Sanxianshu, also known as Jiaozishu and Legboardshu, is an ancient storytelling art that was formed in Nanyang. It has a history of more than 250 years. It is named because it uses Sanxian and Jiaozi (small cymbals) as the main accompaniment instruments. It is one of the four major local music types. At first, it was a one-person show, with Sanxian in his arms, legs tied with knots (foot boards) and singing by himself. Later, with the improvement of the audience's aesthetic requirements and natural development, it gradually evolved into a show in which the singers beat the Jiaozi or octagonal drums to sing and perform, and Sanxian and Zhuihu were specially used for accompaniment and helped and interrupted in the singing, becoming a show for two or three people, which enabled this storytelling art to develop faster and spread more widely. Sanxianshu's singing is simple and lively, with a strong local flavor, and is deeply loved by the people. It is a typical folk storytelling that once dominated the Nanyang music scene and has been passed down for more than a hundred years. There are more than 400 pieces of existing repertoire, including more than 200 pieces of drama, more than 100 pieces of book hats and 36 medium and long books, with high literary and musical artistic levels. Sanhuanghui Sanxianshu became more prosperous after the middle of the Qing Dynasty, mainly adopting the method of holding "imperial meetings", also called meeting books (equivalent to the current performance form), namely "Sanhuanghui". Sanxianshu artists worship the Three Emperors (the Emperor of Heaven, the Emperor of Earth and the Emperor of Man) as their ancestors. On the birthdays of the Three Emperors, the artists gather, set up tents, burn incense and worship the gods, and sing for three days. The conference is organized by old artists, and invitations are sent to each "team" and artist. The invited people have to pay a certain amount of gift money to the Huanghui as expenditure funds. The Huanghui is divided into "first tent", "second tent" and "third tent" according to the level of the participating artists for performances, and famous artists and scholars as well as famous local gentry are invited to participate in the appraisal of the repertoire. These people also have division of labor. Some are responsible for repertoire, some are responsible for singing music (including accompaniment), and some are responsible for the combination of lyrics and music and performance. They are respectively called "social management", "editorial", "calling sound", "listening to words", etc. Those who are rated as first class by the conference are equivalent to "winning the first prize" and are given rewards, called "hanging red". Artists who are hung red enjoy high honors in society and among artists. If the performance is not good, there will be punishments for misprints, wrong characters, off-tempo, and absurd tunes. If the lyrics are found to be too elegant or vulgar, they will be severely corrected. Rules and regulations "Sanhuanghui", in addition to the exchange and mutual improvement of artists in art, is also close to the nature of association. Counties with Sanxianshu must elect a person in charge called "Xunqian" and formulate rules and regulations to manage the performance discipline and style of artists. The rules of the Huanghui include: no flirting, no picking on people's food, no picking on other people's work, no cheating on other "teams", no cheating on apprentices, no stealing people's things, no telling lies, etc. If anyone is found cheating on women, his eyes will be gouged out and his ears will be cut off at the Huanghui, and he will not be allowed to perform Sanxianshu again; if anyone steals from others, he will be expelled by the Huanghui, and his peers will beat him with 500 willow sticks if they see him; if anyone cheats on apprentices, he will be beaten with 500 willow sticks, etc. The "Sanhuanghui" also requires three things to be stable, namely, stable eyes, stable hands, and stable mouth: stable eyes means not looking at women during performances and in life; stable hands means not taking other people's things; stable mouth means not speaking vulgar language. If there are violators, the strings will be smashed and the burden will be burned. The rules of the Sanhuanghui are extremely strict, which constrains and regulates the performance standards of artists, corrects their morals, and promotes the development of Sanxianshu art. This rule continued until the eve of liberation. As an art form, Sanxianshu has evolved into different schools in terms of performance techniques, use of vocal melody, singing characteristics, etc. due to the differences in dialects and folk customs. By the 1930s, the "Sanxianshu" mainly spread in southwestern Henan Province and formed three major schools: the East School, the Middle School, and the West School, each with its own unique singing style. The Eastern School, which is centered in Sheqi Town, Mobei, Raoliang, the Jinglou of Tanghe, and the Anpeng area of Tongbai, has as its representatives Zhang Yongxi, An Yusong, Wu Kaishan, etc., mainly sings with high strings, with a high-pitched and passionate style, great momentum, good at martial arts and regular script, and has masculine beauty; the Central School, centered in Qiaotou west of Sheqi, has as its representatives Liu Yongke, Wang Simazi, Wang Guodong, etc., mainly sings with flat strings, with a soft and deep style, good at conveying emotions, and the beauty of chanting three times; the Western School, centered in Shiqiao of Nanyang and Bowang of Fangcheng, has as its representatives Liu Wenxue, Lei Shengtang, Pei Xuede, Zhang Mingchuan, etc., mainly sings with low strings, with a solemn and delicate style, lingering and sad, and the lingering sound is lingering after a song. Characteristics The three schools