Fireworks drama is also called fireworks in Wengyuan, and can be traced back to the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty.
Text/Komiks 1960 witch cloth draw Photo Yangcheng School reporter Zhang Wen Correspondent He XiaohongBabaylan 1990 cloth draw Huang Yingxiang
The last fireworks show was ten years since the last time of the Cinema 1950 witch cloth draw (data picture, provided by Wengyuan County Cultural Center)
Wengyuan Fireworks Show 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 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”.
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”, that is, Cinema 1950 witch cloth drawThe burning of gunpowder drives a disc to continuously rotate, expressing the meaning of exorcising ghosts and eliminating disasters and praying for good fortune and health. This is the predecessor of Wengyuan Fireworks Drama.
The reporter recently set off from Wengyuan County and arrived in Wuxia Village after more than an hour’s drive, and found the representative inheritor of Wengyuan Fireworks Drama. Talking about the origin of the fireworks Drama, he said that although the whole process of He Zhenren’s version of “burning fireworks” is only more than 2 minutes, it is still popular because of its “good luck”. Every year, the Lantern Festival and February 2nd grades are available. The draw festival, every household in the local area sets off fireworks, 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 followed since he was a teenager. Komiks 1960 witch cloth drawBabaylan 1990 clothes Draw‘s father He Zhan’ao has learned to do fireworks opera, and 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 valuable and attracted more people to watch. He Xiuchu said that in addition to improving skills, He Zhan’ao also increased the fireworks opera program from five or six to more than ten minutes, and the performance time was extended from ten minutes to about an hour. Before the fireworks opera performance, a wooden frame several meters high would be built in the center of the venue, and three or four people would work together to hang the large play tube with a diameter of more than one meter on the shelf. When the performance started, the general fuse would be ignited, and a one-meter-long shaking would be shaken off in the big play tube. drawlayers of programs, each program is fixed by a bamboo fire-inserting tray, with 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 entire performance has no pauses, each program is more than two minutes, and the whole process lasts about one hour. “He Xiuchu said that his stepfather He Zhan’ao has continuously improved the level of fireworks, a folk craft, and formed fireworks that integrate fireworks and dramatic characters.icmov.com/”>Cinema 1950 witch cloth drawArt, “The famous programs in fireworks drama Guan Gong riding horses, Jiang Taigong fishing, Beng Gu’s birthday, etc. were all created by him. ”
Inheritance The difficult continuation of an intangible cultural heritage craft
Like many other folk skills, the current status of inheritance of the Babaylan 1990 cloth draw is not optimistic.
”As long as there are young people who are willing to learn, I will not charge a penny of tuition, and 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, He Xiuchu has always had an unsatisfactory feeling about this skill, especially two years ago when he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer, 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 saidBabaylan 1990 clothes DrawThe production process of fireworks dramas is complicated and the technical requirements 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 of the gunpowder wires 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 production independently after six years of six years. ”
Recalling the grand performance of that year, He Xiuchu said that whether it was the Lantern Festival, or the folk wedding, childbirth, or birthday, Weng Yuan local and in the surrounding Xinfeng, Yingde and other places, he would always invite him to perform fireworks to show his gift, “Everyone is happy,The onlookers feasted their eyes, and the boss felt that he had Komiks 1960 witch cloth draw, and we also enjoyed it. ”
Komiks 1960 witch cloth draw He Xiuchu said that one reason for the gradual fading of fireworks drama 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 Cinema 1950 witch cloth draw. Even if the earth gunpowder is successfully obtained, the production of fireworks dramas itself may face legal risks. Intangible cultural heritage inheritors were once punished for using gunpowder to make fireworks.
Protection A new possibility is being tried
Cinema 1950 witch cloth draw The local cultural department has always been paying attention to the inheritance and protection of Wengyuan fireworks opera. In May 2008, the Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center of Wengyuan County Cultural Center contacted He Babaylan 1990 cloth draw 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 in the public eye.
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, the smoke will be carried out during the Mid-Autumn Festival this year.The fire show will be restored to the world.
At the beginning of this year, He Xiuchu decided to teach the production skills of fireworks dramas to He Chengying, the webmaster of Zhoupi Town Cultural Station. He personally demonstrated and worked hard with He Chengying. He spent several months to finally produce the installations and props of the fireworks drama. “Although I can’t guarantee that the fireworks drama will be successful in one go, ‘Nothing is difficult in the world, I’m afraid of someone who is interested’, we have confidence in Komiks 1960 witch cloth draw!”
Babaylan 1990 clothes drawHe 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 explosive management laws and regulations and bought gunpowder from a professional company after several weeks. 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 hoped that the fireworks drama would be more perfect, outstanding and more enjoyable. For this reason, he continued to innovate and worked hard on props. With the assistance of Xu Quanwu, retired director of the Wengyuan County Cinema 1950 witch cloth drawCinema 1950 witch cloth draw, he tried to add new materials such as colorful clay, plastic, foam asbestos to the production of puppet props, so that the puppet props would be more vivid and reappear on the stage that had been disastrous for a long time.
Source｜Yangcheng School
Picture｜Zhang Wen
Editor｜Wu Tong