Transformation
It takes time to pass on a traditional art. Teachers need to be confident, patient, and very passionate.
An accomplished crosstalk professional, Ye went on to become a highly regarded storyteller in shuochang circles in both Taiwan and mainland China. Since stepping out of the limelight, she has spent the bulk of her time with her young students, and writing pieces that don’t adhere to the pointed, satiric pattern of traditional crosstalk. What prompted her change of direction?
“I tend to view life through the lens of crosstalk,” says Ye. She explains that while many people recognize the performative, entertainment, and cultural aspects of shuochang, some peer a little deeper to appreciate the wordplay, riddling and other techniques. When she looked still deeper and realized that shuochang had its origins in life, in experiences such as marriages, births, and travails like failed investments, she concluded that shuochang needed to return to those roots. She thought that if she could combine shuochang with language education and train young performers, she would have a means of connecting her profession to life as lived.
These insights were the fruit of much time spent reflecting, as well as a fortuitous encounter.
When performing in Malaysia in 2003, she met mainland crosstalk star Ma Ji, a student of crosstalk master Hou Baolin. While discussing shuochang with him, she had an epiphany.
Originally developed by people at the bottom of the social ladder as a means to support themselves, early crosstalk often contained vulgar or “dirty” language. Hou, Ma, and the present day TQT have worked to refine it and clean it up, filtering out casual usage and putting new emphasis on rhythm and the elucidation of language.
Ye observes that the language of shouchang, which is filled with references to lines from poems and other quotations from the classics, distills the essence of Chinese culture. She hopes that her compositions will help strengthen and pass on traditional culture.
Bamboo clapper storytelling can also be done with two performers.