Le qiang 乐腔 opera from Anyang 安阳市, Henan, central China

A performance of le qiang (乐腔, literally "joyful vocal tune"), formerly known as lao qiang (落腔), a rare genre of local Chinese opera (Chinese: difang xiqu, 地方戏曲) from Anyang (安阳市), northern Henan province (河南省), central China. The title of the play being performed here is "Jie Didi"《借髢髢》. The troupe is the Hua County Le Qiang Theater Troupe (Chinese: Hua Xian Le Qiang Jutuan, 滑县乐腔剧团), which is based in Hua County (滑县), Anyang (安阳市), northern Henan province (河南省), central China.

Probably filmed in a studio in Anyang (安阳市), northern Henan province (河南省), central China, and released on DVD or VCD c. 2008. The date of filming is unknown.

Le qiang is said to have a history of more than 300 years, and is believed to have developed when a performer from Neihuang County (内黄县), Anyang with the surname Zhao (赵) combined a narrative singing form called lianhualao (莲花落) with local folk songs, prompting local people to call it Neihuang laozi (内黄落子). It is most popular in Anyang, especially in Neihuang County (内黄县), as well as in Hua County (滑县), which is located just to the south, and Qingfeng County (清丰县), Puyang (濮阳市), which is located just to the east. Because of its connection to lianhualao, it was originally called lao qiang (落腔), and enjoyed great popularity in the Qing Dynasty, having been performed on stage since at least 1850. Because it developed from local folk songs and was known for its cheerful and joyful tunes, it was renamed le qiang (乐腔, literally "joyful vocal tune") in the 1950s.

The actresses are as follows:
● Ms. Li Qingyun (李青云), playing Wang Po (Chinese: 王婆, Old Lady Wang)
● Ms. Li Aizhen (李爱珍), playing Si Jie (四姐, Fourth Elder Sister)

The accompanying instrumentalists include:
● Chen Liugen (陈留根) - leading percussionist (Chinese: sigu, 司鼓)
● Ding Gaochuan (丁高川) - banhu (板胡, high-pitched 2-stringed vertical fiddle with coconut resonator and wooden soundboard)

The arranger of the drama was Li Jingfeng (李景丰), and the director was Li Bingguo (李丙国). The music designers were Ding Gaoxun (丁高训) and Xu Lin (徐林).

In 2007 the tradition of lao qiang (落腔), centering on Neihuang County, Anyang; Huixian and Changyuan, Xinxiang; and Qi County, Hebi, was included in the First Batch of the Henan Province Province-Level Intangible Cultural Heritage List (第一批河南省省级非物质文化遗产名录).

Additionally, in 2008 the tradition of lao qiang (落腔), centering on Neihuang County, Anyang, was included in the First Batch of the Anyang Municipality Municipal-Level Intangible Cultural Heritage List (第一批安阳市市级非物质文化遗产名录).

Further, in 2011 the tradition of lao qiang (落腔), centering on Neihuang County, Anyang, was included in the Third Batch of China's National-Level Intangible Cultural Heritage List (第三批国家级非物质文化遗产名录).

乐腔《借髢髢》#谁说戏曲不抖音 #传递戏曲文化 #乐腔

More information:
https://www.douyin.com/video/73206006...
https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E4%B9%9...
https://tinyurl.com/ycombvz2
https://www.henan.gov.cn/2007/03-02/2...
http://www.minwang.com.cn/mzwhzyk/674...
https://web.archive.org/web/202105141...
https://tinyurl.com/y92wl9on
https://tinyurl.com/ychh5gps