Yang Qinqiang elegant, handed down the family and country sound
Written on the occasion of the 110th anniversary of the founding of Xi'an Yisu Society, which Tian Han called "one of the three oldest drama clubs in the world"
Our reporters Liu Shuyun and Sun Zhengzheng
In the middle of the prosperous land of civil and military affairs, beside the twilight drum and the morning bell;
Along the coordinate origin of Xi'an, the ancient capital of 3,000 years, the famous Bell Tower goes north and then east, and you can enter half of the ancient alley within one mile.
No matter whether it is morning or evening, winter or summer, the four seasons here play Qin strings, and Qin music is played all year round; every word is Qin Fengqin rhyme, and every move and every style comes from Qin people in Qin; in the tone, he sings his career and travels thousands of miles of rivers and mountains. .
This quaint square-inch world is the famous Qin Opera class - Xi'an Yisu Society, which is praised by Lu Xun as "ancient and unique" and called one of the three oldest drama clubs in the world by drama master Tian Han.
The twists and turns of "Fate in the Cabinet" are ingeniously comparable to "Shakespeare's Opera", and "Three Drops of Blood" can be referred to as Qin Opera. Along with "Bei Mei (Mei Lanfang) and Nan Ou (Ouyang Yuqian)" in the drama world... Since its birth in the aftermath of the 1911 Revolution in 1912, Yisu Society has gone from the "shaky" Republic of China to the bumpy road He survived in the melee of warlords, and shouted "Return my rivers and mountains" in the anti-Japanese beacon fire. After more than 100 years of vicissitudes, the chorus has not stopped, and famous artists have appeared frequently. It is still an important town in the northwest Qin Opera.
Over the past 110 years, Yisu Society has always guarded the excellent traditional Chinese culture with a strong sense of family and country. In the new era, it has carried forward the ancient art of Qin Opera.
"The class is well-mannered and polite." On the occasion of the 110th anniversary of the founding of Yisu Society, the reporter walked into this lush opera hall, felt the elegance of Qin Opera while playing and singing, and listened to the uprightness of the country in the cadence. sound.
More than a hundred years of "ancient tune alone"
Traditional Chinese opera repertoires are often divided into full-length operas and excerpted operas.
The whole play is as majestic as the rushing river, sometimes undercurrents surging, sometimes the wind is high and the waves are turbulent; the excerpts play is short and powerful like a lonely peak, which is the essence of the book and the core of the whole play.
If the more than 100-year-old Yisu Society is compared to a full-length opera with a long aftertaste, the wonderful chapters must have a fold of "Lu Xun's appreciation of the opera".
"Wan Qing. Go to West Station for dinner. After dinner, take the bus to Xi'an." According to Lu Xun's diary, in July 1924, Lu Xun, then an official of the Ministry of Education of the National Government, was invited to give lectures at Northwestern University.
After visiting Huaqing Pond, Forest of Steles and other places of interest, "It was sunny on the 16th. In the afternoon, I read the city with Li Jizhi, Jiang Tingfu, and Sun Fuyuan. The Wanyi Secular Society invited us to watch the play and perform the first book of "Double Brocade Clothes."
"Small stories contain big history, and the long-lasting love of children permeates the feelings of family and country." As a good house-watching show of Yisu Society at that time, "Double Brocade Clothes" was written by Lu Nanzhong, a fellow of Lu Xun Shaoxing and the then president of Yisu Society, who fought against gold with Song people. Created for the background, the story integrates national hatred and family hatred, with complete roles such as Sheng, Dan, Jing, and Ugly. It is a family and country drama with a strong Yisu Society style. until the door is closed.”
Perhaps infected by the patriotic sentiment of "national security and home security" stirring on the stage, Lu Xun, who was still unfinished, came again the next day, after reading the second edition of "Shuang Jin Yi".
After that, Lu Xun, the main general of the new culture, went to Yisu Society three times to enjoy the opera.
Before leaving, he inscribed the four characters "Ancient Tiao Du Tan", made a plaque and presented it to the Yisu Society, praising it for "improving the old opera, bringing forth the new, recruiting songs and dances, writing about the state of the world, honoring the former sages, and providing pottery for entertainment. Love, false change of style to change vulgarity".
Today, as a precious commemoration of the interaction between the literary giant Lu Xun and the ancient Qin Opera, the plaque of "Gu Tiao Du Tan" has been through the wind and rain without changing its color, and it is well hung in the front hall of the Yisu She Theater.
Li Youjun, a member of the Chinese Dramatists Association who studies the history and culture of the Yisu Society, believes that "'Gu Tiao Duo' has become a distinct spiritual symbol of the Yisu Society and a spiritual pillar that Yisu people always adhere to in the face of life and death."
