Shulaibao

Shulaibao(Chinese:Sổ lai bảo;pinyin:shǔláibǎo), also known as doggerel, jingle or clever tongue, is a Chinesefolk artform consisting ofspoken wordpoetry. It is usually performed by one person or a pair of performers.

The actors achieve an artistic effect by rhythmically reciting or improvising a story with a tightly-controlled number of words in each sentence. Shulaibao verse is typically humorous but easily understood. It is said to be deployed by street beggars, among others, as means of earning donations.It may be used to deliver a light-hearted insult about audience members or rivals. In this way it is similar to the spoken word art forms, such as arap battle.

In 2014, theChinese State Councildeclared shulaibo to be part of the country's national "intangible cultural heritage".

See also

• Xiangsheng

References

• DeFrancis, John (1999).ABC Chinese-English dictionary.ISBN0-8248-2154-8.
• Cultural China: Shulaibaohttp://www.cultural-china.com/chinaWH/html/en/17Traditions1833.html