Once upon a rhyme

• Source: Global Times
• [21:45 January 31 2010]
• Comments

 Erhu player Wang Santang, 52, lost his sight from chickenpox when he was 5 years old. Three-string (san xian) player Wang Hulin, 45, lost his eyes 30 years ago playing with firecrackers. Percussionist Kou Bing, 45, was born blind.

Photos and text by Cao Changjin

Once a small kingdom but now a prefecture-level city, the Yulin area of northern Shaanxi Province – known to most Chinese as “Shaanbei” – has records of its famous storytelling traditions that date back to the Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BC).

Often blind, always-poor Shaanbei storytellers perform historical legends and love stories in their thick native dialect, sometimes in rhyme and often with accompanying folk songs.

Such performances used to play an important role at local weddings and funerals.

Only a precious few can find gainful employment in this craft today. Wang Santang, 52, and his team are struggling to maintain this invaluable tradition in the remote villages around this northwestern China valley.