Traveler's Tales        China Research 2007

I spent two months of 2007 in four Chinese cities doing research for my master's degree on Chinese storytelling. It was an amazing adventure of exploration, interviews, interpreters, and performance. I interviewed over a dozen performers and teachers of performance arts. I observed and performed in reciprocation at three performance schools and found the focus I wanted for my thesis. The people I met were incredibly generous with their time and expertise as well as directing me to further sources and giving me books and recordings. In March I will return to finish my research.

              Monkey King


One of the most beloved characters of Chinese tales is the trickster Monkey. He is magic, clever, and full of acrobatic monkeyshines. He is found in novels, shadow puppetry, acrobatics, and T shirts.

              Yangzhou Canal


My first stop was Yangzhou, three hours from Shanghai. It is still rich in culture with several styles of storytelling still being practiced. I had contacts for a researcher and a performance school and the networking ballooned from there. Everyone was so generous with their time and talent and I was treated like a star.

              Playing Chopsticks


A folk art of creating rhythms on plate and chopsticks was being taught in the class I visited. I reciprocated by performing for them in a ballad style, similar to what they had just sung to me. This photo was taken when the media showed up and asked me if I thought playing chopsticks was hard. Yes!

Fei Li, seated, is a researcher of storytelling in Yangzhou. Huang Ying was kind enough to interpret for me. I speak enough Chinese to travel independently, but not enough for the accuracy needed for research.



              Amateur Opera Singers


Mr Wei, seated, twice brought me to hear his group practice Kunqu Opera, because he knows I like it. I told them a story in response. By the second visit, they were relaxed with me and we all had a good time.

              Prosperity


You can see the recent prosperity of the average Chinese in the wonderful fruit offered here and the new popularity of owning pets.

              Ninth Generation Teller


I at last found my topic for my master's thesis with Yang Ming Kun. He is the ninth generation to tell a story only told in Yangzhou. Here, he teaches the future 10th generation teller, aged 16. In my thesis, I will trace the history of this story and its tellers.

              Suzhou Pingtan Tellers


One of the most popular styles of telling is Pingtan, where two or more performers alternatively sing and tell. The stories are long and complex and well known to the older audiences. A single story will traditionally be performed for two hours a day for a month in a teahouse with all the tea and melon and peanuts you can eat.

              Future Performers


I was introduced to Mr. Chen who has taught pipa playing at the Suzhou Pingtan School for 28 years. I observed his class and told a Scottish ballad story. He worked my story into his lecture. Naturally there were lots of photos with everyone's cell phones afterward.

              Mudbugs


This is regional specialty cooking at its best. Crayfish in garlic with a cold beer.

              Peking Opera


Performances of Peking Opera in theaters and television keep young and old audiences familiar with the most popular traditional tales. The subjects are history, martial arts, love and detective stories. Historically there are no backdrops and few props, but magnificent costumes. This a famous episode regularly presented to Chinese and foreign tourists. It is a dramatic scene called Farewell My Concubine.

              Performance Arts


One of the many talents needed to perform opera in all regions of China is the very acrobatic martial arts. Other skills needed are singing, acting, dancing, musicianship, complex makeup, and an incredible memory. These performers are in their 20s and have studied performance since age 10.

              Xiangsheng - Crosstalk


The only form of telling that survives in good health with audiences of all ages is xiangsheng, crosstalk. Two performers tell short, funny stories back and forth in rapid and colloquial language. Because of the lively, brief style they are able to combine traditional and modern themes to keep their material fresh and popular on TV and radio as well as in live performances.

              Ma and Tong


These Xiangsheng artists gave me several interviews and I saw them perform three successive evenings. They are very well respected and popular. Tong has just written a crosstalk about the coming Olympics 2008. It is a good example of this art form keeping up with modern audiences.

              My Classmates


To brush up my Chinese I enrolled in a one month class at Tianjin Tech University with several dozen YOUNG students from all over the world. I enjoyed many outings with them and they came to my dorm room several times, bringing dinner to listen to stories all night.

              Inner Mongolia


I joined four of my classmates in an adventure to Inner Mongolia. We stayed up all night on the train, rode horses, stayed in tourist yurts, took a wild dune buggy ride, and staged a sit in to get a ride off the dunes. For the group performance night, I sang Edleweiss to the all Chinese tourist crowd. The audience hummed along with me, as it has been a familiar tune there since Sound of Music was the first American movie to play in China.