ThetraditionalChineseartformofstorytelling,alsoknownaspingshu,boastsatime-honoredhistory.ItisbelievedthatasearlyastheTangDynasty(618-907),anartformsimilartomodern-daystorytellinghadalreadyemerged.BytheSongDynasty(960-1279),thearthadbecomepopularwithaudiences,especiallyinnorthernChina.
Likehisstorytellingpeers,Shanusuallyperformedanentirestorybyhimself,standingbehindatablewithonlyafewpropssuchasafanandablockofwoodcalledxingmutoremindtheaudiencetobequietorattracttheirattention.Withwitty,humorouscommentaryandexpressivebodylanguage,Shanwontheheartsofspectatorswithhisvividdescriptions.Therenownedstorytellingartistproducedsomanyworksthatitwouldtakemorethan30yearstoairallofthematarateofoneepisodeperday.HisstoriescoveredawiderangeoftopicsfromChinesemythologytocurrentsocialaffairs.
EarlyLife
AccordingtoChinesemediareports,thenumberofthosewhohavewatchedorlistenedtoaShanperformancereachednearly200million,accountingforoneseventhofChina’spopulation.RomanceoftheSui(581-618)andTangDynasties,White-EyebrowHero,HeroesinaTroubledTimeandTheThreeHeroesandFiveGallantsaresomeofhisbest-knownstorytellingworks.
Shanwasborninthechillywinterof1934inYingkouCity,LiaoningProvinceinnortheasternChinatoafamilyoffolkartists.Hisfatherplayedsanxian,athreestringedpluckedinstrument,andhismotherperformedxihedagu,adrummingsing-alongtonguetwisterpopularinsomepartsofnorthernChina.
Whenhewasyoung,Shantranscribedstoriesforhisparentstobeusedinperformances,andbytheageof12,theboyhadalreadymemorizednumerousnovels.“Butdestinyplayedamajorroleinmydecisiontobecomeastoryteller,”Shanonceasserted.
Aftergraduatingfromhighschool,ShanwasadmittedbyNortheasternUniversity.“Idreamedofbecominganengineeroradoctor.”However,hesoondroppedoutoftheschoolduetoaseriousillnessandlater,in1953,formallylaunchedhisstorytellingcareer.Hemadehisstagedebutattheageof24andquicklyrosetofamebyperformingclassicstorytellingworks.
Acrossthedecadefrom1954to1964,Shanperformedatteahousesandsmalltheaters.“Youmeetpeopleinvolvedinawidevarietyoftradesattheseplaces,andyouperformthesamestorydifferentlyfordifferentaudiences,”saidShan.“Bytouringlikethis,Igrewupquickly.”Duringthisperiod,ShanperformedawiderangeofworksincludingsomeadaptedfromSovietnovelsandevenSherlockHolmesstories,whichlaidasolidfoundationforhisfuturedevelopment.
Hisdown-to-earthworkattitudeeventuallypaidoff.Shansoonformedadistinctivestyle.Heespeciallyexcelledatadjustinghisownvoicetoturnabstractplotelementssuchasvisuals,colors,andemotionsintoconcreteanddetaileddescriptions.
OldArtinaNewTime
Inthelate1970s,Shanreturnedtopubliclifeaftertheendofthe“culturalrevolution”(1966-1976).AgainstthebackdropofChina’simplementationofitsreformandopening-uppolicy,theChinesepeoplewereeagertoembraceart,whichhadbeenrestrictedduringthepreviousdecadeofturmoil.Traditionalstorytellingworks,manyofwhichoriginatedinancientChinesehistory,managedtohangontoalargefanbase.Moreover,afterafewyearsofrapideconomicdevelopment,greaternumbersofChinesepeoplewereabletoaffordradiosbytheearly1980s,throughwhichstorytellingprogramscouldbetransmittedtoeveryhousehold.
Actually,beforethe1980saswellasinthesubsequentdecade,radiohadbeenthedominantmassmediuminChina.Bybroadcastinghisworks,Shanquicklybecameoneofthemostpopularstorytellersinthecountry.Hisvoicemanagedtoproduceamagicalandmesmerizingqualitythatdrewlisteners’attentionandfueledtheirimaginations.
