One of the local operas in Shanxi Province. Because it originated in the Fenyang, Xiaoyi, Qixian, Taigu and Taiyuan areas of Shanxi Province, it is also called "Zhonglu Bangzi" or "Zhonglu Opera". Together with Puzhou Bangzi, Beilu Bangzi and Shangdang Bangzi, it is known as the "Four Big Bangzi in Shanxi". After spreading to other places, it was called "Shanxi Bangzi", and its current name was changed after the founding of the People's Republic of China. In the early stages of its formation, Jin opera was only popular in ten counties in the central basin, eight counties in the west, and four places in the east (Pingding, Xiyang, Mengxian, and Shouyang). The main audience was farmers. Later, with Taiyuan as the center, it gradually expanded to individual counties in northern Shanxi, southern Shanxi and southeastern Shanxi. As merchants from Jinzhong went abroad to do business, the scope of Jin opera activities gradually expanded to Zhangjiakou, Beijing, Tianjin and parts of northern Shaanxi and Gansu. At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, Zhonglu Bangzi's troupe also performed in Shanghai. In the Zhangjiakou and Jingxing areas in western Hebei Province, it has become a major local opera type, with many professional theater troupes. Some famous Jin Opera artists have settled there and have trained many actors for the local area. S}

As for the origin of Jin Opera, there are different legends among old artists. One theory is that Puzhou Bangzi developed northward, and in order to meet the appreciation requirements of the audience in central Jinzhong, Zhonglu Bangzi was gradually formed. It is said that Jin Opera and Beilu Bangzi were originally the same type of opera. Later, they gradually became localized in central Shanxi, and then differentiated from Beilu Bangzi and became an independent opera type. There is also a theory that it was formed on the basis of folk arts such as Qitai Yangge in Jinzhong, and absorbed the artistic nutrition of Pu Opera, Beilu Bangzi, etc. All the above statements have certain truth, but in the early days of the central Shanxi region, Puzhou artists were required to form classes, Puzhou artists were required to be teachers when setting up classes to teach opera, and the pronunciation of opera was taught in "Pu Bai" (the local Mandarin of southern Shanxi). Based on other facts, it is generally believed that Zhonglu Bangzi evolved from Puzhou Bangzi. In the process of evolution, the artists absorbed and melted the tunes and percussion instruments of Qitai Yangge and Fenxiao Ganban Yangge, and changed their voice, singing, and performance, forming their own high-pitched and exciting yet fresh and euphemistic style. . Long before the formation of Jin Opera, there were records of "Bingzhou Tune" and "Sanli Tune" in central Shanxi. By the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty (1862-1874), Zhonglu Bangzi had become very popular. After Xianfeng and Tongzhi (1851-1874) of the Qing Dynasty, Jinzhong banknotes flourished and commerce developed, and the development of Zhonglu Bangzi also entered a new period of prosperity. Many famous troupes and actors appeared successively. Many wealthy businessmen who love opera have invested money to invite famous artists to form powerful "Character Classes". Some literati also participated in opera activities, such as the "Character Class" in Taiyuan Beihou Street. An art group that studies Jin Opera. Folk concert activities such as "voting for votes" and "playing at the venue" are more frequent. In the Jinzhong Plain and the East and West Mountains, there are many folk festivals to welcome gods, such as the Dongyue Emperor Temple Fair on March 28th, the Grandma Temple Fair on April 8th, and the Guandi Temple Fair on May 13th. During these temple fairs, operas are performed to worship the gods. In addition, in the first month of the year, the Tiandi Association will sing the "Population Opera", the Grain Store will sing the "Tiancang Opera"; in April and July, the Dragon King Temple will sing the "Rain Opera", and when people pray for rain, they will sing the "Anshen Opera", etc. After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War in 1937, the Japanese invading army invaded Taiyuan and various counties in Jinzhong. Zhonglu Bangzi was severely damaged, troupes and clubs were disbanded, and artists fled everywhere. In the Shanxi-Suiyuan Border Region under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, after 1939, three major drama clubs were established: July, People's, and Luliang. In the war environment, a large number of Shanxi opera talents were able to be cultivated and performed. Many new plays. During this period, in addition to the transplanted and staged "Liangshan" and "Three Attacks on Zhujiazhuang", the costume drama "Eternal Hate" based on the murder of Yue Fei and the modern drama "Xintunpu" showing the deeds of model workers in the border area were also choreographed and performed. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, many Shanxi opera performance groups were established in Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Hebei and other places, organized and created a number of traditional and modern operas, and trained a large number of middle-aged and young actors. e

The characteristics of Jin opera are melodious, smooth, graceful, mellow, cordial, and clear dialogues. It has the rich local flavor and its own unique style of the central Shanxi area. In the past, Jin Opera was purely sung by male actors, usually in the key of F; later, it gradually developed to be mainly performed by actors, and the key was changed to G. Except for "Er Yin Zi" which is sung in falsetto, Luantan is divided into seven types of board styles: flat board (also known as "four-stranded eyes") with a 4/4 beat; splint with a 2/4 beat; two sexes with a 1/4 beat; flowing water It is a 1/4 shot; in addition, there are medium plate, inverted plate, rolling white, etc. There are also many variations of each board style. For example, there are large flowing water, small flowing water, tight flowing water, slow flowing water, second flowing water, etc. in the flowing water board. In addition, there are many other coloraturas such as Sanhuaqiang, Wuhuaqiang, Zoumaqiang, Sanduoqiang, and Laipanqiang.

