Shandong Bangzi, also known as "Gao-diao Bangzi" or "Gao-diao Bangzi" for short, is a relatively ancient opera with a long history. It was introduced into Shandong from Shanxi Bangzi via Kaifeng, Henan, and was influenced by the local dialect of Shandong, and then gradually evolved and developed. According to relevant historical records, as early as the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, there were local Bangzi in Shandong, and there were Bangzi actors from Shandong who went to Beijing to perform. It can be seen that Shandong Bangzi was quite popular in the early Qing Dynasty, and it has a history of at least 300 years. Shandong Bangzi opera is mainly popular in the vast areas of Heze, Jining and Tai'an. Among them, the one centered on Caozhou Prefecture is called "Caozhou Bangzi", and the one centered on Jining and Wenshang is called "Wenshang Bangzi" (or "Xia Lu Diao"), collectively known as "Gao Bangzi" or "Gao Diao". Shandong Bangzi has a very close relationship with Henan's "Yudong Diao" and "Xiangfu Diao", and has a certain kinship with Ping Diao and Laiwu Bangzi in the province. The music structure of Shandong Bangzi is a banqiang style, with complete ban styles and its own characteristics and stricter program specifications. Monks use slow ban, broken word slow ban, one sentence straight ban, flowing ban, one drum and two gongs, 28 ban, starting ban, planting ban, flying ban, sheep yellow, and inverted ban. The suona-music cards are also very rich. Different tunes are used according to different plots and characters. For example, the emperor uses "Chu Tianzi" when he goes to court, "Chao Tianzi" when all officials pay homage, "Xia Chaoge" when he goes down court, "Yan Jia Hui" when he dies, "Wuma" when the marshal sends troops, "Erfan" when the foreign king raises troops, "Luomahui" when he sets up camp, and "Wang Ba Ling" when the villain goes out for a trip, etc. In the past, red-faced and black-faced roles all used "Da Benqiang" (i.e., original voice), and female roles also used Da Benqiang at first, with "ou" at the end. Later, it gradually changed, and most of them switched to "Er Benqiang" (i.e., false voice) for singing. The accompaniment instruments used at first were the big string, the second string, and the third string. The big string is a plucked instrument, similar to the moon guitar, with an octagonal belly, no frets, four axes and four strings, all with leather strings, commonly known as "old turtle". The second string has a shorter rod and a larger tube, and the distance between the bridge and the tube is very close. It is a leather string, played with a bow, and the sound is sharp and high. The third string is the same as the current common one. Later, influenced by other bangzi operas, the banhu and erhu were used as the main instruments, and the big string and the second string have been abandoned for a long time. In recent years, the sheng, ruan, pipa, etc. have been added. The traditional repertoire of Shandong Bangzi is extremely rich. According to old artists, there are as many as 600 plays regularly performed by the Dacao class in Wenshang County. The popular plays include the "Four Major Expeditions", namely "Mu Guiying's Expedition to the East", "Qin Ying's Expedition to the West", "Yao Gang's Expedition to the South", and "Lei Zhenhai's Expedition to the North"; and the so-called "Old Eighteen", namely "Spring and Autumn Match", "Plum Snow", "Thousand Miles", "Quan Zhongxiao", "Jiangdong", "Warship", "Cosmic Frontier", "Jade Tiger Pendant", "Ode to Flowers", "Old Border Court", "Jintai General", "Wealth and Honor Picture", "Dragon Gate Formation", "Buddha's Hand Orange", "Double Jade Bracelet", "Tiger Hill", "Heavenly Record", "Ma Long Ji", etc. These plays left a deep impression on the masses, so the people made up some very popular jingles, such as "First Jizhou, Second Jizhou, Yao Gang's Expedition to the South, Against Grappling Hooks", "Beating the Golden Branch, Scolding the Golden Palace, Caozhuang Killing His Wife, Shepherd's Fold", etc. The content of the plays is mainly historical themes, and most of them are large-scale plays. Among them, the plays describing resistance to the enemy, great loyalty and treason, killing the rich and helping the poor, and suppressing violence and protecting the good account for a considerable proportion, reflecting the brave personality of the people in southwestern Shandong who dare to fight and strive for freedom. Determined by the content of the play, the roles are mainly red-faced and black-faced, with passionate and vigorous singing, rough movements, exaggerated postures, and a strong and bold masculine beauty on the stage. As an excellent ancient drama, Shandong Bangzi has produced hundreds of troupes and a large number of famous actors. These famous actors have made outstanding contributions to the dissemination, reform and development of Shandong Bangzi, making Shandong Bangzi still loved by the people today. Information source: Shandong Provincial Information Network (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.) Information source: Shandong Provincial Information Network (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.)