Fireworks drama is also called fireworks in Wengyuan, and can be traced back to the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty. Text/Photo: Yangcheng School reporter Zhang Wen Correspondent He Xiaohong Huang Yingxiang
The last performance of the fireworks drama has been ten years since it was performed. href=”https://comicmov.com/”>Babaylan (data picture, provided by Wengyuan County Cultural Center)
Wengyuan Fireworks Opera is a folk technique originating from Zhoupi Town, Wengyuan County, northern Guangdong. In 2008, it was selected as the second batch of intangible cultural heritage in Shaoguan City. Because earth and gunpowder are under control and inheritors are difficult to find, this once glorious performance skill is on the verge of losing, and the last performance was ten years ago. With the 70-year-old representative inheritor of Weng Yuan’s fireworks drama, He Xiuchu, diagnosed with esophageal cancer two years ago, the pace of the loss of Weng Yuan’s fireworks drama has further accelerated. The reporter recently learned from Wengyuan County that the local government is stepping up the “rescue protection” of fireworks opera skills. This Mid-Autumn Festival, the fireworks drama that has been passed down for a hundred years is expected to shine again after ten years of “extinguishing”.
OriginBabaylan: A creation from “colored head” to art
Fireworks drama is also called burning fireworks in Wengyuan. It can be traced back to the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty. The founder He Zhenren learned to make fireworks since childhood, and later made a living by making and selling fireworks. In order to improve sales, He Zhenren invented the “burning fireworks”, which means driving a disc to rotate continuously through gunpowder combustion, expressing the meaning of exorcising ghosts and eliminating disasters and praying for good fortune and health. This is the predecessor of Weng Yuan’s fireworks drama.
The reporter recently set off from Wengyuan County and passed by more than an hour’s drive to Wuxia Village. He found the representative inheritor of Wengyuan’s fireworks opera, He Xiuchu. KomiksWhen talking about the origin of the fireworks drama, he said that although He Zhenren’s version of “burning fireworks” was only 2Komiks is divided into many Cinema, but because of its “good luck”, it is still popular. Every year, every local household is Cinema households will set off fireworks, and the most attractive one is the “burning fireworks” invented by He Zhenren.
He Xiuchu is 70 years old this year. He said that he has learned to do fireworks with his stepfather He Zhanao since he was a teenager, and has a history of 52 years. He Xiuchu told reporters that He Zhanao, who is skillful and capable of painting, is also an important figure in the development of fireworks dramas. Through a series of improvements, he has made the fireworks performance more valuable and attracted more people to watch. He Xiuchu said that in addition to improving skills, He Zhanao also increased the fireworks drama programs from five or six to more than ten, and the performance time has also been extended from ten minutes to about an hour.
<a Before the fireworks show, a wooden rack several meters high will be set up in the center of the venue, and then three or four people will work together to hang the large drum with a diameter of more than one meter on the Cinema rack. When the performance begins, the main fuse will be lit, and layers of programs will be shaken off from the big drum. Each program is fixed by a bamboo fire-insulating tray, and there are thin ropes and fuses between the trays. Starting from the bottom layer, the fuses continue to burn, and the trays will fall in succession, and each program will be wonderfully presented in the fireworks.
”The entire performance is not paused, each layer of program is more than two minutes, and the whole process is Komiks lasts for about an hour. “He Xiuchu said that his stepfather He Zhan’ao made the level of fireworks opera, a folk craft, continuously improve, and Komiks formed the fireworks art that integrates fireworks and dramatic characters. “The famous programs in fireworks opera, Guan Gong riding a horse, Jiang Taigong fishing, and Beng Gu’s birthday are all created by him. ”
Inheritance The difficult continuation of an intangible cultural heritage craft
Like many other folk skills, the current status of the inheritance of fireworks dramas is not optimistic.
