Qinqiang

When Shaanxi Qinqiang roars, the whole Guanzhong Plain will be shocked. Qinqiang, is the most representative opera of Shaanxi, it is known more or less by numerous people of various ages, and many of them are fans.

Qinqiang is the oldest opera in northwest China. It originated from the Western Zhou Dynasty and well-developed in the Qin Dynasty. It was originally sourced from the Xifu region, the core areas of which are nowadays Qishan County (Xiqi in ancient China) and Fengxiang County (Yongcheng in ancient China), Baoji City, Shaanxi, and then was spread among northwest China, including Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia and Xinjiang.

Qinqiang is also known as Luantan. Its oldest tune is Xifu Qinqiang in Baoji, which contains many ancient pronunciations. As the jujube bangzi (woodblock) is one of the accompanying instruments, it is also called the “bangzi opera”, or nicknamed the “guangguangzi” (“guangguang” refers to the sound when it beats).

On May 20th, 2006, designated by the State Council, Qinqiang was listed among the first directory of the intangible cultural heritage in China.