Preserving and transforming Mulian Opera: Philosophy, evolution, and contemporary relevance

Jian Zhang

doi:10.31893/humanitj.2025016

Keywords:

chinese opera

cultural preservation

cultural transmission

traditional chinese art

Abstract

Mulian Opera, an integral component of China's intangible cultural heritage, embody the region's historical, cultural, and artistic traditions. This study explores their evolution, preservation, and transmission by examining thematic development, vocal techniques, and instrumental accompaniment across historical periods. Originating as work chants during the Sui and Tang dynasties, these songs gradually transformed into sophisticated artistic expressions during the Ming, Qing, and Republican eras. In contemporary times, the integration of Western musical elements and innovative performance approaches has expanded their appeal while maintaining their traditional essence. This research highlights the transition from oral transmission to formal documentation, the role of educational and governmental initiatives in safeguarding these traditions, and the significance of cross-cultural collaborations in their ongoing vitality. Furthermore, the development of singing styles and instrumental arrangements, from natural vocalization and traditional ensembles to modern adaptations, underscores the versatility of the Mulian Opera. Analyzing their historical continuity and contemporary relevance provides insights into sustainable strategies for preserving Mulian Opera as a dynamic cultural heritage, ensuring their intergenerational transmission while fostering innovation and global engagement.
References
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2. Fu, L., & Fan, Y. (2020). A study on the music of Jiangxi Mulian Opera. Journal of Yunnan Arts University, 2020(2), 5-12.
3. Fan, C., & Chuangprakhon, S. (2024). Literacy Preservation and Transmission of Youyang Chinese Folk Songs. International Journal of Education and Literacy Studies, 12(2), 118-124. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijels.v.12n.2p.118
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7. He, H. (2019). A preliminary exploration of the origins of Nanyue Mulian Opera—Focusing on the roles of "Five Yama Kings" and "South Sea". Mass Art, 2019(14), 152-153.
8. Horlor, S. (2019). Popular Song Afterlives: Oral Transmission and Mundane Creativity in Street Performances of Chinese Pop Classics. Journal of World Popular Music, 6(1), 10-31. https://doi.org/10.1558/jwpm.34195
9. Jian, Z., Nicolas, A., & Karin, K. (2022). Examining cultural production and the development of Zhuang cultural performances in Guangxi Province, China. International Journal of Critical Cultural Studies, 20(1), 13-25.
10. Jian, Z. (2022). Sustainable engagement and academic achievement under the impact of academic self-efficacy through mediation of learning agility—Evidence from music education students. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 899706. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.899706
11. Jian, Z., & Nicolas, A. (2021). Zhuang Opera---A study of Chinese Minority Arts in Guangxi Province, China. Turkish Journal of Computer and Mathematics Education (TURCOMAT), 12(6), 2900-2912.
12. Liu, Y., Chonpairot, J., Chuangprakhon, S., & Jian, Z. (2024). Dong Pipa: Chinese Musical Instrument in Literacy Functions and Educational Occasions. International Journal of Education and Literacy Studies, 12(3), 112-119. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijels.v.12n.1p.133
13. Lau, W. T. (2007). Teaching Chinese folk songs with an authentic approach. Music Educators Journal, 94(2), 22-27. https://doi.org/10.1177/002743210709400206
14. Lee, K. H., & Wong, D. T. K. (2017). Chinese popular music as a musical heritage and cultural marker of the Malaysian Chinese. International Journal of Heritage Studies, 23(10), 989–1001. https://doi.org/10.1080/13527258.2017.1362577
15. Liu, Q., Li, G., Kong, D., Huang, B., & Wang, Y. (2018). Climate, disasters, wars and the collapse of the Ming Dynasty. Environmental Earth Sciences, 77, 1-15.
16. Liu, S., & Chuangprakhon, S. (2024). Reviewing the current situation of Huadengxi Chinese folk songs in Yunnan Province. Multidisciplinary Reviews, 7(5), 2024109. https://doi.org/10.31893/multirev.2024109
17. Li, M., & Ji, L. (2021). Review of the implementation status of China’s intangible cultural heritage inheritance and training programs. Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritance Research, 2021(2), 38-42.
18. Li, Z. (2021). Protection and inheritance of intangible cultural heritage from the perspective of community practice. Shanghai Art Review, 2021(2), 68-70.
19. Ma, L., & Zhao, W. (2020). Discussion on the origins and development of "Mulian Culture" in Chinese opera. Cultural Journal, 2020(11), 214-217.
20. Ma, X. (2019). The development of Jinyuanben and northern Mulian Opera. Journal of Yulin Normal University, 2019(1), 98-102.