Jin Opera pays great attention to the use of duet and rotation singing by more than two people to bring out the artistic characteristics of its singing. For example, "Loyalty to the Country" recounts past stories and communicates current feelings through a round of singing with painted faces and solemn voices. In rotation singing, the two-character board suitable for narrative is often used, and the melody is stretched. "Walking on the Snowy Mountain" uses the duet between Lao Sheng and Qing Yi to express the story of the family's hasty escape to protect the girl after the Cao Mansion suffered a disaster. First, a duet is sung on the board, showing the embarrassed state of the master and the servant when they escape from the tiger's mouth; then the two sexes sing in turn, recounting the experience of persecution. The male voice falls and the female voice rises again, singing alternately, which has a unique charm. There are also large solo parts in Jin Opera. This kind of solo singing usually uses a slow stacking board; such as the separate singing sections of Kong Ming, Qin Xianglian and Shen Hou in "Empty City Strategy", "Meeting the Emperor's Aunt", and "Striking the Golden Branch", without the sound of gongs and drums, but with the sound of strings and the rhythm of the tune. It's like a drizzle of dew, dripping into the ground. In the singing tune of Jin Opera, there are also singing tunes composed of flat plates, splints, two sexes, flowing water, etc. Generally used for narration, confession, thinking about problems, etc. Rolling white is used to express the emotion of being choked with tears and extremely sad. From the entrance to the vocals, they are all very contagious. For example, Min Deren's two flashes of white in "Lu Hua" are often performed by the actor crying and singing, and the audience weeping and listening. In the past, the number of people in the civil and military field of Jin Opera was nine, which was called the "nine-hand scene", namely the drum board (conductor), cymbals, gongs, small gongs, clappers, suihu, three-stringed strings, two-stringed strings, and four-stringed strings. Sometimes the accompaniment requires the use of a hinge, and the player who plays the fourth string performs the operation; when accompaniment with the suona is required, the player who plays the third string and the second string performs the blowing. Wenchang musical instrument, Huhu is a Chinese musical instrument, also known as "gourd son". The coconut shell is larger than the coconut shell, shaped like a chicken heart, with a mouth diameter of about 12-13 cm, and is glued to a paulownia board. The main rail is made of hard wood and is 70 cm long. There is a waist code, which is fixed in the middle of the stall. The lower code is placed on the top five-sixths of the paulownia wood surface. The horsetail bamboo bow has a soft sound, resembling a baritone voice. The main melody of Huhula, accompanied by the accompaniment of the second, third and fourth strings. The artist said: "The Huhu and the third string are muscles, the second string is the bones, and the fourth string is the sinews." He also said: "The Huhu sets up the pole, the second string adds the stopper, the third string fills the hole, and the fourth string holds the ruler and sets the tune." Among the percussion instruments, the horse gong is heavy and large, with a diameter of 55 cm and a thickness of about 1 cm. The sound is neither scattered nor restless. Nowadays, the "six" character horse gong is often used, which has the same sound as the string "sl", so the horse gong is used. The traditional custom of tuning. There are many string music in Jin Opera. Examples of expressions of happy emotions include [Embroidered Purse] and so on. Those that express distress include [Sun God Needle], etc., used for nervousness [Kill the Chicken], and soothing [Big Parasitism]. These tunes can be used individually or in conjunction. For example, the music of "Nailing in the Palace" in "Striking the Golden Bough" and "Gathering Firewood" in "Spring and Autumn Matches" are composed of several tunes. There are also many suona tunes, such as [Open Door Drum], [Slow Worship], etc. used for "sitting in the tent", which can exaggerate the grand and solemn atmosphere when the marshal raises the tent. The "Double Dance" used in "War at Wancheng" has the momentum of thousands of troops galloping to attack. There are about forty or fifty kinds of percussion gongs and drums. Such as [hard three hammers], [five hammers], [three-turn harrier], [little war], [war evil], [sea sand], [beat head], [hat head], [turn back], etc. When using, you can choose according to the needs of plot development. For example, [Much Field] (commonly known as belly rubbing) can be matched with the characters' movements and shouting rhythms of beating their chests, stamping their feet, fidgeting, and fidgeting. Gao Huaide appears in "Beheading the Yellow Robe", Zhao Yun appears in "Returning to Jingzhou", and after Zhang Fei reprimands Zhao Yun in "Chang Ban Slope", this kind of drumbeat is used to set off the character's irritability and anxiety. The middle clapper sometimes uses the "seven hammers" to connect with the strings before the four-stranded eyes, splints, and two-character singing. If necessary, it uses a "picker" to coordinate with the characters in the play playing with the whip or "connecting the door". In "Sitting on the Tower to Kill Xi", Song Jiang killed Yan Poxi and when searching for Liangshan letters from her body, he used the accompaniment of "Xiao Zhan" to effectively exaggerate her trembling and extremely nervous state. Rh{auO

