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Northern Shaanxi
Northern Shaanxi or Shaanbei (陕北) is the northern portion of China's Shaanxi province. More specifically, it refers to the region north of the Huanglong Mountain and the Meridian Ridge (the so-called "Guanzhong north mountains") within the province. Being both a geographic area as well as a cultural area, it makes up the southeastern portion of the Ordos Basin and forms the northern part of the Loess Plateau. The region includes two prefecture-level cities: Yulin, which is known for the Ming Great Wall traversing through its northern part; and Yan'an, which is known for being the birthplace of the Chinese Communist Revolution.
Shaanbei, referring to the northern portion of Shaanxi, includes the prefecture-level cities of Yulin and Yan'an. The region's physical geography is largely characterized by the presence of the Loess Plateau. Shaanbei is located in the northern edge of the Loess Plateau with a general elevation range of 800–1,300 metres (2,600–4,300 ft), occupying approximately 45% of the total area of Shaanxi.[citation needed] Elevation tends to increase from northwest to southeast.[citation needed] The northern portions degrade into the Ordos Desert, while the southern portions slope up into hills.[citation needed] The Guanzhong region, also in Shaanxi, is located to the south of Shaanbei.
Shaanbei culture includes a number of distinct art forms, such as its Northern Shaanxi folk singing, waist-drums, paper-cutting, and a distinct form of painting known as "farmer painting". Other forms of Chinese art are also present in Shaanbei, including traditional Chinese theater, shadow puppetry, yangge dance troupes, and traditional storytellers. Historically, cultural activities in Shaanbei have been organized both by professional troupes and amateur groups, and typically performed for all audiences, regardless of status.
The predominant language of Shaanbei is Jin Chinese, with the southern areas being a transition zone into Guanzhong dialect.
During the time of the Shaan-Gan-Ning Border Region, a number of prominent intellectuals within China moved to the Shaanbei region to flee from the Japanese invasion of China. There, the Communist Party encouraged them to embed themselves in the rural culture of the region, in an effort to bolster support for its efforts. Renowned folk artists throughout China were also invited to its regional capital of Yan'an, and other parts of the Border Region, to allow for interaction between the artists and the urban intellectuals who fled to the region. The Communist Party had a mixed perspective on folk art in the region at the time, as it served as a cultural expression for the region's rural peasantry, but did so through a pre-modern Confucian lens, and was often reliant on the patronage of wealthy landlords. By the early 1940s, some folk artists had taken steps to make certain folk arts more accessible to the public, an example being the traditional yangge dance. By the mid-1940s, some traditional performing arts began to incorporate explicit pro-Communist political messaging.
Shaanbei's style of folk-singing is distinct from other types of folk singing throughout China, and has gained fame via a number of media depictions, such as in the 1984 film Yellow Earth. The songs are typically about the struggles of rural life, such as poverty and arranged marriages. Many of these folks songs are hundreds of years old, and passed down from generation to generation.
Certain celebrations in Shaanbei are accompanied by dancers hoisting Ansai waist-drums called yaogu (腰鼓), small drums strapped to the front of the dancers' waist.[citation needed] This tradition gained national notoriety through the film Yellow Earth, which included a scene featuring over 150 real drummers from the region.
Qinqiang opera, native to Shaanxi, is popular in the region. Although Qinqiang opera was historically performed predominantly by professional troupes, some semi-professional troupes are still present. Shanxi opera is also popular throughout the region, due to its proximity to neighboring Shanxi (not to be confused with the similar sounding Shaanxi, the province in which Shaanbei is located in).
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Northern Shaanxi
Northern Shaanxi or Shaanbei (陕北) is the northern portion of China's Shaanxi province. More specifically, it refers to the region north of the Huanglong Mountain and the Meridian Ridge (the so-called "Guanzhong north mountains") within the province. Being both a geographic area as well as a cultural area, it makes up the southeastern portion of the Ordos Basin and forms the northern part of the Loess Plateau. The region includes two prefecture-level cities: Yulin, which is known for the Ming Great Wall traversing through its northern part; and Yan'an, which is known for being the birthplace of the Chinese Communist Revolution.
Shaanbei, referring to the northern portion of Shaanxi, includes the prefecture-level cities of Yulin and Yan'an. The region's physical geography is largely characterized by the presence of the Loess Plateau. Shaanbei is located in the northern edge of the Loess Plateau with a general elevation range of 800–1,300 metres (2,600–4,300 ft), occupying approximately 45% of the total area of Shaanxi.[citation needed] Elevation tends to increase from northwest to southeast.[citation needed] The northern portions degrade into the Ordos Desert, while the southern portions slope up into hills.[citation needed] The Guanzhong region, also in Shaanxi, is located to the south of Shaanbei.
Shaanbei culture includes a number of distinct art forms, such as its Northern Shaanxi folk singing, waist-drums, paper-cutting, and a distinct form of painting known as "farmer painting". Other forms of Chinese art are also present in Shaanbei, including traditional Chinese theater, shadow puppetry, yangge dance troupes, and traditional storytellers. Historically, cultural activities in Shaanbei have been organized both by professional troupes and amateur groups, and typically performed for all audiences, regardless of status.
The predominant language of Shaanbei is Jin Chinese, with the southern areas being a transition zone into Guanzhong dialect.
During the time of the Shaan-Gan-Ning Border Region, a number of prominent intellectuals within China moved to the Shaanbei region to flee from the Japanese invasion of China. There, the Communist Party encouraged them to embed themselves in the rural culture of the region, in an effort to bolster support for its efforts. Renowned folk artists throughout China were also invited to its regional capital of Yan'an, and other parts of the Border Region, to allow for interaction between the artists and the urban intellectuals who fled to the region. The Communist Party had a mixed perspective on folk art in the region at the time, as it served as a cultural expression for the region's rural peasantry, but did so through a pre-modern Confucian lens, and was often reliant on the patronage of wealthy landlords. By the early 1940s, some folk artists had taken steps to make certain folk arts more accessible to the public, an example being the traditional yangge dance. By the mid-1940s, some traditional performing arts began to incorporate explicit pro-Communist political messaging.
Shaanbei's style of folk-singing is distinct from other types of folk singing throughout China, and has gained fame via a number of media depictions, such as in the 1984 film Yellow Earth. The songs are typically about the struggles of rural life, such as poverty and arranged marriages. Many of these folks songs are hundreds of years old, and passed down from generation to generation.
Certain celebrations in Shaanbei are accompanied by dancers hoisting Ansai waist-drums called yaogu (腰鼓), small drums strapped to the front of the dancers' waist.[citation needed] This tradition gained national notoriety through the film Yellow Earth, which included a scene featuring over 150 real drummers from the region.
Qinqiang opera, native to Shaanxi, is popular in the region. Although Qinqiang opera was historically performed predominantly by professional troupes, some semi-professional troupes are still present. Shanxi opera is also popular throughout the region, due to its proximity to neighboring Shanxi (not to be confused with the similar sounding Shaanxi, the province in which Shaanbei is located in).