In the early 20th century, Jingyun dagu and Xihe dagu became established in Beijing and Tianjin. However, Wuyin dagu remained based in the countryside and untouched by modern methods of distribution. Therefore, Wuyin dagu has not left behind recordings or stories of well-known performers, as have its urban brothers and sisters.
As with most genres of Chinese folk music, traditional Wuyin dagu singers adopted an oral method of teaching and studying, using neither scores nor books of lyrics.
At present Wuyin dagu has been lost in other places; only in Miyun County are there 5 old actors, all aged 60 or above. Their band is the only that can perform original Wuyin dagu. The oldest, Qi Dianzhang, is 79 years old, while the youngest, Li Mosheng, has just turned 60.
In order to save this precious folk art inheritance, the government of Miyun County listed Wuyin dagu as a national folk culture protection project in 2003 and carried on two years of hard work covering rescue, excavation, and rearrangement.
In the first half of the 20th century, there were many semi-professional musicians in Wumudi, who often toured nearby villages to perform Wuyin dagu during the slack season. There was a time when Wumudi and its musicians had such renown that roaming performers from other places would usually bypass the village.
The works were mostly adapted from historical novels, such as Warriors of the Yang Family of the Song Dynasty (960-1279). The main characters of such works are usually legendary heroes whose lives have been retold again and again for generations. Folktales are another textual source for Wuyin dagu. Works of this kind are usually of medium length, lasting several hours, and include Shuiman Jinshan (Golden Mountain Flooded), part of Baishe Zhuan (The Legend of the White Snake), and Santang Huishen (Joint Inquest by Three Judges). There are also short pieces in Wuyin dagu.
Qi Dianzhang said that the daqin (instrument with two beaters attached via strings) he plays was bought in 1949 from a nearby village for 37.5 kilograms of rice. Qi said the original owner was said to be a distant relative of the imperial family and an instrument collector, but added he doesn't know how old the daqin is.
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