In Jin Opera, there are three traditional behaviors: raw, dan, and painted face. The five elements are red, black, raw, dan, and ugly. At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, five major lines and fifteen minor lines had been formed in Jin opera. The five elements refer to: red (beard), black (painted face), raw, dandy, and ugly. The fifteen small lines refer to: Zhenghong, Laosheng (both Zhenghong and Dahei), Dahei, Erhei, Xiaosheng, Wusheng, Washeng, Zhengdan (Qingyi), Xiaodan, Laodan, Caidan, Wudan, Daomadan , Wen Chou, Wu Chou. During the Qing Dynasty, the roles and professions of the middle and north road bangzi were roughly the same as those of Puzhou bangzi, and they gradually developed and changed. By the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, the Central and North Road Bangzi had formed five major lines and fifteen small lines. Five elements: red (beard), black (painted face), raw, dandy, and ugly.

Fifteen small lines: Zhenghong, Laosheng (both Zhenghong and Dahei), Dahei, Erhei, Xiaosheng, Wusheng, Washeng, Zhengdan (Qingyi), Xiaodan, Laodan, Caidan, Wudan, Daomadan, Wenchou, Wu Chou. The roles of Jin opera are divided into three categories: head sets (also known as head sets, top cards), second sets (second sets, second sets), and trivial ones, based on the actors' skills and influence among the masses. The first set plays the main character in the play, the second set plays the secondary character, and the pieces are mixed. In "Butterfly Cup", Tian Yunshan worked as the bearded student, Hu Yan worked as the second set, and Tian Ming played the role of Tian Ming. Among the roles in Jin Opera, the beard-bearing profession is the most important. Generally, the beard actors in the troupe are the leading actors, so they are called the leading actors. They earn the highest "actor" (i.e. salary) in the troupe. Bearded students can be divided into black-bearded students, old students, and red students. They mostly play the role of middle-aged and elderly decent people. Wearing three locks (or five locks for Guan Yu) on the beard is its main symbol. It is customary for the general public and actors to call Husheng actors the ones who sing famously. Among the four major clappers, there are many actors with beards who use "红" as their stage name. Bearded men who wear black beards (usually three black locks) are called black beards, ranking first among bearded men. They usually play the roles of emperors, generals, officials, and other high-status middle-aged men. Actors with beards must have excellent singing and chanting skills. and solid waist retreat skills and martial arts; in addition, they must master difficult skills such as Shao Yu Gong, Beard Kou Kung Fu, Hat Wing Kung Fu, Width Kung Fu, Boot Kung Fu, and Whip Kung Fu. You must be able to afford singing, performing, and martial arts performances. If you can sing but not act, or if you can act but not sing, you cannot be called a good performer. You can only be considered a mediocre actor, and you are not qualified to be cast in a cast. When singing and reciting, emphasis should be placed on clear enunciation, powerful nozzle, and slow pace. The original voice is used as a double-purpose falsetto (back-bowed sound), which has the characteristics of high-pitched and passionate. The figure and martial arts frame should be dignified, heroic and strong. Because it is difficult for male actors to perform and the weight of the scenes is heavy, it has become a tradition that male actors have always been responsible for the four major Bangzi roles. But in the 1930s and 1940s, a group of bearded actresses, represented by Ding Guoxian, emerged in Jin operas, called Kunjiao. They are known for their bright and crisp voice, handsome appearance, and realistic and delicate acting. They have won the popularity of the audience and quickly replaced the leading role of male bearded men in Shanxi operas. However, due to the limited physiological conditions of female bearded actors, some plays with heavier figures, physical strength, and martial arts are difficult to perform, resulting in some plays gradually disappearing from the stage, such as "Out of Tangyi", "Viewing the Formation", and "Going to the Rooftop" , "Five Thunder Formation" and so on. There are also old students in the beard business. The difference between red and raw. Laosheng, who plays the role of an elderly person, wears three white hair or three gray locks. The performance is mainly about advocacy. Oldness, dignity and simplicity are its main characteristics. Hongsheng wears three black locks and a red face, playing the role of a brave, loyal and upright character. Xiaosheng: divided into Wensheng, Wusheng and Wansheng. Wen students include students with gauze hats, students with feathers, students with scarves, and poor students. Mainly plays young men. Shamao students wear gauze hats, python robes or official clothes, and play the role of famous