have their own characteristics. However, due to the influence of geographical environment, language and sister music, the singing style of the Eastern School is obviously different from that of the Central and Western Schools, and has the charm of Hubei fishing drums and southern Henan folk songs. In short, the formation and development of the three schools are all the result of absorbing folk songs, folk songs and dialects from different regions. Therefore, they have more local colors and are more popular with the masses. The early performance form of Sanxianshu was a sitting singing type of a single-class class, that is, one actor held the Sanxian in his arms, tied bamboo joints on his legs, played and sang by himself, and beat the joints by himself, also known as "leg board book". By the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, it gradually developed into a standing singing type of a double-class class and a three-combination class. The double-class class is led by one person, who also plays the jizi and the octagonal drum, and the other person plays the Sanxian, kicks the foot bang, and also makes jokes and helps sing. The three-combination class is based on the double-class class, with one more person holding the teeth, or the jizi and the octagonal drum are held by two singers, and there are also those with the accompaniment of the pendant qin and still one person singing. The singing program of Sanxianshu is generally divided into two types: Jiaozi tune and Guzi tune. When the actor sings, he starts with a small copper Jiaozi in his left hand and a bamboo chopstick in his right hand. In the middle of singing Jiaozi tune, he switches to Guzi tune and uses an octagonal drum. The method of use is: hold the drum tightly with the left hand and hit it with the right finger, and finally switch to Jiaozi tune, and end with the Jiaozi tune. The tune of Jiaozi tune is vigorous and bright, the atmosphere is warm, and the rhythm is compact, which is suitable for expressing fierce and noisy scenes; Guzi tune mostly sings narrative passages, which are elegant and quiet, with a peaceful rhythm. The above is the usual singing rule, and there are also individual book sections that use Jiaozi tune throughout. In the process of singing, there are also drums and Jiaozi used together. The so-called "the left hand picks up the cymbal to hit the drum, the right hand hits the cymbal, the two hands hit together, and hum and sing a little song" is a vivid portrayal of this form. In addition, the dragging rhythm of Sanxianshu's "three cavities and four sendings" (or "three picks and four sendings", "Zha Yinqiang and four cavities" Yinqiang, Erqiang, Sanqiang, Gouqiang) forms its "mouth-raising" program to help the singing. During the singing, the accompaniment personnel and the singers sing together, or the player asks the singers questions with interest, and the scene is lively, the atmosphere is warm, funny and humorous, and full of fun. Sanxianshu attaches great importance to performing arts. Artists have summed up a relatively complete set of singing and performance tips in long-term artistic practice, namely "hand, eye, body, step" in performance, "suppression, lifting, pause, frustration" in singing, "joy, anger, sorrow, happiness" in expression, "slip, branch, flash, tremble" in singing, "tight, slow, slow, fast" in rhythm, and "empty, solid, cold, hot" in heat. These 24-character tips have become the standard for measuring and evaluating the level of a Sanxianshu troupe and artists. Among them, "take off, branch, flash, tremble" means that the storyteller should jump in and out quickly and without dragging. "Hand, eyes, body, step" refers to the hand gestures and fingerings when singing; "eyes" pay attention to the activity and movement in the eyes, that is, "big eyes convey the spirit, small eyes preach"; "body" refers to the posture, movement, and posture when singing; "step" refers to the footstep positioning in the performance area. The actor of Sanxianshu is on the right side of the accompanist, and the steps of the performance are similar to the cross steps of Yangko, which are limited to three steps forward and three steps back. It cannot exceed the area of 35 feet square, that is, the so-called "three inches (tongue) big world, five feet small world". Sanxianshu artists have passed down these 24-character tips from generation to generation. There is no systematic training method, only the master teaches the apprentice, and the oral transmission is passed on. The overall performance style of Sanxianshu is simple and humorous, hot and spicy. Because there are literary and martial arts sections, each has its own emphasis in the singing and performance. Songs (books) about talented men and beautiful women, and needlework baskets are literary pieces. Their performance is like a gurgling stream, like a lady drawing clouds, lively, humorous, simple and delicate. Commonly used postures include small cloud hands, hand-holding flowers, turning around, stepping, moving, and rowing. Songs (books) about chivalry and public cases are martial pieces. Their performance is like a rushing river and a dragon emerging from the water, bold, fierce, and unrestrained. Commonly used postures include single cloud hands, double cloud hands, cloud hands on top, tiger-crossing style, lotus leaf palm, tiger changing fists, bow and arrow steps, and mud-stomping postures. Some fiery martial pieces have large movements, hard postures, strong rhythms, and heavy strength. When they are performed, the crackling of fists and feet, the drumming of the red silk of the hinge, and the echo of the mouth of the frame are intertwined, which is often thrilling and magnificent. This style is difficult to match with other types of Henan songs. (No pictures available, please provide them.) (No pictures available, please provide them.)