Fireworks drama is also known as Babaylan in Wengyuan, and can be traced back to the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty. Text/Picture Yangcheng School reporter Komiks 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 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 opera, He Cinema Xiuchu, the pace of loss of Weng Yuan’s fireworks opera has further accelerated. The reporter recently learned from Wengyuan County that the local government is stepping up the “rescue protection” of the 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 gods exorcising ghosts and eliminating disasters and praying for good fortune and health. This is the predecessor of Weng Yuan’s fireworks drama.
Reporter’s DayKomiks started from Wengyuan County, and after more than an hour’s drive, he arrived in Wuxia Village and found the representative inheritor of Wengyuan’s fireworks opera, He Xiuchu. When talking about the origin of the Komiks‘s hot drama, he said that He Zhenren’s version of “Although the whole process is only 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 the “burning fireworks” invented by He Zhenren.
HeBabaylanThe old man Xiuchu is 70 years old. He said that he has learned 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 is skillful and skillful. href=”https://comicmov.com/”>Komiks, stepfather He Zhan’ao who can depict and draw good paintings is also an important figure in the development of fireworks dramas. Through a series of improvements, he made the fireworks drama 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 drama program from five to six to more than ten, and the performance time was also extended from ten minutes to one hour left.
Before the fireworks drama performance, 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 make the diameter one meter. Many large-scale drama tubes are hung on the shelf. When the performance begins, the main fuse will be ignited, and the layers of programs will be shaken off in the Babaylan. Each program is fixed by a bamboo fire-inserting tray. There are 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, and each program will be wonderfully presented in the fireworks.
”The entire performance has no pause, and each program is more than two minutes, and the whole process lasts 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. “He created the famous programs in fireworks opera, Guan Gong riding a horse, Jiang Taigong fishing, and Beng Gu’s birthday. ”
Inheritance The difficult continuation of an intangible cultural heritage craft
Like many other folk skills, the current status of inheritance of fireworks opera is not to be 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 opera.”
After 52 years of being engaged in the production of fireworks opera, 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 and strive to succeed in the performance
He Xiuchu said that the fireworks drama production 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, it is necessary. href=”https://comicmov.com/”>Cinema must accurately budget the rhythm of the burning of gunpowder wires and the puppet story, and the time must match. “I learned production skills from the age of 18, and I was able to independently complete the full set of fireworks dramas after six years.”
Recalling the grand performance of that year, He Xiuchu said that whether it was the Lantern Festival, or folk wedding, childbirth, or birthday Cinema, href=”https://comicmov.com/”>CinemaWeng Yuan local and in Xinfeng, Yingde and other places around him always invite him to perform fireworks dramas 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 fireworks dramas gradually fade out of the stage, and one reason is the country’s control of 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 may face legal style.In danger, a non-heritance inheritor was 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 performance of the fireworks drama that year
After learning about the current status of the fireworks drama inheritance and the physical condition of the representative inheritor He Xiuchu, Wengyuan CountyCinema href=”https://comicmov.com/”>CinemaIntangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center of the Cultural Center and Zhoupi Town Government decided to implement the “rescue protection plan” and allocated tens of thousands of yuan to protect the fireworks opera 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. For this reason, he continues to innovate and work hard on props. With the assistance of Xu Quanwu, the retired director of Wengyuan County Cultural Center., try to add new materials such as colorful clay, plastic, foam asbestos and other materials 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.
SourceCinema｜Yangcheng School
Pictures｜Zhang Wen
Editor｜Wu Tong