Duringthisperiod,Shan’sskillswerefurtherhonedandmatured.Heespeciallyexcelledatusingnuanceddictiontonarratestoriesandmodulatedhisvoicetoperfection.Forexample,whilepresentingafightingscene,Shaninjectednervousnessintohisvoicewhichmadelistenersfeelasiftheywereon-siteandwitnessingthefightingwiththeirowneyes.
Shanoncecommentedthatinsomesense,massmediachangedthecommunicationmodeofstorytelling.Later,whenTVfounditswayintothehomesofmoreChinesepeople,Shanmadefurtheradjustmentstomakehisstorytellingmoresuitableforthemediumbyusingmoregesturesandexpressionstosignifyasituation.“Itwasdefinitelyareformfortheart,”hecommented.“Whenyouperformintheaters,youcankeepaneyeontheaudience’sreactionthewholetimewhileworking,”explainedShan.“ButwhenyoudostorytellingonTVorradio,you’reonlylookingatcamerasandcrew.Actually,Ihadtoconjuresomeimaginationatfirst,andhypnotizedmyselftobelieveIwas‘acting’infrontofacrowd,whichhelpedmyperformancesbemorenatural.”2010:ShanperformsinTianjin.Shanbecameahouseholdnameinthe1980swiththegrowingpopularityofradio.Later,hebegantoperformontelevision.VCG
2011:ShansignsbooksforbuyersinQingdao,ShandongProvince.Shanannouncedhisretirementin2007andwontheLifetimeAchievementAwardatthe7thPeonyAwardsforQuyi(ageneraltermfortraditionalChinesefolkartforms)in2012.VCG
2014:ShanreceivesflowersfromyoungfansafterperforminginAnshanCity,LiaoningProvince.Hiswitty,humorousandexpressiveperformingstyleisappealingtospectatorsofallages.VCGLeavingaValuableCulturalLegacy
In2007,Shanannouncedhisretirement.In2012,hewontheLifetimeAchievementAwardatthe7thPeonyAwardsforChinaQuyi(folkartformsincludingballadsinging,storytellingandcross-talk).LikealmostalltraditionalChineseartforms,storytellingrequiresyearsoftraining,usuallythroughalongapprenticeshipwithamaster.Alongwithmemorizingpassagesthatcanbehundredsofthousandsofwordslong,storytellersalsohavetoincorporatecertaincustomsandunderstandthebackgroundsofeachcharacter,relatedhistory,geography,andotherenchantingaspectsofthestoriestheytell.
Shanbelievedthatalongsidethousandsofhoursofpractice,astorytellingartistmustbewillingtodevoteallofhisorhertime,effortandtalenttothework.Theartistneedstounderstandthecoreofthestoriesfirst,translatethemintohisorherownwordsandthencommentonthem.“Asastorytellingperformer,youneedtohelptheaudiencefeeltrust,love,hatred,fearandhopeinthestoryonlyusingyourvoice,”Shanoncesaid.
Whilesomeexpressedconcernthatstorytellingfacednewchallengesposedbymodernentertainment,Shanconsideredthemoderneraacombinationof“thebestoftimesandtheworstoftimes.”
“Computers,tabletsandmoderntechnologyenableprofessionalstorecordtheirstoriesonlineandsharetheirworkwithmorepeople,”heopined.“Itdependsonhowyouusethem.”
Shandidvoiceworriesaboutthefutureofstorytellingonquiteafewoccasions,buthewasevenfirmeronthepointthatstorytellingwasirreplaceableduetoitstendencytodeliverasenseofpositivity.Byportrayingvariouscharacters,artiststrytomaketheirperformancesnotonlyentertaining,butalsoeducationalandthought-provoking.
StorytellingsharesthebeautyoforalstoriesandhighlightsthevaluesofChineseculture.Manytime-honoredstoriesremaincloselyconnectedtopeopletoday.“Storytellingisnotonlymyjobbutalsomylife,”Shanoncesaid.Bydedicatinghisentirelifetotheartoftellingstories,Shanleftavaluableculturallegacytobeembracedbygenerations.