LetingDaguis a form ofQuyiarts that is prevalent in North China's Hebei, Beijing and Tianjin. It was originated from the folk tuneQingpinggepopular in Leting County of Hebei Province in the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). After improvements by artists of several generations, Qingpingge was gradually divorced from the singing way of folk songs and developed intoShuochangart (storytelling that combines singing and reciting). Around the year 1800, LetingDagucame into being.
LetingDaguhas two forms -- mid-length and full-lengthShuochang(storytelling and singing) and short pieces. Spoken parts and lyrics of full-lengthShuochangare usually performed according to the syllabus and those of mid-length are relatively stable while short pieces have fixed lyrics and complete aria. LetingDaguhas various music arias and is a mature form ofGushu(stories told with a drum accompaniment) art. LetingDagu's lyrics are mainly ten-character and seven-character lines and its subject matters vary a lot with colorful contents.
After the founding of new China, LetingDaguformed two art schools -- Han School in eastern areas and Jin School in western areas. The latter was full of creativeness and made important contributions to the development of LetingDagu. In addition, artists of LetingDagurenovated a batch of outstanding traditional items, created quite a few new items that reflect the real life and performed several full-length items reflecting modern life.
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