Fireworks drama is also called fireworks in Wengyuan, and can be traced back to the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty. Text/Picture Yangcheng School reporter Zhang Wen Correspondent He Xiaohong Huang Yingxiang
The last performance of the fireworks drama has been ten years since the time of the last performance of Cinema (data picture, provided by Wengyuan County Cultural Center)
Wengyuan Fireworks drama is an originBabaylan‘s folk skills in Zhoupi Town, Wengyuan County, northern Guangdong were selected into the second batch of intangible cultural heritage in Shaoguan City in 2008. 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, found out that the esophagus was cancer two years ago, the pace of loss of Weng Yuan’s fireworks drama was 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 “caitto” to Komiks’ art
Fireworks drama is also called “Babaylan” in Wengyuan locally. 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 gods 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 arrived at the fertile after more than an hour’s drive.Going down to the village, he found the representative inheritor of Weng Yuan’s fireworks opera, He Xiuchu. Talking about the origin of the fireworks drama, he said that although He Zhenren’s version of “burning fireworks” only lasts more than 2 minutes, it is still popular because of its “good luck”. Every year on Lantern Festival and February 2nd Festival, every local household will set off fireworks. The most attractive one is He Zhenren’s “burning fireworks” by Babaylan.
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 XiuKomiks first told reporters that He Zhan’ao, who is skillful and capable of 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 an hour. Before the fireworks show, a wooden frame 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 play tube 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, with thin ropes and fuses connected between the trays. Starting from the bottom layer, the fuse continues to burn, and the trays drop in turn, and each program will be wonderfully presented in the fireworks.
”The whole performance was not paused, and each floor program lasted for more than two minutes, and the whole process lasted for about an hour.” He Xiuchu said that his stepfather He Zhan’ao made the level of fireworks opera, a folk craft, continuously improve, forming a firework art that integrates fireworks and dramatic characters. “The famous programs in fireworks opera, Guan Gong riding horses, Jiang Taigong fishing, and Beng Gu’s birthday are all created by him.”
Inheriting the difficult continuation of an intangible cultural heritage skill
All the most famous programs in fireworks opera, Guan Gong riding horses, Jiang Taigong fishing, and Beng Gu’s birthday.His folk skills are the same, and the current status of the fireworks drama is not optimistic.
”As long as there are young people who are willing to study, 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 about Cinema is that there is no successor. “In today’s years, most young people choose to go out to work, and few people are willing to learn fireworks dramas.”
From href=”https://comicmov.com/”>Cinema has been making fireworks dramas for 52 years. He Xiuchu has always had a feeling of being unable to let go of 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 and strive to succeed in the performance
He Xiuchu said that the production process of fireworks dramas is complicated and the skills are high, 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 fireworks wire burning and the puppet story, and the time must match. “I learned production skills from my stepfather at the age of 18, and only after six years can I complete the entire set of fireworks dramas independently.”
Recalling the grand performance of that year, He Xiuchu said that whether it was the Lantern Festival, or the folk wedding, childbirth, or birthday, people from the local area and in the surrounding Xinfeng, Yingde and other places would always invite him to express his feelings. href=”https://comicmov.com/”>Cinema performs a fire show in Babaylan to show great gifts, “Everyone is happy, and the onlookers are feasting their eyes. The boss feels face-saving, and we enjoy it.” He Xiuchu said that the fireworks show gradually faded out of the stage, because one reason is the state’s control over gunpowder. Earth gunpowder is an essential raw material in the production of fireworks dramas, butDue to the 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
The local cultural department has always maintained attention to the inheritance and protection of Wengyuan fireworks dramas. 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 that the fireworks show 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 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.
Early this year, He Xiuchu decided to teach the fireworks production skills to He Chengying, the stationmaster of Zhoupi Town Cultural Station, and he personally demonstrated href=”https://comicmov.com/”>Komiks Fan and worked hard with He Chengying, and spent several months to finally produce the installations and props of the fireworks show. “Although we cannot guarantee that the fireworks show will be successful in one go, ‘Nothing is difficult in the world, I am afraid of those who are determined’, 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 leads, 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 be re-showed 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. For this reason, he continues to innovate and works hard from props Komiks. With the assistance of Xu Quanwu, the retired director of Wengyuan County Cultural Center, he tasted it.Try to add colorful clay, plastic, and other new materials to the production of puppet props to make them so that they 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