Leting Drum song is a form of Quyi arts that is prevalent in North China's Hebei, Beijing and Tianjin. It was originated from the folk tune Qingpingge popular in Leting County of Hebei Province in the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). After improvements by artists of several generations, Qingpingge was gradually divorced from the singing way of folk songs and developed into Shuochang art (storytelling that combines singing and reciting). Around the year 1800, Leting Drum song came into being.
Leting Drum song has two forms -- mid-length and full-length Shuochang (storytelling and singing) and short pieces. Spoken parts and lyrics of full-length Shuochang are usually performed according to the syllabus and those of mid-length are relatively stable while short pieces have fixed lyrics and complete aria. Leting Drum song has various music arias and is a mature form of Gushu (stories told with a drum accompaniment) art. Leting Drum song's lyrics are mainly ten-character and seven-character lines and its subject matters vary a lot with colorful contents.
After the founding of new China, Leting Drum song formed two art schools -- Han School in eastern areas and Jin School in western areas. The latter was full of creativeness and made important contributions to the development of Leting Drum song. In addition, artists of Leting Drum song renovated a batch of outstanding traditional items, created quite a few new items that reflect the real life and performed several full-length items reflecting modern life.