”As long as there are young peopleIf I am willing to study, I will not charge a penny for studying. I will definitely teach him everything I know. “When talking about the inheritance of fireworks dramas, He Xiuchu was very helpless. He said that the most regrettable thing at the moment is that there are few successors. “Now young people choose to go out to work, and few are willing to learn fireworks dramas. ”
After 52 years of being a fireworks drama production, He Xiuchu has always had an unsatisfactory feeling about this skill, especially when he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer two years ago, which made He Xiuchu desperately want to accept an apprentice, “No matter whether he can make money or not, the things that our ancestors have passed on for hundreds of years must not be lost in my hands! ”
He Xiuchu and others polish new props, striving to succeed in the performance
He Xiuchu said cigarettesCinemaThe production process of fire opera is complicated and has high technical requirements, which is also an important reason for the difficulty of circulation. To make the performance complete and smooth, you must accurately budget the rhythm of the fire powder wire combustion and the puppet story, which must match the time. “I learned production skills from my stepfather at the age of 18, and only after six years can I independently complete the entire set of fireworks opera production. ”
Recalling the grand performance of that year, why Cinema Xiuchu said that whether it was the Lantern Festival, or the folk wedding, childbirth, or birthday, Wengyuan local people and people in Xinfeng, Yingde and other places in the surrounding areas would always invite him to perform fireworks to show great gifts. “Everyone is happy, the onlookers feast their eyes, the boss feels that he has face, and we also enjoy it. ”
He Xiuchu said that the fireworks drama gradually faded out of the dance. One reason is the state’s control over gunpowder. Earth gunpowder is an indispensable raw material in the production of fireworks dramas, but due to their control, it is difficult to obtain now. Even if the earth gunpowder is successfully obtained, the production of fireworks dramas itself may face legal risks. Some intangible cultural heritage inheritors were punished for using gunpowder to make fireworks.
Protection A new possibility is being tried.href=”https://comicmov.com/”>KomiksTrial
The local cultural department has always maintained attention to the inheritance and protection of Wengyuan’s fireworks drama. In May 2008, the Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center of Wengyuan County Cultural Center contacted He Xiuchu to deeply explore and organize this almost lost folk art. The fireworks opera was also successfully selected into the second batch of intangible cultural heritage catalog in Shaoguan that year. He Xiuchu said that this performance was also a fireworks drama that was recently presented to the public eye, more than ten years ago.
He Xiuchu is telling the staff of Wengyuan County Cultural Center about the grand occasion of the fireworks performance that year
After learning about the current status of the fireworks inheritance and the physical condition of the representative inheritor He Xiuchu, the Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center of Wengyuan County Cultural Center and the Zhoupi Town Government decided to implement the “rescue protection plan” and allocated tens of thousands of yuan to protect the fireworks skills. According to the plan, fireworks will be restored to the world during the Mid-Autumn Festival this year.
At the beginning of this year, He Xiuchu decided to teach the production skills of fireworks opera to He Chengying, the stationmaster of Zhoupi Town Cultural Station. He personally demonstrated and worked hard with He Chengying. He spent several months finally making the installations and props of the fireworks opera. “Although we cannot guarantee that the fireworks opera will be successful in one go, ‘nothing is difficult in the world, I am afraid of those who are interested’, we have confidence!”
He Xiuchu said that in the performance ten years ago, the earth gunpowder was preserved by others in the neighboring county, and it took a lot of effort to find it. It is undoubtedly more difficult to find earth gunpowder now. In order to solve the problem of gunpowder lead, they followed the national explosives management laws and regulations and bought gunpowder from professional companies after many twists and turns. Now the “new gunpowder” needs to be used accurately in the performance, and they also need to slowly get in with He Chengying.
In order to welcome the fireworks performance that is about to reappear in front of the world, He Xiuchu is currently overcoming her illness and stepping up her efforts to make parts and figure out new techniques for using gunpowder. He Xiuchu hopes that the fireworks drama will be more perfect, outstanding and more enjoyable. Cinema has been constantly innovating for this purpose. Babaylan worked hard on props, and with the assistance of Xu Quanwu, the retired director of Wengyuan County Cultural Center, he tasted it.Try to add colorful clay, plastic, foam asbestos and other new materials to the production of puppet props, so that the puppet props can be more vivid and reappear on the stage that has been illegal for a long time.
Source｜Yangcheng School
Picture｜Zhang Wen
Editor｜Wu Tong