Conference. 1964 spring, in Jinan, and reported to Zhu De and He Long. In the spring of 1964, she reported to Zhu De and He Long for the performance of the modern drama "The House of Xiangyang".

During the Cultural Revolution, the two-stringed theater suffered a heavy blow, and many troupes, including the two-stringed troupe of Heze Prefecture, were forced to disband, leaving the theater on the verge of extinction. 1970, the name was changed to Dingtao County Two-stringed Theater Troupe, and a group of new forces were attracted to the troupe. 1979, the Dingtao County Two-stringed Theater created and performed the modern play "Son-in-law in Love", which participated in the Cultural Revolution, and was awarded the title of "The Son-in-Law in Love". In 1979, Dingtao County Two Clip String Drama Troupe created and performed the modern play "Son-in-law", which took part in the performance held by the Ministry of Culture for the 30th anniversary of the National Day, and the playwright Wang Yuefang won the second prize of the playwright of the Ministry of Culture, and Dingtao County Two Clip String Drama Troupe won the third prize of the performance of the Ministry of Culture. Li Jinghua as Auntie Chun won the Outstanding Performance Award; Han Yanping, Niu Huiqing, and Zhang Zhaofu won the Performance Award. In recent years, it has rehearsed the plays of "Carrying Father and Marrying Mother" and "Frozen Sister Letting Room" written and directed by Zhu Zhaoming, all of which participated in the Provincial and Local Arts Festival, and won the Outstanding Play Award and the First Prize of Performance respectively.

Development of Henan Erjiaoqin

In the 1960s, it was performed in many cities in Henan Province, and also aroused a strong reaction in the cities of Shandong, Henan, Jiangsu and other provinces. Now but only in the junction of Henan, Anhui and Jiangsu there are sporadic performances, professional troupes but in the last century when the most recession in the opera closed, is an endangered species. In order to rescue the rare and endangered species, the two strings of performing artists Tian Aiyun sold property to raise funds to establish the two strings of the theater school, has trained more than 40 students. 2004 June resumed the formation of the Kaifeng two strings of the experimental troupes to perform in various parts of the city.

In June 2008, the State Council formally announced the second batch of national intangible cultural heritage list, the folk drama Erjiaoqin declared by the county of Henan Province was listed among them.

Anhui Bozhou Erjiaosi

Since the end of the Qing Dynasty, the Erjiaosi troupe has often been active in the northern part of Anhui Province, and at the end of 1958, based on the suggestion of the local people, the county committee set up the Bo County Erjiaosi Troupe. In October 1959, the Bo County Erjiaoqin Troupe's performance of "Golden Dragon Marigold" was highly praised by the leaders of the Fuyang Administrative Office, and the troupe was called the "Leap Forward Troupe" by the Erjiaoqin

In March 1960, the troupe was recognized for its outstanding performance and its success in the field of Chinese opera and drama. In March 1960, the troupe was honored as an advanced unit of provincial cultural work because of its outstanding achievements. 1962, Bo County Erjiaosi Troupe's Gaoxiao Xian and Wang Yuqin went to the Great Hall of the People in Beijing with Shandong Dingtao Erjiaosi Troupe to perform "Two Plums", which was received by Liu Shaoqi, Chen Yi, and other leaders of the country. 1963, Shandong Dingtao Erjiaosi Troupe invited Gaoxiao Xian, Wang Yuqin, and Malu to go to the Jingshan Park in Beijing to perform "Golden Dragon Jamboree", which was received by Zhu Shaoqi, and was received by Zhu Zhuyi, the leader of the Beijing government. The "Golden Dragon Marigold" was received by Zhu De and other state leaders, Zhu De, Chen Yi and other leaders of the older generation gave high praise to this rare type of theater.

"Tearing silk, playing tea cups, not as good as two strings humming a hum", "two strings humming a hum, do not wear a cotton jacket can be over winter", "do not eat, do not wear the New Year, but also to listen to two strings! "These village slang words from the people of Bozhou express the love and praise for this kind of opera, and also fully prove the precious value of this rare kind of opera.

With the development of the market economy and the influence of many reasons, only a few Erjiaoqin troupes in the country have disappeared one after another. So far, Bozhou Qiao Cheng District Bang Drama Troupe is the only one able to sing the two strings of this rare drama group, but only some small repertoire. The two strings are basically on the verge of extinction. In order to enable the preservation of this rare genre, the Qiao Cheng District of Bozhou City has decided, without affecting the spring and fall performances at the same time, to make use of its spare time to ensure that it rehearses a "two-clip string" play every year and performs it in public. Since 1999, Bozhou Erjiao string troupe to participate in the Anhui Province folding play, small play competition, "axing the hall", "looking for his wife", "three more love affair" and other plays have won good awards.