21. Ma, X. (2019). The literary historical evolution of Mulian Opera as the "ancestor of a hundred plays." Hebei Academic Journal, 2019(3), 214-219.
22. Morgenstern, U. (2018). Towards the history of ideas in ethnomusicology: Theory and methods between the late 18th and the early 20th century. Musicologist, 2(1), 1-31. https://doi.org/10.33906/musicologist.439321
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24. Song, J. (2022). How to determine representative inheriting groups of intangible cultural heritage. Cultural Heritage, 2022(4), 1-8.
25. Sun, F. (2020). The emergence and development of the concept of "living protection" in intangible cultural heritage. Cultural Heritage, 2020(3), 35-41.
26. Tang, K. (2021). Singing a Chinese nation: Heritage preservation, the yuanshengtai movement, and new trends in Chinese folk music in the twenty-first century. Ethnomusicology, 65(1), 1-31. https://doi.org/10.5406/ethnomusicology.65.1.0001
27. Wang, D. (2014). Study on family rules in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 2(11), 132.
28. Wang, K. (2017). Strategies for the inheritance and protection of post-intangible cultural heritage Mulian Opera in Huizhou—Taking the Lixi Troupe of Huizhou Mulian Opera as an example. Drama House, 2017(1), 15-18.
29. Wang, M., & Ma, Z. (2022). The logical dilemmas and design improvements of the representative inheritor system of "intangible cultural heritage." Cultural Heritage, 2022(2), 10-18.
30. Wang, W. (2020). How to connect ancient theatrical culture with contemporary times—Summary of the National Mulian Opera Academic Symposium in Nanling. Xiqu Studies, 2020(1), 327-336.
31. Wan, J. (2022). Inheritors: The main body of intangible cultural heritage discipline construction. Journal of Minzu University of China (Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition), 49(3), 75-81.
32. Xu, J., & Kong, Q. (2018). On the ecology, inheritance, and dissemination of intangible cultural heritage in music. Journal of Xinghai Conservatory of Music, 2018(1), 70-81.
33. Xie, X., & Punvaratorn, M. (2024). The Study of Vocal Music in the Context of Ancient Chinese Poetry. Asia Pacific Journal of Religions and Cultures, 8(1), 278-295.
34. Xuelai, M. (2023). New Development Direction of China Traditional Music: Based on the Music of Han Dynasty. Frontiers in Art Research, 5(16). https://doi.org/10.25236/FAR.2023.051612
35. Yang, Y., Welch, G., Sundberg, J., & Himonides, E. (2015). Tuning features of Chinese folk song singing: A case study of Hua'er music. Journal of Voice, 29(4), 426-432. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2014.08.013
36. Yao, Z., Li, R., & Hartanto, Y. (2024). Chinese Folk Songs Can Facilitate Chinese Language Learning–A Pilot Study. Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, 53(6), 72. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10936-024-10109-1
37. Young, S. (2007). Reconsidering cultural politics in the analysis of contemporary Chinese music: The case of Ghost Opera . Contemporary Music Review, 26(5–6), 605–618. https://doi.org/10.1080/07494460701653010
38. Yu, Z., & Leung, B. W. (2019). Music teachers and their implementation of the new Music Curriculum Standards in China. International Journal of Music Education, 37(2), 178-197. https://doi.org/10.1177/0255761418820647
39. Yue, D., & Seekhunlio, W. (2023). The study of knowledge and preservation of songming lantern opera in Kunming, Yunnan province, China. Multidisciplinary Science Journal, 6(4), 2024050. https://doi.org/10.31893/multiscience.2024050
40. Yuan, Y. (2022). Imagination, symbols, and spirit—On the rational pursuit of musical aesthetics. Yellow River Sound, 2022(20), 180-183.
41. Yuan, Y., & Feng, Y. (2022). Essence, diversity, and development—A study on the coupling of inheritance and protection of music-related "intangible cultural heritage." Music Life, 2022(9), 18-22.
42. Zhang, M., & Liu, S. (2020). The integration of intangible cultural heritage and red culture. Forest District Teaching, 2020(12), 14-17.
43. Zhi, W. (2020). How to bridge the gap between ancient theatrical culture and contemporary audiences. Xiqu Research, 2020(1), 327-336.
44. Zhou, Y., & Zuo, G. (2020). Conflicts among inheriting groups of intangible cultural heritage: Types, causes, and avoidance strategies. Cultural Heritage, 2020(5), 35-43.
45. Zurndorfer, H. T. (1983). Violence and Political Protest in Ming and Qing China: Review and Commentary on Recent Research. International Review of Social History, 28(3), 304–319. doi:10.1017/S0020859000007719

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to cite

Zhang, J. (2025). Preserving and transforming Mulian Opera: Philosophy, evolution, and contemporary relevance. Humanities Journal, 2(3), 2025016. https://doi.org/10.31893/humanitj.2025016

[1] Fan, J. (2020). The development and evolution of Nanyue Mulian Opera in the context of the times. Journal of Guizhou University (Art Edition), 34(6), 41-46.

