Pingtan in Suzhou 苏州评弹,值得一听

2022-04-29 20:17罗丽文
疯狂英语·读写版 2022年5期
关键词:苏州

罗丽文

As a child growing up in Suzhou, East Chinas Jiangsu Province, Wu Jing loved to go to teahouses with her parents and grandparents to watch pingtan performances.

Pingtan originated in Suzhou during the Song Dynasty. It usually involves just two performers—one male and one female, who play traditional musical instruments, sanxian (a three⁃stringed plucked instrument) and pipa (a four⁃stringed lute), while singing ballads and telling stories of ancient heroes, tragic lovers and other classic Chinese folk tales in the Suzhou dialect at teahouses or small theaters.

Unlike Peking Opera, another major art form with a history of more than 200 years that has high⁃pitched singing and martial arts, pingtan performers usually sing in softer and more narrative voices. The art form has a stable following in the southern areas of the Yangtze River, such as Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou and Nanjing.

“Its a lifestyle for people in my hometown to watch pingtan performances. There are hundreds of venues in the city where pingtan shows are staged daily. People enjoy it while sipping tea and eating snacks,” says Wu, who naturally fell in love with pingtan and later studied at a pingtan school in Suzhou. “When you visit Suzhou as a tourist, you have to watch pingtan performances to make your trip complete.”

Classic pingtan songs, such as Yue Yun, which tells the story of Yue Yun, the eldest son of Yue Fei, a military commander of the Southern Song Dynasty, and two songs about Cui Yingying, the protagonist of Romance of the Western Chamber, a well?known Chinese drama written by playwright Wang Shifu during the Yuan Dynasty.

Besides old classics, new pingtan works include modern takes on old stories and adaptations based on social events or topics.

猜你喜欢
苏州
金属抬凿和錾刻技艺绽放苏州
让安家在苏州的他们,共享“家”的温暖
“再读苏州”“石痴”顾天叙
苏州名人馆藏品选
苏州伴宅
“洋苏州”与“新苏州”演奏和弦
民间书画艺术团体捐赠抗疫情
苏州百园图
有味道的苏州云
苏州之美