Shaanxi Kuaiban： Old Art, Young Blood陜西快板： 老藝術煥發新生

Shaanxi kuaiban is a traditional art form of storytelling in the Shaanxi dialect to the rhythm of bamboo clappers. It can be performed by a group or solo. The art form can be traced back to the late Qing Dynasty. At first， the art was used by farmers to share their knowledge and earn money. But now， more people perform Shaanxi kuaiban on different occasions—for example， at festival celebrations， parties and art shows.

Yang Jinlong， 45， is an experienced Shaanxi kuaiban artist. He first learned the art at the age of 9. Before that， he often went with his father， an amateur performer， to watch kuaiban performances.

“As a young boy， I was attracted to the art form because many of the stories are about heroes. The performer tells stories while playing kuaiban， and its easy for the audience to remember the stories since all the lines rhyme，” Yang said.

陜西快板是一種用陜西方言配以打竹板的節奏講故事的傳統藝術形式。它可以由多人演出，也可以由單人演出。這種藝術形式可以追溯到清朝末期。起初，農民用這種藝術形式來分享他們的知識和賺錢。但現在，越來越多的人在節日慶典、聚會和藝術表演等不同的場合表演陜西快板。

45歲的楊金龍是一位經驗豐富的陜西快板藝術家。他9歲開始學習這門藝術。在此之前，他經常和作為業余演員的父親一起去看快板表演。

楊金龍說：“我還是一個小男孩時就被這種藝術形式所吸引，因為許多故事都是關于英雄的。表演者一邊打快板一邊講故事，因為所有的臺詞都押韻，所以很容易讓觀眾記住那些故事。”

Yang has practiced Shaanxi kuaiban for more than 30 years. Since 2003， he has been teaching the art form to young people. On weekdays， he teaches students about Shaanxi kuaiban in primary and middle schools in Xian. On the weekends， he teaches for six hours each day at art education institutions in Xian.

Yang has made some adaptations to the art form to relate more to students. When he tells modern stories， Yang abandons the traditional gown and wears a suit. He also integrates many pop elements like tap dance， ballet， jazz dance and popular music into kuaiban performances. His stories focus on more trendy topics， like stories of people who have worked to alleviate poverty， as well as the Chinese Olympic team.

“Art education is important for students in China. Just as many students learn to play Western musical instruments like the piano and violin， there are many people learning traditional Chinese folk arts， including Shaanxi kuaiban. They are committed and passionate，” Yang said.

楊金龍說唱陜西快板已經30多年了。自2003年以來，他一直在向年輕人傳授這門藝術。工作日，他在西安的中小學校教學生關于陜西快板的知識。周末，他每天在西安的藝術教育機構上6個小時的課。

楊金龍對陜西快板做了一些調整，以便與學生產生更多的聯系。在講述現代故事時，楊金龍脫下了傳統的長袍，穿上了西裝。他還將踢踏舞、芭蕾舞、爵士舞、流行音樂等流行元素融入快板表演中。他的故事關注的是更時尚的話題，比如致力于扶貧的人物故事，以及中國奧運代表隊的故事。

楊金龍說：“藝術教育對中國學生來說很重要。就像很多學生學習鋼琴、小提琴等西方樂器一樣，也有很多人學習中國傳統民間藝術，包括陜西快板。他們既堅定又熱情。”

Word Bank

amateur /'?m?t?/ adj. 業余的

integrate /'?nt?ɡre?t/ v. 加入;融入

They have not made any effort to integrate with the local community.

committed /k?'m?t?d/ adj. 堅定的;盡心盡力的

passionate /'p???n?t/ adj. 熱誠的;狂熱的