[2] Fu, L., & Fan, Y. (2020). A study on the music of Jiangxi Mulian Opera. Journal of Yunnan Arts University, 2020(2), 5-12.

[3] Fan, C., & Chuangprakhon, S. (2024). Literacy Preservation and Transmission of Youyang Chinese Folk Songs. International Journal of Education and Literacy Studies, 12(2), 118-124. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijels.v.12n.2p.118

[4] Hao, W. (2023). A comparative study of Chinese and Western music. Highlights in Art and Design, 3(1), 80-82. https://doi.org/10.54097/hiaad.v3i1.9356

[5] Han, C. (2020). Analysis of the subject and protection subject of intangible cultural heritage. Folklore Studies, 2020(3), 46-52+158.

[6] He, H., & Lü, X. (2021). The evolution of the textual content of Mulian Opera from the perspective of reception aesthetics. Drama House, 2021(31), 10-12.

[7] He, H. (2019). A preliminary exploration of the origins of Nanyue Mulian Opera—Focusing on the roles of "Five Yama Kings" and "South Sea". Mass Art, 2019(14), 152-153.

[8] Horlor, S. (2019). Popular Song Afterlives: Oral Transmission and Mundane Creativity in Street Performances of Chinese Pop Classics. Journal of World Popular Music, 6(1), 10-31. https://doi.org/10.1558/jwpm.34195

[9] Jian, Z., Nicolas, A., & Karin, K. (2022). Examining cultural production and the development of Zhuang cultural performances in Guangxi Province, China. International Journal of Critical Cultural Studies, 20(1), 13-25.

[10] Jian, Z. (2022). Sustainable engagement and academic achievement under the impact of academic self-efficacy through mediation of learning agility—Evidence from music education students. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 899706. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.899706

[11] Jian, Z., & Nicolas, A. (2021). Zhuang Opera---A study of Chinese Minority Arts in Guangxi Province, China. Turkish Journal of Computer and Mathematics Education (TURCOMAT), 12(6), 2900-2912.

[12] Liu, Y., Chonpairot, J., Chuangprakhon, S., & Jian, Z. (2024). Dong Pipa: Chinese Musical Instrument in Literacy Functions and Educational Occasions. International Journal of Education and Literacy Studies, 12(3), 112-119. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijels.v.12n.1p.133

[13] Lau, W. T. (2007). Teaching Chinese folk songs with an authentic approach. Music Educators Journal, 94(2), 22-27. https://doi.org/10.1177/002743210709400206

[14] Lee, K. H., & Wong, D. T. K. (2017). Chinese popular music as a musical heritage and cultural marker of the Malaysian Chinese. International Journal of Heritage Studies, 23(10), 989–1001. https://doi.org/10.1080/13527258.2017.1362577

[15] Liu, Q., Li, G., Kong, D., Huang, B., & Wang, Y. (2018). Climate, disasters, wars and the collapse of the Ming Dynasty. Environmental Earth Sciences, 77, 1-15.

[16] Liu, S., & Chuangprakhon, S. (2024). Reviewing the current situation of Huadengxi Chinese folk songs in Yunnan Province. Multidisciplinary Reviews, 7(5), 2024109. https://doi.org/10.31893/multirev.2024109

[17] Li, M., & Ji, L. (2021). Review of the implementation status of China’s intangible cultural heritage inheritance and training programs. Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritance Research, 2021(2), 38-42.

[18] Li, Z. (2021). Protection and inheritance of intangible cultural heritage from the perspective of community practice. Shanghai Art Review, 2021(2), 68-70.

[19] Ma, L., & Zhao, W. (2020). Discussion on the origins and development of "Mulian Culture" in Chinese opera. Cultural Journal, 2020(11), 214-217.

[20] Ma, X. (2019). The development of Jinyuanben and northern Mulian Opera. Journal of Yulin Normal University, 2019(1), 98-102.

[21] Ma, X. (2019). The literary historical evolution of Mulian Opera as the "ancestor of a hundred plays." Hebei Academic Journal, 2019(3), 214-219.

