Types of Shuochang

Two Major Systems

The art of shuochang is a form of performing art that blends literature, music, and acting together into one, and it includes 345 different forms. Most of them are usually classified into the ‘gu qu’ system or the ‘yun yong’ system. ‘gu qu’ system can be further classified into da gu, yu gu, tan ci, qin shu, pai zi qu, za qu, and zou chang. These are seven performance types that use similar instruments as accompaniment.

Three Performance Categories

According to ‘Wordpedia’ the art of shuochang can be divided into the descriptive category of ‘shuo shu,’ the sentimental category of ‘chang qu,’ and the humorous category of ‘xie nue.’ In ‘shuo shu,’ there is the pure talking ‘ping shu’ and the combination of talking and singing ‘tan ci,’ ‘yu gu,’ and ‘qin shu,’ and the rhyming reciting ‘fast clapper talks.’ In ‘chang qu,’ there are ‘da gu,’ ‘pai zi qu,’ and ‘za qu.’ In ‘xie nue,’ there is the well-known cross talks and storytelling with clappers.

Ten Major Groups

In the voluminous reference we had used, quite a number of them classified the art of shuochang into ten groups.They are ‘da gu group,’ ‘yu gu group,’ ‘qin shu group,’ ‘tan ci group,’ ‘za qu group,’ ‘pai zi qu group,’ ‘zou chang group,’ ‘ping shu group,’ ‘fast clapper talks group,’ and ‘cross talks group.’

Four Major Types

The art of shuochang varies greatly in different regions. Even though the ten major groups are able to accurately classify each form of shuochang, there are still some forms that are less common. As a result, the ten major groups have now been simplified into the four major types. During the Hand-In-Hand learning with our student shuochang expert teachers, we focused on ‘fast clapper talks’ and ‘cross talks.’
The four major types are formed by merging the ‘da gu group,’ ‘yu gu group,’ ‘qin shu group,’ ‘tan ci group,’ ‘za qu group,’ ‘pai zi qu group,’ and ‘zou chang group,’ into ‘gu qu group,’ and then there are the remaining ‘ping shu,’ ‘fast clapper talks,’ and ‘cross talks to complete the four major types.

Gu Qu Group

It is a descriptive singing performance. Music accompaniment is mostly percussion and string instruments. For example, da gu / Beijing dialect da gu, yu gu / Henan dao qing, qin shu / Shandong qin shu, tan ci / Suzhou tan ci, za qu / kao shan tune, pai zi qu / Shandong octagonal drum, zhou chang / feng yang drums, local rice seeding songs.

Ping Shu Group

The unique aspect about ping shu is that the performer talks, criticizes, but does not sing. It is done in Mandarin and other dialects, but performance does not vary dramatically. Examples are Sichuan ping shu and Hubei ping shu.

Fast Clapper Talks Group

It uses percussion instruments such as bamboo clappers, metal clappers, or bamboo tubes as accompaniment. Chanting is used in the performance instead of talking. It is a performance that describes a story following a rhythmic beat. For example, storytelling with clappers, clapper talks, metal clapper talks.

Cross Talks Group

Cross talks is derived from people telling jokes. It is light, lively, humorous, and comical, and it is also able to fulfill the audience’s need for knowledge and entertainment. It is a performance that describes current events with a hint of humor. For example, cross talks and cross talks duo that come from Ping Jin area and southern comical from Shanghai region.

Source：Epochtimes, Ask.zwbk, Introduction on shuochang music, Encyclopedia of Taiwan, Wikipedia｜Text: Jessica, the Original Artsy Shuochang Posse