Shuahaier Opera
국가급 무형문화유산 · 제1차 선정Shuahaier, also called the 'ke-ke tune' or 'hai-hai tune,' is an ancient local opera popular across the northern-Shanxi areas of Datong, Huairen and Ying county. Its name is said to derive from an old tune-title; long rooted in the countryside, the form carries a strong flavor of frontier folk life.
Its most striking feature is singing in a 'back throat' (laryngeal) voice, giving a distinctive, rugged and earthy timbre, with accompaniment led by the banhu fiddle and related instruments. Its plays draw on folk tales and everyday scenes, with lively, plain-spoken melodies much loved by local audiences.
In 2006, Yanbei Shuahaier was inscribed on the first national list of intangible cultural heritage (item no. IV-41). As a rare opera with a unique vocal style and a limited home range, it is hailed as a 'living fossil' in the history of Chinese theater, valuable for studying the origins of regional opera.
Shuahaier survives mainly in Datong and the surrounding northern-Shanxi counties, with bodies such as the Datong Beilu Bangzi and Shuahaier Opera Protection and Transmission Center carrying its safeguarding and continuation.