Jingyun Dagu (a kind of drumbeat performance) lays stress on singing and concentrates on depicting short episodes. It came into being and was popular in Beijing and Tianjin at the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and the beginning of the period of the Republic of China. It was initiated by Liu Baoquan, who told stories in the Beijing dialect, replacing Hebei regional pronunciations. He absorbed the vocal music of the Peking Opera and Beijing folk tunes, which he incorporated into his Jingyun Dagu, using the Sihu (a four-stringed instrument) and Pipa (lute) as accompaniment in addition to three-stringed lutes and wooden clappers.

Portrait of Liu Baoquan, King of Jingyun Dagu

Jingyun Dagu is popular to this day in the Chinese capital. It is divided into three schools, headed by Liu Baoquan, Bai Yunpeng and Zhang Xiaoxuan, respectively. Liu attained the highest artistic achievement by earning the title King of Dagu. He has made the greatest contributions to Dagu and won esteem as the leading artist in his field. In the wake of the emergence of the three schools, another appeared, known as the junior Bai School and headed by the brothers Bai Fengyan and Bai Fengming.

Sun Shuyun, an artist of Jingyun Dagu, giving her performance

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Jingyun Dagu made greater strides in development. The singers were regarded as people's artists or actors. While they continued to sing and tell traditional stories, themes reflecting contemporary life emerged, such as Glorious Journey, Red Flag over Mount Everest, Patriotism and Roaring Waves, Han Ying Meets Her Mother and Bai Niu Tells a Story. A number of young artist were trained. Zhao Xueyi (Bai School), Yang Fengiie (Liu School), Liu Chun'ai (Luo School) and Zhong Yujie (Liu School) rank as successful young artists.