figures. The performance requires dignified and free manners. Lingzisheng, whose main symbol is a cone on his head, usually plays the role of a military general or a person with both civil and military skills. Usually played by literary and martial arts students. Lingzi needs unique skills for this kind of role. A scarf-sheng wears a scarf, wears pleats, and holds a folding fan (so he is also called a fan-sheng). He mainly plays the role of a romantic and elegant young man, and his performance requires him to be chic, elegant, and handsome. Poor students wear plain Taoist robes or rich clothes to play the role of a down-and-out scholar. It is required to perform the expressions of the characters who are down and out and poor but ambitious. The child is born as a child, playing the role of a child. The weight of the play is not heavy, and it is mostly played by child actors and students. Wu Sheng: It is divided into two types: short hitting and long leaning. Play the role of a young man who is good at martial arts. The short-fighting martial arts students wear Luo hats, arrow jackets, chariot clothes, and leopard jackets. Their performances are mainly about fighting and falling. The martial arts students wear thick-soled boots with big backs and thick-soled boots. Their performances are mainly about fighting and martial arts. Dan Xing: Mainly include Zhengliang (including Guimen Dan), Decimal Dan, Lao Dan, Cai Dan, Wu Dan and Daoma Dan. Zhengdan, also known as Dadan and Qingyi, mostly plays the role of married, decent middle-aged women. Mainly singing, the main characteristics are tranquility, dignity, virtuousness and wisdom. There are also some unmarried women in singing operas (the so-called "girlfriends"). Zhengdan is also responsible for the work. Zhengdan often plays with Husheng, and the weight of the play is generally heavier. Xiaodan mostly plays young women, and is divided into Xiaodan and Huadan. The difference between the two lies in the character's personality and performance characteristics. Xiao Danduo plays the role of an upright and innocent young woman, and her performance is mainly about singing and acting. He is known for his liveliness, intelligence, innocence and quick actions. Hua Dan mainly focuses on performance and recitation, and usually plays the role of a wild, aggressive or coquettish young woman, with the main characteristics being shrewd and ruthless. Zhengdan and Xiaodan are the main professions in Bangzi opera, so there is a saying that "one pack of Dan (Zhengdan and Xiaodan) can make a full meal" and "one can choose the eight anise".

Lao Dan plays the role of an elderly woman, Cai Dan, also known as Chou Dan or Chou Pozi, plays the role of a funny or cunning woman, and Wu Dan plays the role of a brave female character, usually in small costumes, without wearing a python, and focusing on martial arts. Generally, Daomadan serves as the class leader concurrently. Daomadan mostly plays young and middle-aged women who are good at martial arts. The body is tied up with a big support, a seven-star forehead is worn on the head, and feathers are inserted. Singing, beating and dancing are equally important. Most of these roles are played by Xiaodan actors with solid foundation, so they are also called Daoma Xiaodan. Painted face line: also known as net and blackheads. Divided into big-faced and two-faced. Most of them play characters with unique appearance, personality and qualities, all of which use facial makeup (that is, drawing facial makeup of various colors on the face) as the main symbol. The big-faced actors focus on singing, reading, acting, and behaving steadily. They mainly play characters with higher status, such as Bao Zheng, Cao Cao, Xu Yanzhao, etc. The big painted face can be divided into painted face, white face, black face, red face and clean face, which are determined by the character's character, quality and behavior. For example, Bao Zheng has a black face to show that he enforces the law impartially and is selfless; Cao Cao and Pan Shimei have white breasts because of their treachery and cruelty; Guan Yu has a funny face to show his loyalty and heroic character. In the past, there was a saying that "painted faces don't choose classes", but there are also some actors with high artistic achievements who can still choose classes. For example, Qiao Guorui (Lion Black), a student of Jin Opera with painted faces, has chosen classes for many years. In the past, Bangzi Opera had a substituting system (also called a acting system), which was due to the lack of actors and actresses in the old club. Caidan is usually replaced by ugly actors, and some Xiaodan actors are also replaced. For example, Jin Opera actor Ji Meilian played the matchmaker Liu in "The Jade Bracelet" and the ugly girl in "The Kite", which won praise from the audience. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, with the development of the times and the requirements of the audience, the number of theater troupes gradually expanded, and the number of actors and actresses increased greatly. Drama schools and training classes also paid attention to cultivating Lao Dan actors. Except for a few theater troupes, most of them had dedicated performers. However, the foot substitute system of Caidan and Wansheng is still used today.