Singing ballads and telling stories have long been a popular past-time in Central China.
Over the centuries myths and folklore developed, revealing people’s customs and beliefs.
In the past people were driven to ballad singing and story-telling by poverty or as a result of a physical disability. Artists were often looked down on by the ruling class. To protect themselves they euphemistically described their art as an extension of Nature, claiming that it originated from the same source as Taoism. This interpretation proved rather effective and ballad singers were later promoted to the rank of middle class in the feudal hierarchy.
It was believed that ballad singing and story telling was pioneered by five of the Eight Immortals during the Tang (618-907) and the Song (960-1127) dynasties. One of the five immortals, Cao Guojiu, had seven disciples who in turn established eight sects.
The most vigorous was the Longmen sect founded by Qiu Chuji, the Priest of Changchun (1148-1227), whose disciples flourished in Henan and Shandong over 22 generations.
Consequently many ballad singers worship him as their patron saint.
Ballad singers used to attach great importance to belonging to a specific sect. These sects provide mutual aid and promote common interests. Within each sect the artists are ranked according to seniority. This seniority is allotted not by age or artistic achievement, but by the timing of apprenticeship. As a result some artists are much older than their “senior fellows,” or even their master’s masters.
The master-apprentice relationship is also highly regarded. An aspiring artist must observe a formal entrance ceremony before being accepted as an apprentice. Then he will be renamed according to a line of descent which, reputedly laid down by Qiu Chuji, consists of 100 characters, each standing for a generation. Therefore artists of the same generation may be recognized because their names share one character, which is also indicative of their position in the genealogical tree.
After three years of apprenticeship a pupil usually gives a banquet in honour of his master before he is allowed to make an independent living. Another expression_r of thanksgiving is for the pupil to follow the master as an indentured servant without pay for one to three years.
An artist should respect his master as his father. “A master for one day makes a father for life.” In former times a devout artist even stood up with reverence when his master’s name was mentioned.
The master’s attitude toward his apprentice, however, is quite different. Usually a master will not pass on his skills to his pupil so readily, especially if he considers his skills to be unique. To elicit something from the master, the apprentice has to serve him whole-heartedly and try every means to please him.
Master’s attitude
Even if the master provides instruction, he does it only to one pupil at a time so that each is kept in the dark about what another has learnt. What is more, the master often will not teach all that he knows to his pupil for fear the pupil might top him. As a result many consummate skills have been lost.
An apprentice’s normal channel of learning is to attend his master’s performances. At first he can only do odd jobs such as collecting money or maintaining order while keeping an eye on the master’s presentation.
After learning some passages by heart, the apprentice will be allowed to try his hand on the stage before his master’s performance. Afterward, the master may give him some pointers on how to improve.
To meet the needs of different audiences in different places, the artists have adopted different styles and programmes.
Generally speaking, stories for city dwellers are short but elaborate; melodies are rather sweet; presentation, makeup and setting are all in good taste. In rural areas, performances are usually less exquisite; stories tend to be long and sometimes vulgar; gruff and resonant voices are preferable to gentle and mellow ones.
Artists performing in towns or at temple fairs will collect fees from the audience, who will offer as much as they like. Itinerant performers in the country are usually treated to a meal. If they are lucky enough, they will be invited to brighten up a wedding ceremony or a festive occasion.
A vagrant singer on his arrival in a new place is accustomed to make a courtesy call on other artists who have already arrived. Then he will be accepted as a member of the loosely formed fraternity of artists performing in the locality at the time.
Senior artists of the fraternity used to enjoy certain privileges such as punishing those who acted contrary to established practice. Serious wrongdoers were even deprived of their right of public performance.
The way of life of folk artists has changed greatly since liberation in 1949 because many of their practices became incompatible with new circumstances, e.g., the corporal punishment of apprentices by the master, the use of specialized jargon to test newcomers, and the creation of obstructions for immature performers.
Various taboos and forms of sectarianism are dwindling slowly into insignificance.
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