Zhonglu Bangzi

Jin Opera is one of the four major types of Bangzi opera in Shanxi Province. Because it originated in central Shanxi, it is also called Zhonglu Bangzi, also known as "Zhongxi Opera", and is called "Zhonglu Opera" in other provinces. Shanxi Bangzi is mainly popular in central and northern Shanxi and parts of Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia and Hebei. In the early Qing Dynasty, Puzhou Bangzi flowed into Jinzhong and was combined with Qitai Yangge and Jinzhong folk tunes. With the participation of Shanxi merchants and local literati, Jin Opera was formed. After several changes, it developed and spread in central Shanxi, northern Shanxi, and even parts of Inner Mongolia, Hebei, and northern Shaanxi. The nearly one hundred years at the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China was a period of development of Jin opera. At that time, there were many troupes and talents emerged. Especially after the emergence of the first generation of actresses represented by Ding Guoxian, the art of Jin opera was promoted to a new stage.

[Edit this paragraph] Historical traceability

1. Origin The origin of Zhonglu Bangzi should be during the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty. In the early years of Daoguang's reign, Puzhou Bangzi, which was called Shanxi Bangzi at that time, was revived again. It is said that "Emperor Daoguang ascended to the Dragon Court, and Shanxi Bangzi became fashionable again." Puzhou Bangzi went north to perform in Jinzhong and Taiyuan, which not only caused a sensation in Taiyuan, but also And it also shocked Beijing. This also catered to the entertainment requirements of a group of wealthy businessmen who emerged in the Zhonglu area, so they invited the Pu Bang Troupe to perform in Zhonglu as a contract. This was the beginning of the wealthy merchants in Zhonglu hosting theater troupes. But the type of opera is still Pu Opera. Its representative classes include Wanhe Class, Xiaopingyao Class in Pingyao County, and Jiqing Class in Jiexiu County. In the early years of Xianfeng, Pu Bang began to be neglected, resulting in a period of relative vacancy in drama activities in the Zhonglu area. This was a disappointment to the Zhonglu people who loved theater, especially the wealthy businessmen, so a few people began to invite idlers Literati, amateurs, Yangko and shadow puppet artists organized seminar groups to create their own dramas. In the middle and late Xianfeng period, through the hard work of many groups, the prototype group of Zhonglu Bangzi was finally formed on the basis of inheriting the phonology of Pu Bang and the melodies of gongs and drums, combined with the singing characteristics of Zhonglu Yangko and so on, and began pilot performances. Among them, the representative ones are the Yuci Heidian Class and the Qixian Sanqing Class. In addition to the stranded Pu Bang artists, Yangko and shadow puppet artists, participating artists also include trumpeters, shop assistants, miners, and enthusiasts. In the early years of Tongzhi, Shanxi's social order improved. The emergence of new middle-road bangzi has also been favored by more wealthy businessmen. Therefore, class clubs such as Shang and Xia Ju Liyuan Troupe, Sixi Troupe, Sixing Troupe, and Siqing Troupe were successively established. During the performance practice, they learned from each other and continuously improved, so that the singing and cultural and martial arts scenes became increasingly perfect; they also learned the management of foreign operas The experience of the troupe has gradually led to the formalization of the theater troupe. Except for the actors from Zhonglu who are retained in the civil and military theater, most of the other actors in the troupe are hired from Puzhou with high salaries, so there is a folk proverb: "Qi Taijiaozi, Puzhou meatballs". The troupe is not commercial in nature and the profits and losses are entirely borne by the troupe owner. Everywhere he went, he put a wooden tiger sign with the name of the theater troupe inherited by a certain rich man from a certain county on the front desk to show off, and he also wrote his name on the white wall backstage. The contents of these stage inscriptions are extensive and have become the epitome of evidence for today's study of the development history of Jin Opera. As the Zhonglu bangzi became more and more established, it aroused the interest of small and medium-sized wealthy people and medium-sized businessmen to take over. They also invited artists or children from Puzhou to set up classes. By the end of Tongzhi, the Zhonglu Bangzi Club had begun to take shape in a few prefectures and counties from Zhonglu to Beilu in Shanxi. The exquisite performances of the artists left a deep impression on the audience. To this day, there is still a "Four Happiness Troupe" in Jinzhong, which is a good show. They are bald and red, ugly, and cover Shaanxi. The ginseng doll, the ugly big mouth, and a flag behind it ..." Wait for the opera proverb to spread. 2. The glorious period Ten years after Guangxu, Zhonglu Bangzi flourished again, and a new phenomenon of Zhonglu artists performing Zhonglu opera emerged, which changed the old situation of Pu Bang artists performing Zhonglu opera. From the fifteenth year of Guangxu to the end of the Qing Dynasty, Zhonglu Bangzi entered a glorious period. Performance activities include temple fair drama, market drama, stage drama, consecration drama, business drama, market opening drama, god-seeking drama, vow-making drama, sacrificial drama, wedding, funeral and birthday celebration drama, and official drama, etc. In ordinary villages, there is one opera every year; in large market towns, there are as many as 5-10 operas every year. Zhonglu Bangzi has become the main opera that the people of Zhonglu love to hear, and it also travels with Zhonglu merchants to Zhangjiakou, Baotou, Guihua and other places, and is closely related to Local operas compete in performances. During the development process of Zhonglu Bangzi, due to regional relationships and differences in absorbing folk art and other elements, three major schools were formed in terms of performance procedures, singing styles, and front-end sutras, namely, the Shanglu Class in the counties under the jurisdiction of Taiyuan Prefecture; They are divided into Xialu classes in the counties under their jurisdiction and Dongsiqua classes in the counties under the jurisdiction of Pingding and Liaozhou. It was not until after liberation that the minor differences among the above three were merged into one. After the Zhonglu Bangzi reached its peak, the Jiangnan Silk and Bamboo Class and the Kyoto Coloratura Class basically withdrew from the Zhonglu stage. Only the Pu Bangzi occasionally returned, and the momentum was greatly reduced. After the Revolution of 1911, the counties in the middle area were in turmoil, and most of the rich and powerful took a wait-and-see attitude. Therefore, the successors of Zhonglu Bangzi were mostly replaced by former Qing Yamen, old men from the Escort Bureau, etc. At the same time, the team of artists from Zhonglu has also grown. Except for the settlers, the Pu Bang artists no longer come to Zhonglu to work. In the 5th to 19th years of the Republic of China (1916-1930), the situation in Shanxi was relatively stable, and Zhonglu Bangzi entered its second glorious period. At this time, there were many classes and clubs in Zhonglu Bangzi, and the genre expanded.