[22] Morgenstern, U. (2018). Towards the history of ideas in ethnomusicology: Theory and methods between the late 18th and the early 20th century. Musicologist, 2(1), 1-31. https://doi.org/10.33906/musicologist.439321

[23] Pu, M., Musib, A. F., & Ching, C. C. S. (2023). The modern heritage of Chinese traditional culture in the perspective of intangible cultural heritage preservation: A case study of Henan Zhuizi. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 12(2), 1082-1096.

[24] Song, J. (2022). How to determine representative inheriting groups of intangible cultural heritage. Cultural Heritage, 2022(4), 1-8.

[25] Sun, F. (2020). The emergence and development of the concept of "living protection" in intangible cultural heritage. Cultural Heritage, 2020(3), 35-41.

[26] Tang, K. (2021). Singing a Chinese nation: Heritage preservation, the yuanshengtai movement, and new trends in Chinese folk music in the twenty-first century. Ethnomusicology, 65(1), 1-31. https://doi.org/10.5406/ethnomusicology.65.1.0001

[27] Wang, D. (2014). Study on family rules in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 2(11), 132.

[28] Wang, K. (2017). Strategies for the inheritance and protection of post-intangible cultural heritage Mulian Opera in Huizhou—Taking the Lixi Troupe of Huizhou Mulian Opera as an example. Drama House, 2017(1), 15-18.

[29] Wang, M., & Ma, Z. (2022). The logical dilemmas and design improvements of the representative inheritor system of "intangible cultural heritage." Cultural Heritage, 2022(2), 10-18.

[30] Wang, W. (2020). How to connect ancient theatrical culture with contemporary times—Summary of the National Mulian Opera Academic Symposium in Nanling. Xiqu Studies, 2020(1), 327-336.

[31] Wan, J. (2022). Inheritors: The main body of intangible cultural heritage discipline construction. Journal of Minzu University of China (Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition), 49(3), 75-81.

[32] Xu, J., & Kong, Q. (2018). On the ecology, inheritance, and dissemination of intangible cultural heritage in music. Journal of Xinghai Conservatory of Music, 2018(1), 70-81.

[33] Xie, X., & Punvaratorn, M. (2024). The Study of Vocal Music in the Context of Ancient Chinese Poetry. Asia Pacific Journal of Religions and Cultures, 8(1), 278-295.

[34] Xuelai, M. (2023). New Development Direction of China Traditional Music: Based on the Music of Han Dynasty. Frontiers in Art Research, 5(16). https://doi.org/10.25236/FAR.2023.051612

[35] Yang, Y., Welch, G., Sundberg, J., & Himonides, E. (2015). Tuning features of Chinese folk song singing: A case study of Hua'er music. Journal of Voice, 29(4), 426-432. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2014.08.013

[36] Yao, Z., Li, R., & Hartanto, Y. (2024). Chinese Folk Songs Can Facilitate Chinese Language Learning–A Pilot Study. Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, 53(6), 72. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10936-024-10109-1

[37] Young, S. (2007). Reconsidering cultural politics in the analysis of contemporary Chinese music: The case of Ghost Opera . Contemporary Music Review, 26(5–6), 605–618. https://doi.org/10.1080/07494460701653010

[38] Yu, Z., & Leung, B. W. (2019). Music teachers and their implementation of the new Music Curriculum Standards in China. International Journal of Music Education, 37(2), 178-197. https://doi.org/10.1177/0255761418820647

[39] Yue, D., & Seekhunlio, W. (2023). The study of knowledge and preservation of songming lantern opera in Kunming, Yunnan province, China. Multidisciplinary Science Journal, 6(4), 2024050. https://doi.org/10.31893/multiscience.2024050

[40] Yuan, Y. (2022). Imagination, symbols, and spirit—On the rational pursuit of musical aesthetics. Yellow River Sound, 2022(20), 180-183.

[41] Yuan, Y., & Feng, Y. (2022). Essence, diversity, and development—A study on the coupling of inheritance and protection of music-related "intangible cultural heritage." Music Life, 2022(9), 18-22.

[42] Zhang, M., & Liu, S. (2020). The integration of intangible cultural heritage and red culture. Forest District Teaching, 2020(12), 14-17.

[43] Zhi, W. (2020). How to bridge the gap between ancient theatrical culture and contemporary audiences. Xiqu Research, 2020(1), 327-336.

[44] Zhou, Y., & Zuo, G. (2020). Conflicts among inheriting groups of intangible cultural heritage: Types, causes, and avoidance strategies. Cultural Heritage, 2020(5), 35-43.

[45] Zurndorfer, H. T. (1983). Violence and Political Protest in Ming and Qing China: Review and Commentary on Recent Research. International Review of Social History, 28(3), 304–319. doi:10.1017/S0020859000007719

Abstract

References

How to cite