Arts Studies and Criticism

Jinju (a major local opera originating in Shanxi Province, northern China),as a representative genre of the northern Chinese Bangziqiang (a unique vocal-operatic system specific to traditional Chinese local opera) system, features a well-developed Banshi (a unique rhythmic-metered structure system of Chinese opera) system that serves as the core carrier of its vocal art. However, with the evolution of the contemporary local opera ecology, the traditional logic of programmatic transformation has constrained performers' stylistic breakthroughs and artistic innovation. Taking the banshi innovative practice of Jinju xusheng (male-role specialist) performer Xie Tao in classic repertoire such as Fushan Enters the Capital and Under Mount Lankeshan as the research object, this paper, within the theoretical framework of traditional Jinju Banshi, analyzes at a technical level her individualized strategies in Banshi transition order, transitional methods, and cross-role integration. From an artistic perspective, it reveals Xie Tao's expansion of the functional boundaries of traditional Jinju Banshi and the role-type adaptation rules, clarifying the core role of Banshi reform in shaping her vocal style characterized by "combining rigidity and flexibility, and governing ban with emotion." This study aims to provide reference for programmatic innovation and school development in the contemporary inheritance of Jinju.