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Zaomu gangzi luantan

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chinadaily.com.cn| Updated: May 3, 2024

The Zaomu jujube wood gangzi luantan – also known as the xiaodiao or zabadiao style of singing – is a provincial intangible cultural heritage item of East China's Shandong province.

Based in Dawangxi village, Dawang town – in Guangrao county, administered by Dongying city – it's also popular in surrounding counties such as Qingzhou and Shouguang.

It got its name from performers holding clappers made of jujube wood – similar to the clappers in other traditional Chinese operas – and various musical instruments accompanying them.

Its tunes were freely hummed by unknown artists throughout history, with a graceful and melodious singing style. After more than 500 years of rise and fall, it has been known as "nine styles of singing, eighteen tunes, and seventy-two styles of crooning."

Nowadays, this ancient folk art has been enriched by local people, becoming a unique carrier for publicizing policies including rural vitalization measures. In 2009, it was included in the second batch of provincial intangible cultural heritage.

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A Zaomu gangzi luantan performance takes place in Dongying. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

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