Shandong Kuaishu (Clapper Storytelling)

Shandong kuaishu emerged in central Shandong during the Daoguang and Xianfeng reigns of the Qing dynasty. Early on it chiefly recounted tales of the hero Wu Song and was nicknamed 'Wu Lao'er'; the artist Gao Yuanjun formally named it 'Shandong kuaishu' in 1949.

The performer keeps time with two paired copper clappers, half-speaking and half-chanting in Shandong dialect at a brisk, witty pace, excelling at narrative and characterization. Jinan has a deep tradition of performing and teaching it.

Lively and close to ordinary life, kuaishu is a major form of northern Chinese ballad art, carrying the language and storytelling traditions of the Qi-Lu region and still widely taught in schools and on stage.