Laoqiang, literally meaning ancient aria, is one of the most time-honoured operas in China just as its name suggests.

The art form is a by-product of hard work. About 2,000 years ago, Laoqiang was born at the junction of the Yellow River and Weihe River in Huaxian County of Northwest China's Shaanxi Province when boatmen sang some work songs to synchronize their movements, and accompanied the songs by rhythmically beating pieces of wood together. After evolving for about 1,000 years, the person leading the working song chorus gradually became the lead singer of Laoqiang, and other boatmen provided vocal accompaniment, while pieces of wood were used as musical instruments. This evolution gave birth to of one of most original grassroots operas in China.

Laoqiang is performed using shadow play (leather-silhouette show). It usually only takes six performers to present a soul-stirring play, which more often than not feature historical stories about warfare. The lead singer plays all the roles with a yueqin (a four-stringed instrument with a full-moon-shaped sound box) in his hands, with other performers providing vocal accompaniment. Meanwhile, the lead singer also has to play the gong and drum. Another individual is responsible for performing the shadow play. The rest of the members of the troupe play more than ten different kinds of instruments.

Among the existing 100-plus Laoqiang scripts, more than 70 per cent are stories from the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280AD). These stories have undergone constant updates through the years, and were very popular among the people. Being different from other Chinese operas, the scripts were taken from stories and legends passed down through oral tradition among common people, rather than being created by the literati.

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