The People's Government of YunCheng City
Ch
The Representative Project of National Intangible Cultural Heritage --- Wanrong Joke
Issue time:2021-09-05

As one form of Shanxi folk literature, Wanrong Joke was created in a special humorous way to convey people’s understandings and passion for life. Since the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, local folks in Wangrong invented many jokes and kept them enriching and spreading. The most impressive feature of Wangrong Joke is the sense of “Zheng”. The protagonist in the jokes show their special “Zhengjin” which show that they love arguing and eloquence, being stubborn and competitive. The technique of expression of the jokes is humorous, stubborn and  self-willed seen in the plays like “Seven Silly Foodies”, “The Door Lock”, “Slowcoach”, “Time to Get off Work”, “Throw away the Chamber Pot”, “The Rich Man and Talents”. As one typical grass-root literature, Wanrong Joke is passed down among folks for hundreds of years. It is not only the exhibition of the people’s wisdom, but also the precious heritage in Chinese folklore.