Tongchao piying 同朝皮影/Wanwan qiang 碗碗腔 shadow puppet music from Weinan 渭南市, Shaanxi, northwest China

A stage performance of a novel arrangment of a scene from a Tongchao piying (同朝皮影) shadow puppet play in Wanwan qiang (碗碗腔) style from Dali County (大荔县), Weinan (渭南市), east-central Shaanxi province (陕西省), northwest China. Wanwan qiang (碗碗腔) is a genre of local Chinese opera (Chinese: difang xiqu, 地方戏曲) from Shaanxi province, which was traditionally used to accompany shadow puppet plays, but which was adapted for the opera stage (using human actors rather than puppets) in the 1950s.

Filmed at a concert at Weiyue Music Hall (成都东郊记忆唯乐音乐厅) in Chengdu (成都市), central Sichuan province (四川省), southwest China, December 30, 2018. The concert was co-organized by the Traditional Music Department of the Sichuan Conservatory of Music (四川音乐学院民乐系) and the Dianshi/Di Xiao Art Studio (点石·笛箫艺术工作室).

The performers include four veteran members of the Shaanxi Tongchao Shadow Puppet Theater Troupe (陕西同朝皮影剧团) of Dali County (大荔县), Weinan (渭南市), east-central Shaanxi province (陕西省), northwest China, accompanied by the Dianshi Zhudi Yuetuan (点石竹笛乐团), an orchestra made up of dizis (笛子, bamboo transverse flute with buzzing membrane) of several different sizes. The play being performed here is entitled "Taoyuan Jie Shui"《桃园借水》(Borrowing a Cup of Water at Taoyuan), and the 6-part arrangement was made especially for this performance by Mr. Shi Lei (石磊), a dizi professor at the Sichuan Conservatory of Music (四川音乐学院).

The instruments used by the members of the Tongchao Shadow Puppet Theater Troupe are as follows:
● Mr. Wang Jinfa (王进法, born c. 1942 or 1943) - long-necked yueqin (月琴, long-necked plucked lute with octagonal soundbox) and voice; Wang, a native of Xizhai Village (西寨村), Weilin Town (韦林镇), Dali County (大荔县), Weinan (渭南市), east-central Shaanxi province (陕西省), northwest China, holds the status of Province-Level Representative Transmitter of the Intangible Cultural Heritage item of Tongchao piying
● Mr. Zhang Yimin (张益民) - erguxian (二股弦, 2-stringed vertical fiddle with hexagonal resonator and wooden soundboard)
● Mr. Guo Yumin (郭育民) - banhu (板胡, 2-stringed vertical fiddle with coconut resonator and wooden soundboard)
● Mr. Lei Mengtian (雷猛田) - traditional percussion (hardwood clapper, woodblock, and small bell); Lei, who has been performing for more than 50 years, holds the status of Municipal-Level Representative Transmitter of the Intangible Cultural Heritage item of Tongchao piying

The Dianshi Zhudi Yuetuan, which was established in May 2018, is made up of current and former students of Shi Lei, who is originally from Shaanxi province. For this performance, the makeup of the ensemble is as follows:
● 2 bangdi (梆笛)
● 2 qudi (曲笛) 1
● 2 qudi (曲笛) 2
● 5 xindi (新笛) 1
● 5 xindi (新笛) 2

"Taoyuan Jie Shui"《桃园借水》(Borrowing a Cup of Water at Taoyuan) is based on the traditional play "Jin Wan Chai"《金琬钗》(The Golden Hairpin), which tells the story of a peasant girl named Tao Xiaochun (桃小春) and a failed scholar named Cui Hu (崔护) who meet by chance in the Peach Garden in the south of the city, admire one other, fall in love, and pledge their love to each other. The story goes as follows: after failing the imperial examination, the Tang Dynasty poet Cui Hu goes on a picnic in the south of the imperial capital of Chang'an and meets Tao Xiaochun by chance. The two fall in love, linger by a stream, and exchange golden hairpins as tokens of their love. Before the story unfolds, Tao Xiaochun sings four short lines: "[A girl with the] surname Tao (Peach) lives in Taohua (Peach Garden) Village, [and her] thatched hut is in a peach orchard. Young Miss Tao has wasted her time waiting for news of spring. Who will come to the peach garden to ask about [her]?" (“姓桃居住桃花村，茅屋草舍在桃林。桃夭虚度访春讯，谁向桃园来问津。”). These lines clearly express the heroine Tao Xiaochun's psychology, surname, age, and address. The singing is graceful and charming, and the lingering sound is the essence of the whole segment.

In 2009 the tradition of Tongchao piying xi (同朝皮影戏), centering on Dali County (大荔县), Weinan (渭南市), east-central Shaanxi province (陕西省), northwest China, was included in the Second Batch of the Shaanxi Province Intangible Cultural Heritage List (陕西省第二批非物质文化遗产名录).

同朝皮影剧团老艺人与点石竹笛乐团共同演绎碗碗腔《桃园借水》

特邀同朝皮影剧团四位老艺人与竹笛乐团共同演绎。四川音乐学院石磊副教授特别为这一选段编配了6个声部的竹笛伴奏, 既有新笛雄厚的低音衬托, 又有曲笛婉转的旋律唱和, 又有梆笛高亢的情绪表达。

More information:
https://tinyurl.com/mps8m6tm
https://tinyurl.com/4fac44et
https://new.qq.com/rain/a/20201215A0A...
https://www.sohu.com/a/286175306_121207
https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E7%9F%B...
http://whysw.org/m/view.php?aid=85711
https://www.hshan.com/news/msnews/202...
https://www.sohu.com/a/448070419_1000...
https://news.sina.cn/gn/2020-01-20/de...
https://vip.chinawriter.com.cn/member...
https://tinyurl.com/yclq64mt
http://www.shaanxi.gov.cn/zfxxgk/zfgb...