Not only taking root in Yanbei and occupying the outside world, but also developing and establishing Banshe in western Hebei Province, northeastern Shaanxi Province, and the northern counties under the jurisdiction of the former Pingyang Prefecture and Lu'an Prefecture, forming a Shanxi province across northern my country. It is a large-scale opera in five provinces and regions: Shaanxi, Hebei, Suiyuan and Chahar, so it is called Shanxi Bangzi. There are many celebrities and the competition is fierce. Bangzi in the middle has formed a great situation with many talents, strong strength and mutual competition. There are many repertoires, both civil and military. Due to the large number of talents, most of the plays performed are performed by celebrities. Common ones include "Snow in June", "Feng Yi Pavilion", "Golden Beach", "Shangtiantai", "The Legend of White Snake", "Iron Gong Yuan", "Picture of Hundred Sons", "Famen Temple", "Double Officials Harmony" ", "Ten Thousand Buddhas' Clothes", "Zhongliang Picture", "Plum Blossoms", "Shuangluo Shirt", "Thirteen Sisters", "Tazigou", "Jade Chess Piece", "Fire Flag", "A Pocket" "Snow", "Golden Leopard", etc., with more than 200 copies, chapters and publications. It can be said that he is capable of both civil and military affairs and is unstoppable in his actions. The acting is superb and a hundred flowers bloom. At this time, each class club showed off new tricks, and each artist also took the lead in singing, acting, chanting, performing stunts and other performances. Since the 1920s, in Shanxi Bangzi, because some of the old artists are still alive and the stage layout can maintain the performance of men and women on the same stage, there have been three good performances such as Taigu Jinyiyuan and others. In the 24th year of the Republic of China (1935), the Buyun Opera Company, headed by the famous female artist Ding Guoxian, and the Tangfeng Opera Company, headed by Gai Tianhong, performed in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and other places, greatly expanding the influence of Shanxi Bangzi. , and also exchanged experiences with fellow opera artists and enriched myself. Later, Shanxi Bangzi gradually transformed from male protagonists to female protagonists. This also brings potential problems: because women's acting can attract more audiences and make more money, there has been a craze in various places to specifically train female artists. Due to the "excessive yin and decline of yang" among the actors of Shanxi Bangzi, there are many outstanding performances such as helmet-repairing opera, hard work opera, martial arts opera, painted faces, and clown operas. The gradual discontinuation or loss of performance has also caused the passionate and unrestrained dialogues, singing, and ups and downs of performance routines unique to this northern opera to be gradually replaced by melodious tunes and lingering styles, thus losing its former charm. A masculine and sonorous character. 3. Reaching a low ebb After Yan and Feng failed to overthrow Chiang, Shanxi’s economy fell into depression. Some Shanxi Bangzi troupes went astray, and corruption was introduced into the troupes, resulting in typhoon depression, artists' ideological degeneration, and decline in artistic standards, which brought serious difficulties to the lives of many artists. At least a few Kunjia artists suffered misfortune and fell into trouble. , unable to extricate himself. After the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, the Japanese army quickly invaded Shanxi. Wherever they went, they burned, killed, looted, and committed all kinds of evil. They forced all the theater troupes in various places to disband and dispersed the artists. Some of them fled abroad, and some changed their careers to farming. Only a few people entered the revolutionary base areas of Taihang, Shanxi-Suiyuan, Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei, etc., and served the anti-Japanese military and civilian performances with a new look. In the more than 10 years before and after the Anti-Japanese War, the disasters suffered by Shanxi Bangzi caused the first low ebb period in the history of the development of Jin Opera. The founding of New China ushered in a third glorious period for Shanxi Bangzi. Around 1956-1958, theater troupes at county and city levels and above were established and improved in most parts of the province. The best actors performed in Taiyuan, the provincial capital, so Shanxi Bangzi was officially named Jin Opera, and the names of theater troupes in various counties were also changed to Jin Opera Troupe. The occurrence of the Cultural Revolution made Jin opera one of the first targets to be attacked, causing Jin opera to reach its lowest point again. In 1967, the troupe was changed to the Mao Zedong Thought Propaganda Team. Later, they were unified into model operas, and the performers had to pass a political review before they could go on stage. The vitality of Jin Opera was severely damaged, resulting in the second low period in the history of development.

