Editor’s Note: This article is produced in collaboration with the Chongqing Institute of Foreign Studies as part of an ongoing series of reports exploring the city’s abundant intangible cultural heritage resources.

“In Wanzhou, there once lived a scholar surnamed Wu, known to all as ‘the bookworm’. He’d read through all the classics of the Hundred Schools of Thought and could even recite the entire Kangxi Dictionary from memory.” This witty, humorous tune, delivered in a cadenced manner, echoed through the multifunctional hall of the Cultural Center of Wanzhou District in 2018.

This is a classic piece of Jinqian Ban (literally “Money Boards”) titled The Scholar Crossing the Ditch—a great achievement in the preservation of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) in Wanzhou.

Jinqian Ban, evolved from Kuai Ban (literally “Clapper Talk”) and Lianhua Nao (literally “Lotus Rhyme”), is one of the traditional folk art forms of storytelling and singing in Sichuan and Chongqing. It took shape in the early Qing Dynasty, and prevailed during the Republic of China era.

The instrument consists of three small bamboo boards, each about 30 centimeters long. Two of these boards have small holes, with ancient copper coins strung through them—hence the name “Jinqian Ban”(Money Boards).

Its singing styles include “Man Qiang”(Full Tune), “Ban Qiang”(Half Tune), “Shu Ban”(Narrative Rhythm), “Yun Li Bai”(Rhymed Dialogue), “Shua Shua Qiang”(Playful Tune), “Suo Zi Qiang”(Shuttle-like Tune), and “Da Qiang”(Grand Tune).

During a performance, the artist holds two boards in the left hand and one in the right. With the left hand, the performer rotates or flips the boards while coordinating with the right hand to strike different parts of them. The artist taps the boards while speaking and singing, and performs while singing.

Performers can be of any gender, and people of all ages can enjoy the art. Its classic pieces mainly include Borrowing Arrows with Thatched Boats, The Scholar Crossing the Ditch, and Cross Slope, most of which reflect social life and folk stories.

This year marks the 13th anniversary of Jinqian Ban being listed as one of the National-level Intangible Cultural Heritages.

From 2000 to 2010, traces of the Cultural Center of Wanzhou District, the Wanzhou District ICH Protection Center, and ICH inheritors could be found wherever Jinqian Ban had ever been performed—whether in remote mountainous areas or village courtyards.

“I am pretty much married to Jinqian Ban. It’s no exaggeration to say that I’ve devoted my entire life to this folk art,” said Pan Zhengguang earnestly, a 74-year-old folk artist and Chongqing municipal-level inheritor of the Jinqian Ban ICH project.

“Only after countless hardships and trials, like sifting through sand, can the true gold be revealed.”

In 2011, Jinqian Ban was successfully included in the third batch of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List, becoming a key national protection project. This marked a moment of glory that belonged solely to Jinqian Ban.

At 30 degrees, 73 minutes, and 35.4 seconds north latitude, there is an intangible cultural heritage called Jinqian Ban, a kind of inheritance that endures for decades, day after day.

Chinese script: Zou Ling

Tutored by: Mao Fengling

Translation: Luo Yimeng

Tutored by: Lu Siying, Gu Tiantian