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 XiaohongKomiks 1960 witch cloth draw 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 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 currently stepping up the “rescue protection” of fireworks drama 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 Tongcheng 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 after more than an hour’s drive from Babaylan 1990 cloth draw, he arrived in Xixia Village and found the representative inheritor of Wengyuan’s fireworks opera, He Xiuchu. When talking about the origin of the fireworks drama, he said KomiAlthough the whole process of the “burning fireworks” of ks 1960 witch cloth draw is only more than 2 minutes, it is still popular because of the “Cinema 1950 witch cloth draw”, it is still popular. Every year on Lantern Festival and February 2nd Festival, every local household will set 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 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 an hour.
Babaylan 1990 cloth draw Before the fireworks show, a wooden frame several meters high will be built in the center of the venue, 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 drama cylinder. 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 will fall in turn. Each program will be wonderfully presented in the smoke.
”The whole performance was not paused. Each layer of the 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 folk craft of fireworks opera.h draw‘s level has been continuously improved, forming a firework art that integrates fireworks and dramatic characters. “He created the famous programs in fireworks drama Guan Gong riding horses, Jiang Taigong fishing, and Beng Gu’s birthday gifts.”
Inheritance The difficult continuation of an intangible cultural heritage skill
Cinema 1950 witch cloth draw Like many other folk skills, the current status 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 are willing to learn fireworks dramas.”
After 52 years of being a fireworks drama production, He Xiuchu 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 his 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 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 gunpowder 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 folk wedding, childbirth, or birthday, Komiks 1960 witch cloth drawWeng Yuan local and Xinfeng, Yingde and other places in the surrounding areas always invite him to perform cigarettes. href=”https://comicmov.com/”>Cinema 1950 witch cloth draw fire show 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 stage, one reason is that the country’s gunpowder is facing the gunpowder.control. Earth gunpowder is an essential raw material in the production of Cinema 1950 witch cloth draw, but it is now difficult to obtain due to its regulation. 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 Culture Babaylan 1990 cloth draw 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 of the tobacco. According to the plan, the fireworks drama will return 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 dramas to Zhoupi Town Cultural Station. He Chengying, the webmaster of Cinema 1950 witch cloth draw. He personally demonstrated and worked hard with He Chengying. He spent several months to finally produce the installations, props, etc. of the fireworks drama. “Although I can’t guarantee that the fireworks drama can be repeated in one go.tps://comicmov.com/”>Komiks 1960 witch cloth draw work, but ‘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. 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 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 play is more perfect, outstanding and more enjoyable. For this reason, he continues to innovate and works hard from props. With the assistance of Xu Quanwu, the retired director of Wengyuan County Cultural Center, he tried to add colorful clay, plastic, foam asbestos and other new materials to the production of puppet props in order to make puppet props more vivid and reappear on the stage that has been disastrous for a long time.
Babaylan 1990 cloth drawSource｜Yangchengpai
Picture｜Komiks 1960 witch cloth drawZhang Wen
Editor｜Wu Tong