Fireworks OperaBabaylan is also called fireworks in Wengyuan, and can be traced back to the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty.
Text/Picture YangKomiksCity School Reporter Zhang Wen Correspondent He Xiaohong Huang Yingxiang
The last fireworks opera was ten years since its last performance (data picture, provided by Wengyuan County Cultural Center)
Wengyuan fireworks opera is a folk technique originating from Zhoupi Town, Wengyuan County, northern Guangdong. It was selected into the second batch of intangible cultural heritage in Shaoguan City in 2008. Because Komiks is under control of earth and gunpowder and difficult to find inheritors, this once glorious performance is on the verge of losing. 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”.
Origin: 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 the god driving away the disaster 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 after more than an hour’s drive, he arrived in Wuxia Village and found the representative inheritor of the Wengyuan Fireworks Komiks opera. Talking about the origin of the fireworks drama, he said that although He Zhenren’s version of “burning fireworks” is only more than 2 minutes in the entire process, it is still popular because of its “good luck”. Every year, Lantern Festival and FebruaryOn second-class festivals, every household in the local area 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 been learning to do fireworks with his stepfather He Zhan’ao since he was a teenager, and it has a history of 52 years. He Xiuchu told reporters that He Zhan’ao, who is skillful and good at painting, is also an important figure in the development of fireworks opera. Through a series of improvements, he made the fireworks opera performance more ornamental value and attracted more people to watch it. He Xiuchu said that in addition to improving his skills, He Zhan’ao also increased the number of fireworks shows from five or six to more than ten, and the performance time also extended from ten minutes to about one hour.
Before the fireworks show, a wooden frame several meters high will be built in the center of Komiks, and then three or four people will work together to hang the large play cylinder with a diameter of more than one meter on the rack. When the performance begins, the main fuse is ignited, and layers of programs will be shaken off from the big show. Each program is fixed by a bamboo fire-insulating tray. There are thin ropes and fuses connected between the trays. Starting from the bottom layer, the fuses continue to burn, and the trays descend in turn, and each program will be wonderfully presented in the fireworks.
”The whole performance was not paused. Each floor program lasted for more than two minutes, and the whole process lasted about an hour.” He Xiuchu said that his stepfather He Zhan’ao made the level of the folk craft of fireworks, a folk craft, and formed a firework art that integrates fireworks and dramatic characters. “The famous programs in the fireworks drama, Guan Gong riding horses, 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 crafts, the current status of the inheritance of fireworks dramas is not optimistic.
”As long as there are young people who are willing to learn, I will not charge a penny for tuition, and I will definitely pass on everything I know to him.” 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 people are willing to learn fireworks dramas.”
After 52 years of being engaged in the production of fireworks dramas, He Xiuchu has always been about this skill. href=”https://comicmov.com/”>Cinema has an emotion that cannot be left behind.Especially when he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer two years ago, He Xiuchu was eager to accept an apprentice. “No matter whether he could make money or not, the things that our ancestors had passed on for hundreds of years must not be lost in my hands!”Cinema
He XiuchuCinema and others polish new props, striving to succeed in the performance
He Xiuchu said that the production process of fireworks dramas is complicated and the skills are high, and it is also a serious problem of the difficulty of circulation.Babaylan The reason is that to make the performance complete and smooth, you must accurately budget the rhythm of the gunpowder wire burning and the puppet story, which must match the time. “I learned production skills from my stepfather at the age of 18, and I can only complete the entire set of fireworks dramas independently after six years.”
Recalling the grand performance of that year, He Xiuchu said that whether it was the Lantern Festival, or folk wedding, childbirth day, Weng Yuan was locally entitled. href=”https://comicmov.com/”>Babaylan and the surrounding people in Xinfeng, Yingde and other places will always invite him to perform fireworks dramas to show great gifts. “Everyone is happy, and the onlookers are feasting their eyes. The boss feels that Komiks must be respectful, and we also enjoy it.” He Xiuchu said that the fireworks dramas gradually faded out of the stage, and the other 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 regulation, it is now difficult to obtain. Even if you successfully obtain earth gunpowder, the production of fireworks dramas itself may face legal risks. Some intangible cultural heritage inheritors were once punished for using gunpowder to make fireworks.
Protection A new possibility is being tried
For the inheritance of Wengyuan fireworks drama and Cinema protection, KomiksThe local cultural department has been paying attention. 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 the last time the fireworks opera was 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 Wengyuan County Cultural Center Intangible Cultural Center and Zhoupi Town Government decided to implement the “rescue protection plan” and allocate tens of thousands of yuan to protect the fireworks skills. According to the plan, the fireworks will return to the world during the Mid-Autumn Festival this year.
At the beginning of this year, He Xiuchu decided to teach the fireworks production skills to He Chengying, the stationmaster of Zhoupi Town Cultural Station. He personally demonstrated and worked hard with He Chengying to spend several months to finally prepare the installations, props and other preliminary items of the fireworks show. href=”https://comicmov.com/”>Cinema produced it, “Although we can’t guarantee that the fireworks drama will be successful in one go, ‘Nothing is difficult in the world, I’m 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 the earth gunpowder. It is undoubtedly more difficult to find the earth gunpowder now. In order to solve the problem of gunpowder leads, they followed the laws and regulations of the national explosives management, and after many twists and turns, they bought gunpowder from a professional company. Now, the “new gunpowder” needs to be used accurately in the performance, and they also need to slowly get in with He Chengying.
For href=”https://comicmov.com/”>BabaylanWhen welcoming the fireworks show that is about to reappear in front of the world, He Xiuchu is currently overcoming the pain and stepping up the use of parts with He Chengying and pondering new gunpowder skills. He Xiuchu hopes that the fireworks show will be more perfect, outstanding and more enjoyable. For this reason, he continues to innovate and work hard on props. With the help of Xu Quanwu, the retired director of Wengyuan County Cultural Center, he tasted theTry Babaylan to add new materials such as colorful clay, plastic, foam asbestos to the production of puppet props, so that the puppet props can be more vivid and reappear on the stage that has been violated for a long time.
Source｜Yangcheng School
Picture｜Zhang Wen
Editor｜Wu Tong