Reviving rustic rhythm

In 2017, Liu and his master founded a club called Heshen Quyishe, aiming to play their humble roles in Jinan's ambition to become one of the quyi capitals of China. Liu's girlfriend was initially unhappy with his demanding work schedule. However, when she learned that his master Wang Wenxi insisted on performing in public three days a week, even over 70 years old, she understood Liu's perseverance and decided to marry him.

Once clapper talk began to go out of style, Liu realized he needed to find a way to make performances stand out. "I understood a combination of tradition and modernity was the way," he says.

He sought advice from friends in music and literary circles, and finally, created the group clapper talk piece titled Quancheng Wa, Zan Zhonghua (Fountain Town Kids' Ode to China). They won the top prize for best performance at Shandong Campus Art Festival in 2016. Now, the number of performers in their team has increased from the traditional two or three to at least 26 and a maximum of 56. As the percussion instrument and narrative singing echo, they engage the audience like the performance of an opera troupe. Modern compositions and collective lyrics add to the charm.

The novel program became an instant hit and invitations started pouring in from art venues across the country. "The focus should be on cultivating 'more seedlings' for clapper talk," Liu says. "If you want to do a good job in teaching, you must prepare lessons and form a system to dispense those lessons to students."