Posted 2018/11/20
This form of Dagu originated in Henan and has a history of over 100 years. It became popular in Henan, Shandong and Anhui provinces as well as in the cities of Tianjin and Beijing. Its main musical instrument is the Zhuizixian, now known as the Zhuihu, which looks somewhat like a three-stringed instrument. It is sung in the Henan dialect, hence it got the name Henan Zhuizi.
Henan Zhuizi usually needs only one performer, who holds two pieces of sandalwood or jujube wood planks in his left hand and plays it while singing. Sometimes, there are two performers who sing one by one with one playing wood planks and the other playing Danba (cymbals) or Shugu (a kind of drum). And, a few performers play these instruments themselves while singing. Most of the lyrics are seven-character lines. In the early period, the majority of performing items were short and part of them were long. All performing items relating modern subject matters are short.
During the formation, Hezhan Zhuizi featured novelty and vivacity and lured many artists of Sanxianshu (storytelling and singing while playing the three-stringed instrument) and Shandong Dagu (storytelling and singing in Shandong dialect while beating a drum) to join the reform and thus added many performing items to Henan Zhuizi and improved performing skills.
Henan Zhuizi kept its plain countryside style and close connection with life from its formation to prevalence among ordinary people. It learned from other traditional genres and good performing items and formed many unique performing items, which totaled over 200 types either long, medium-length or short. After the founding of new China, obvious achievements were seen in arrangement of traditional outstanding items, writing of new works that reflect real life, reform of music and performing skills, etc.
