Xiju (), also known as Wuxi opera, is a genre of opera which originated in the southern region of the Yangtze River Delta in China. It evolved from "Tanhuang" (), a folk opera art in the region of Wuxi and Changzhou of Jiangsu province. As one of the main local operas in Jiangsu Province, Wuxi opera has been reputed as "a piece of plum flower in Taihu Lake", a title given to the three major operas in East China, alongside Yue opera and Huangmei opera. In May 1949,

Wang Hanqing Wang may refer to: Names * Wang (surname) (王), a common Chinese surname * Wāng (汪), a less common Chinese surname * Titles in Chinese nobility * A title in Korean nobility * A title in Mongolian nobility Places * Wang River in Thailand ...

Zou Peng Zou Peng (; born September 30, 1982, in Dalian) is a former Chinese football player. Club career Zou Peng began his professional career at Dalian Shide in 2000. He scored his first professional goal in the 2002 season against Sichuan Dahe. He s ...

Wang Yuanyuan Wang Yuanyuan may refer to: *Wang Yuanyuan (wrestler) Wang Yuanyuan (; born November 16, 1977) is a male Chinese freestyle wrestler who competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί ...

and others established the Red Star Tin Troupe in Shanghai. This was the beginning of the folks' renaming of "ChangXi opera" as the "Wuxi opera" (Xiju).上海地方志办公室：第二节戏曲种类
shtong.gov.cn.2008-07-08. In 1950, the Southern Jiangsu Administrative Office renamed the "Changxi Drama" as "ChangXi opera", referred to as "Wuxi opera". Since 1955, it has been officially named as "Wuxi opera". Wuxi opera was listed as the

intangible cultural heritage An intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is a practice, representation, expression, knowledge, or skill considered by UNESCO to be part of a place's cultural heritage. Buildings, historic places, monuments, and artifacts are cultural property. Int ...

by Suzhou, Wuxi and Changzhou respectively. On June 7, 2008, Wuxi opera was selected as the "Second National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of China".

Origin

Historically, the Taihu Lake basin area was the location of the ancient Wu Kingdom. Therefore, the local people living in the area have had the custom of singing folk songs since ancient times. This kind of art was called "Wu Yu" in the period of

Spring and Autumn Period The Spring and Autumn period was a period in Chinese history from approximately 770 to 476 BC (or according to some authorities until 403 BC) which corresponds roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou period. The period's name derives fr ...

and Warring States. By the middle of Ming Dynasty, these folk songs had evolved into the art of folk rap and singing performances, such as folk tunes, a type of folk art called ''Tanhuang'', and storytelling, among others. During the reign of

Emperor Jiaqing The Jiaqing Emperor (13 November 1760 – 2 September 1820), also known by his temple name Emperor Renzong of Qing, born Yongyan, was the sixth emperor of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and the fifth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, fro ...

, a craftsman named A Zeng's son, Xu Jinqiao, accepted Wang Wenxiang as his apprentice, and they paired up to sing duets. They also re-structured folk song minor tunes into a new form, with 18 and a half rhymes. Nowadays, this type of structure is called "Wuxi Tanhuang".

Performance characteristics

Wuxi opera has a variation of upper and lower tunes. First of all, Wuxi opera has a Huang Tune, the oldest tune of Wuxi opera. Huang Tune originated from long narrative folk songs in the southern region of the Yangtze River Delta, and as such, absorbed folk tune styles such as "Suzhou Tanci". Huang Tune includes old Huang Tune, Huang Tune Adagio, Anti-Bow Pantaloon's Tune, Allegro, Long Three-Tune and other different types of tunes. Huang Tune is a kind of melody with narrative feelings, rich melodies and cheerful rhythms. Instrumental accompaniment is mainly performed on the Erhu, while the

Pipa The pipa, pípá, or p'i-p'a () is a traditional Chinese musical instrument, belonging to the plucked category of instruments. Sometimes called the "Chinese lute", the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets rang ...

, Sanxian and Dulcimer are often played as subsidiary instruments; Xiao,

Flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

and Zhonghu are also included in the music.

Factions

*Binbin Tune was begun by Wang Binbin (1921-2008). *Faction Mei was begun by Mei Lanzhen (1927-2012). *Faction Wu was begun by Wu Yatong (1919-2016). *Faction Yao was begun by Yao Cheng (1926-). (Yao Cheng is the mother of author

Ye Zhaoyan Ye Zhaoyan (born July 1957) is a Chinese author based in Nanjing. Many of his books have been translated into English and other languages. His paternal grandfather Ye Shengtao was one of China's most influential educators, and his mother Yao Ch ...

)

Traditional opera

There are more than 200 traditional Wuxi operas, including "The Magic Lotus Lantern", "Wu Song Kills Sister-in-Law", "Xue Gang in Lantern Show", "Jin Yunu","Zhaojun Departs for the Frontier", "Pearl Tower", "Drawing the Golden Phoenix", "Meng Lijun", "Butterfly Lovers", "The Emerald Hairpin", "Double Pearl Phoenix", "He Wenxiu", "Bean-Curd House" and "Two Degrees Plum".

Representative artists

*Yuan Renyi, Zhou Fuyi *Three men as a tripod alike: Shen Ahuan, Zheng Guifen, Kuang Yaoliang. *Three women as a tripod alike: Bai Yuxiu, Zhou Juying, Xu Linmei. *Four men playing the role of male actors: Li Ruxiang, Jin Dexiang, Zhou Baoxiang, Yang Yunxiang. * Jiangsu Province Wuxi Opera Troupe: Yao Cheng, Wang Lanying, Shen Peihua, Ni Tongfang, Zhou Dongliang. * Wuxi City Wuxi Opera Troupe: Wang Binbin, Mei Lanzhen, Ji Meifang, Wang Yunzhi, Wang Binbin(younger), Yuan Mengya, Pan Peiqiong, Huang Jinghui. * Changzhou City Wuxi Opera Troupe: Wu Yatong, Shen Suzhen, Yang Qiwen, Cui Longhai, Wang Shengbiao, Shen Huilan.

References

{{Chinese opera Chinese opera Chinese culture Culture in Wuxi Culture in Jiangsu Chinese styles of music Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity