| For nearly a century, er-ren-tai has been the most popular drama within a region encompassing China's northern Shanxi, Shaanxi, western Inner Mongolia and northern Hebei. As a product of cultural exchanges between the Han and Mongolian nationalities, er-ren-tai plays a significant role in the daily life of the people in that region.; A mixture of folk songs and dances, narration, instrumental music and acrobatics, er-ren-tai is a unique form of performing arts. Historical accumulations have resulted a repertory of close to more than one hundred plays, with a characteristic basic instrumentation of mei (flute), sihu (four-string fiddle) and yangqin (dulcimer) as accompanying instruments. Today, er-ren-tai is still actively a part of people social life in the region, particularly in the Hequ county that intersects Shanxi, Shaanxi and Inner Mongolia. With this special geographic location and its rich cultural heritage, Hequ stands out as a distinctive representative of the region's er-ren-tai tradition.; There are many non-governmental er-ren-tai troupes in the Hequ county. Performing in its traditional style in towns and villages along the historical route of "going west to make a living", these troupes enjoy tremendous popularity among the Han and Mongolian locals. Having a strong regional flavor reflected in its artistic styles, involving as a special part in folk rituals, er-ren-tai brings into full play the social function in the contemporary environment.; The author has conducted case studies on er-ren-tai and its troupes, two of the representatives are the Er-niu Er-ren-tai Family Troupe and the Quyu Er-ren-tai Art Ensemble. After investigating er-ren-tai both diachronically and synchronically, studying it from various dimensions such as time, location, social maintenance and cultural features, and viewing it as both insider and outsider, I depict er-ren-tai in both micro and macro levels, present its past to the present, trace the special geographical and historical background that produces and nourishes er-ren-tai, examine its primitive-forms and variations in towns and villages, clarify the inner structure and outer operational mechanism of er-ren-tai troupes, and discuss its interactions with the contemporary social environment and local humanity factors.; By examining the relationship between er-ren-tai and regional folk rituals, I expound the interactive bond between er-ren-tai troupes and the "going west to make a living" culture. After comparing different activities of er-ren-tai, I believe being one of the profane entertainments, er-ren-tai not only has tight interactions with the local culture, but also is one of the most important composing factors of the "going west to make a living" culture. |