[Edit this paragraph] Traditional repertoire

Jin Opera has rich traditional repertoire, with more than 200 frequently performed, including "Weishui River", "Striking the Golden Branch", and "Lintong Mountain" , "Qiankun Belt", "Shatuo Kingdom", "Zhan Wancheng", "White Water Beach", "Golden Water Bridge", "Flame Colt", "Brahma Palace", "Double Lock Mountain", etc.

[Edit this paragraph] Artistic Characteristics

In the process of development, Jin Opera retains the impassioned artistic characteristics of Puzhou Bangzi, while forming a tactful and delicate lyrical style. The singing structure of Jin Opera belongs to the banqiang style, which is divided into three categories: "luantan", "qianer" and "qu". "Luantan" is the main vocal control of Jin Opera. There are seven types of boards: flat board, splint board, two sexes, flowing water, intermediary board, rolling white board and guide board. "Qianer" refers to the various coloraturas in Jin Opera. Generally, they are not used alone, but are attached to various "rantan" styles. "Tune" includes "Wuhua tune", "Sanhua tune", "Zouma tune", "Erzhi tune", "Thirteen cough tune", "Sibuxiang tune", "Guideban tune", etc. "Qu" refers to the Kunqu opera and local ditties sung. This kind of singing and performance of Jin Opera not only has the general characteristics of excitement and roughness of Bangzi opera, but also has a unique style that is more mellow and detailed. Therefore, it can not only express impassioned historical stories, but also express beautiful and healthy folk life. This art form, which combines ruggedness and delicacy, is the most direct factor that makes Jin opera win the love of many audiences. Jin opera is characterized by melodies, smoothness, graceful tunes, mellowness, intimacy, and clear dialogues. It has a strong local flavor and its own unique style in the central Shanxi region. 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.

