The last stage
As fewer people become involved in Pinghua storytelling, the ancient art faces eternal silence
Pinghua storytelling is an ancient art dating back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279). The performer tells stories in local dialect, sometimes accompanied with singing. This art form was popular in Southeast China and was selected as intangible cultural heritage by the Chinese government in 2006. But this "living fossil of art" has very few performers now. The Yuye Pinghua Storytelling House in Fuzhou, Fujian province, has some of the best ones.
| The props an artist uses in a pinghua performance. |
| The first row of seats is reserved for those with monthly tickets. Photos by Zhang Bin / for China Daily |
| In its heyday, more than 500 storytellers were active. Now there are only 30. |
| The Yuye Pinghua Storytelling House is converted from an old factory. |
| Competing with TV, radio and film, live storytelling is attracting smaller audiences. |
| POWDER PUFF DERBY: Athletes dance after finishing a 5-km color run in Beijing. Runners were showered with colored powder. Wang Zhen / Xinhua |
| TALL ORDER: A villa built on the top of a building in Beijing. The owner has been ordered to tear it down. Luo Xiaoguang / Xinhua |
| IN THE SWIM: Women in head-to-foot fancy dress prepare for a swimming race in Qingdao, Shandong province. Xu Chongde / for China Daily |
| PYRO-TECHNIQUE: An artist in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, with a pyrograph on a leaf depicting a scene from the legend The Cowherd and the Weaving Maid. Hang Xingwei / Xinhua |
| SONG AND DUNK: NBA player Kobe Bryant and Taiwan singer Jay Chou meet before a friendly match. Qi Heng / Xinhua |
(China Daily Africa Weekly 08/16/2013 page4)
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