Health and Wellness in Shanxi, Summer Retreat in Shanxi — Jincheng: Intangible Cultural Heritage Section

Jincheng City is one of the birthplaces of Chinese civilization, and its cultural heritage attracts worldwide attention for its wide variety, diverse forms, and rich content.

01 Gaoping embroidery

Gaoping embroidery is the work created by Gaoping women with their dexterous hands to express imaginative themes, which are rich in both decorative interest and strong local flavor. It can be divided into two types: silk thread embroidery and cloth patchwork embroidery. Its themes are mostly drawn from local opera stories and folk legends. The composition of cloth patchwork embroidery emphasizes fullness as beauty, with appropriate density, symmetry and balance, static and dynamic contrast, and great cleverness in seeming clumsiness. Gaoping embroidery is bright in color and has a strong contrast.

02 Shangdang Bangzi

Shangdang Bangzi, one of the four major Bangzi operas in Shanxi Province, is popular in the southeast of Shanxi. It originated in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties and is mainly based on the singing of the Bangzi tune, with influences from Kunqu Opera, Pihuang Opera, and other vocal tunes. Shangdang Bangzi is characterized by its high-pitched and lively singing style, as well as its rugged and healthy artistic features. It boasts a rich repertoire of traditional plays with over 700 titles and is a national intangible cultural heritage. Its performance style is steady and powerful with complete roles, making it an important cultural treasure of Jincheng.

03 Shangdang Bayinhui

Shangdang Bayinhui is a traditional folk music form in the Jincheng area. The major instruments used in Bayinhui include the gong, drum, cymbals, suona (a Chinese shawm), sheng (a reed wind pipe), Chinese flute, and banghu (a Chinese spike fiddle). It was developed during the Yuan and Ming Dynasties and reached its maturity and prosperity in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, exhibiting distinctive local characteristics and high artistic value. The performance of Shangdang Bayinhui emphasizes both blowing and beating, blends “civil”and “martial” styles, and features rich emotions and powerful sounds that are both soaring and tragic. It is recognized as one of the national intangible cultural heritages.

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Source: Comprehensive collation by sx.china.com