In addition to Eryinzi singing in falsetto, Luantan is divided into seven board styles: flat (also known as four-stranded eyes) with 4/4 beats; splint with 2/4 beats; Erxing with 1/4 beats; flowing water with 1/4 beats. Shooting; in addition, there are introduction boards, reverse boards, rolling whites, 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, there is a duet on the introduction 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 comes up 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 pallet; 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 flowing accents. 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 civil and military field of Jin Opera was composed of nine people, which was called the nine-hand scene, namely drum board (conductor), cymbals, horse gongs, small gongs, clappers, suihu, three strings, two strings, and four 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 calabashzi. 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: Huhu and the third string are muscles, the second string is bones, and the fourth string is tendons. He also said: Huhu sets up the pole, the second string adds a 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. Habit. 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 Branches" and "Gathering Firewood" in "Spring and Autumn Matches" are composed of several tunes. There are also many suona tunes, such as [Open Door Drum] for sitting in the tent, [Slow Worship], etc., which can enhance 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 "Return 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 brings 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. In Jin Opera, there are three traditional behaviors: raw, dan, and painted face, and five elements: 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. 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 is required to be dignified and free. 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 (so-called "girlfriends") in singing operas. Zhengdan is also responsible for the work. Zhengdan often plays with Husheng, and the weight of the play is generally heavier. Xiaodan mostly plays the role of 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 "a nest of dans (Zhengdan and Xiaodan) can make a full meal" and "one can choose 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 actor focuses on singing, reading, acting, and acting steadily, and mainly plays 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). This 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.

[Edit this paragraph] Inheritance and development

In the 1980s, the government called for the revitalization of Shanxi opera. Theater troupes at all levels successively adjusted their teams, enriched their actors, added costumes, and sorted out old operas. New operas were arranged in a hurry, and some of them combined Jin opera performances with currently popular light music and other literary and artistic forms, which enhanced the performance effect of Jin opera. At the same time, new artistic talents such as Song Zhuanzhuan, Shi Jiahua, Cui Jianhua, Li Tianxi, Wang Xiaoping, Wang Erqing, Li Guilian, and Sun Hongli also emerged. Restored and newly compiled plays such as "Down to the East of the River", "Fifteen Guan", "Tears of the Jade Cicada", "The Order of the Crouching Tiger", "Fighting Zidu", "Wu Wangjian", "Three Journeys to the Taoyuan", etc., and compiled them many times They performed in provincial capitals and were evaluated, and some even went to Beijing to perform. In addition, a few people have won the glorious title of Jin Opera performing artist, some have won the Chinese Drama Plum Blossom Award, and some have been promoted to first- and second-level actors. Now, the famous actors in this theater include Wang Aiai, Tian Guilan, Ji Ping, Ma Yulou, Liu Hanyin, Guo Fengying, Wang Baochai, etc. The representative plays of Shanxi Provincial Jin Opera Theater include traditional plays "Strike the Golden Bough", "Han Yan", "Small Banquet", "Killing the Palace", "Counting Grain", etc. The state attaches great importance to the protection of intangible cultural heritage. On May 20, 2006, Jin Opera was approved by the State Council to be included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage lists.

Literature introduction 1. Xu Hezhi’s Drumming Skills: The Leading Drum Master of Contemporary Jin Opera/Zhang Linyu, Zhang Zhiyong.--Beijing: Culture and Art Publishing House, 1998.--page 854 2. Guo Fengying, a famous student of Jin Opera/Li Wenhu; Shanxi Provincial Drama Compiled by the Institute.--Taiyuan: Beiyue Literature and Art Publishing House, 1998.--258 pages 3. The literary art of Jin Opera: Also on the master and apprentice of Tian Jiuyun Niu Qiaozhen/Zhang Linyu.--Beijing: People's Music Publishing House, 1995.--433 Page 4. A collection of arias by famous Jin opera masters/edited by Liu Heren and others.--Taiyuan: Beiyue Literature and Art Publishing House, 1987.10.--page 552 5. A century-old history of Jin opera/narrated by Wang Yongnian; edited by Liu Jucai and Duan Shuren.--Taiyuan: Shanxi People's Publishing House Society, 1985.--Page 346.--(Shanxi Opera Historical Materials Series) 6. Jin Opera Huhu Performance Method/Dong Wenrun Compiled.--Taiyuan: Shanxi People's Publishing House, 1981.--Page 391 7. Jin Opera Music/Zhang Pei , collected and compiled by Guo Shaoxian.--2nd edition.--Taiyuan: Shanxi People's Publishing House, 1979.--540 pages 8. Chinese Opera Chronicles. Shanxi Volume/edited by the Editorial Committee of Chinese Opera Chronicles.--Beijing: Culture and Art Publishing House, 1990.12.--830 pages