Hebei Bangzi is one of the major forms of local opera in Hebei Province. Formerly known
as Jing Bangzi, Zhili Bangzi and Wei Bangzi, it adopted the official name of Hebei Bangzi
in 1952. It is very popular in Beijing, Tianjin and some regions of Hebei, Liaoning, Jilin,
Heilongjiang and Shandong provinces and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Hebei Bangzi is
derived from Qinqiang and Shanxi Bangzi operas, which were introduced to Hebei Province in
the middle of the Qing Dynasty. Singing in Beijin dialect, its division of roles and its
performance style are similar to Peking Opera. Xusheng, a man with whiskers, plays the
leading male role and his tune is forceful and solemn. The Qingyi female role
emphasizes loud, clear singing, and the Huadan female role stresses acting and dialogue.
The tunes sung by Hualian a male role with painted face, is rustic and vigorous.
Hebei Bangzi has a special acting role, the Jingsheng, which combines Sheng costumes,
Jing tunes and the performance style of both Jing and Sheng. Musical patterns of Hebei Bangzi
includes five types of rhythmic structures. The accompanying instruments are the banhu,
two-stringed Chinese fiddle: dizi, horizontal bamboo flute: sheng, mouth organ,
and percussion. The repertoire of Hebei Bangzi has more than 500 traditional and 200
contemporary plays.
The following is a list of famous synopses:
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