Bayue Bayue refers to the band in which the percussion performance is included into the Shi-Fan band. Generally, the percussion instruments are played by youth boy and young girls, while the boy band is called "Male Bayue" and the girl band is called "Female Bayue". Percussion instruments include clappers, large gong, small gong, large cymbals and small cymbals. Besides percussion instruments, the lively performance of Bayue Band, either seated and walking, is also accompanied by orchestra instruments played by eight persons. By playing part of Puxian Dramas, those bands are very popular in local areas. Daguchui The Daguchui of Puxian originates from the field music of ancient times, with big drum, big gong, big cymbals and suona as the major musical instruments. Currently, it is still very popular in Duwei of Xianyou County. Since the formation of the PRC, such folk music as Shifan, Bayue and Daguchui in Puxian have been enjoying rapid development, while such musical compositions as "The Travel to Xiuyu", "Spring Scenery of Xiangli", "The Grand Ceremony of the Ancestral Temple", "Celebrating the Ceremony", "Perspective of the Bay", "Feeling about Hulan", "The Rhyme of Muzu Hometown", "Nature and People in Puxian" and "The Leisurely Music of Farmland" have been granted provincial-level or state-level awards, including 3 gold/silver "Stars Awards" granted the Ministry of Culture. Shifan Shifan is divided into two categories: the "Mild Shifan" and the "Vigorous Shifan". Popular in Hanjiang, the band of Mild Shifan consists of ten members, most of which are old artists above the age of 50. Their musical instruments include: danpi, hardwood clappers, cloud gong, xiqin, sihu, chihu, bajiaoqin, zither, su flute and etc. There are more than 20 kinds of qu tunes, and they share the same name with Puxian Drama. However, the singing style is quite different. It sounds mild, slow and graceful, and that is why it is called the "Mild Shifan". The "Vigorous Shifan" also enjoys good popularity, and these two styles are called by a joint name of "Shifan", or "Shiyin (10 tunes)" as well. Major musical instruments of the band include: cloud gong, wanhu, sihu. chihu, gonghu, flute, three-stringed, bajiaoqin and etc. Mazu Culture Before Mazu is deified, she is renowned for her kindness and help on people, such as saving marine disaster, easing drought, dispelling plague, guiding ships and etc. As her legends came down and gained in influence, she was continuously awarded honorary titles by emperors of past dynasties. Currently, the religion of Mazu has developed into a kind of culture covering extensive connotations. Mazu Culture has more than 200 million believers in the world. In Taiwan, 2/3 of Taiwanese are Mazu believers. Acting as the bridging tie across the Taiwan Strait, Mazu Culture has helped extend the exchanges between Mainland China and Taiwan, allowing numerous Taiwan compatriots to have a better understanding of their motherland and Fujian and deeper love of the blood relationship between both sides. Puxian Drama Puxian Drama, the oldest drama found in China, is defined as the "Living Fossil" of dramas in Southern China. Developed from a hundred varieties of dramas in ancient times, Puxian Drama is integrated with the unique Puxian dialect and folk songs, with performance following the artistic style of dramas in Southern China. Roles include: sheng (the role of a male actor), dan (the role of a female actor), tiedan (the supporting female role), liang (beautiful woman), jing (the actor with a painted face), mo (the role of an old-aged male actor) and chou (the role of a clown), which are referred to as "the seven-role troupe" boasting appealing performance forms. Currently, there are more than 5000 traditional plays, 8000 scripts and 900 qu tunes. |