"The great river surges, the turtles and snakes wake up, the flames rise in Wuchang, and the whole country rises." In 1912, inspired by the Revolution of 1911, Li Tongxuan from Pucheng, Shaanxi, and Sun Renyu from Lintong, both members of the Shaanxi Provincial History Bureau, were watching. After the Qin Opera excerpt "Sanniang Teaching Children", I realized that if we want to awaken the people, we can only "universal education", but "schools are limited to young people", "newspapers are only limited to those who can read", and only drama "has become popular all over the world and reach all over the world". In the eyes and ears of women and children."
The two then joined more than 100 early "awakened people" in Liyuan to set up the Yisu Lingxue Society in August of that year, and later set the purpose to "compose and perform various operas and assist social education".
"Duo Jin Lou" advocates the freedom of marriage, "Nephrite Jade Screen" calls for the liberation of slaves, and "Zhentai Reading" warns warriors to read... The early creative team of Yisu Society, represented by Fan Zidong and Gao Peizhi, either faced criticism, or Euphemistically persuaded, he has created and adapted more than 500 Qin Opera plays, changing customs and habits between laughter and scolding, enlightening people's wisdom: historical dramas expose the hypocrisy of feudal Taoism and the darkness of governance; social dramas and family dramas are mostly used to break superstition, and oppose concubinage and smoking. Opium and other bad habits are themes; science dramas encourage industrial development, popularize geography and astronomy, and promote patriotism.
"Having hit the zither halfway out of Qin, turned it into white snow and spring. The drama is a trail, changing customs and customs all over the world." After the rise of the Yisu Society, Liu Guansan founded the Shandong Yisu Society, Zhang Ji directly set up the Nantong Gengsu Society, and Hebei was also established The imitation of the easy-going community.
In the area of Shaanxi-Gansu, the hometown of Qin Opera, Xi'an Sanyi Society, Xi'an Zhenling Society, Lanzhou Huasu Society, Pingliang Pingle Society and many other troupes started to teach opera.
At that time, the theater was in a dark place and full of ills. The Yisu Society, which was "remotely located and intended to promote social education", was praised by Huang Yanpei for "truth, goodness and beauty", and Liang Qichao also praised it for "turning people into customs".
"Different from the traditional opera troupes with a strong color in the rivers and lakes, Yisu Society's 'ancient and independent play' is 'independent'. First of all, its creative troupes are all well-known literati with improvement ideas. In promoting social progress; Yisu Club also recruits students from the society for free, and cultivates talents in the form of an 'academy' that pays equal attention to professional courses and cultural courses; in addition, Yisu Club has editors, coaches, elections, impeachments, and a review department and rehearsal. Ministry, etc., replaced the feudal pear orchard leader model with a modern management system and a humane spirit." Hui Minli, president of Yisu Society, concluded.
The unique style of Yisu Society has also made many poor children realize the reversal of fate.
Take Liu Zhensu, an early celebrity, as an example. After losing his mother at the age of 9, this Shaanxi baby sold sheep blood to earn a living with his family.
After being recruited by the Yisu Society for free, Liu Zhensu studied tirelessly, and later won the San Qin with drama such as "Butterfly Cup" and "Jade Tiger Pendant".
From 1921 to 1922, the Yisu Society went south to Hankou, "red teeth iron plate, singing Jiangdong", Liu Zhen was famous in the three towns of Wuhan, won the reputation of "West Liu", and "North Plum (Mei Lanfang)" and "Southern Europe". (Ouyang Yuqian)" was equally famous, and was praised by the audience for "I heard the voice of the Han Dynasty like the sea, and I began to believe in the commonplace of the world."
In 1934, Shanghai EMI Company invited Yisu Society to produce the earliest Qin Opera record; in 1958, Yisu Society produced the color film "Flaming Horse", and Qin Opera made its debut on the big screen; ", across the mountains and seas to the United States... Since its establishment 110 years ago, Yisu Society has created and adapted more than a thousand volumes of repertoires. Hundred-year-old dramas such as "Shuangjinyi" and "Han Mo Yuan" are still often rehearsed and performed for a long time. Among them, the most influential "Three Drops of Blood".
"Three Drops of Blood" was adapted by screenwriter Fan Zidong based on Ji Yun's "Notes on Yuewei Thatched Cottage". It adopts the classic narrative method of "Three Trials and Three Questions" in traditional opera, and uses the "Twin Lives and Double Danes" group drama that Yisu She is best at. The style tells that Jin Xinshu used a faint trick "blood test for relatives" to decide the case, which caused a lot of ridiculous and ridiculous things, and satirized the absurdity of feudal superstition.
After its premiere in 1919, the play became synonymous with Qin Opera, and the aria "Originally from Hancheng County, Shaanxi, with a home in Xinghua Village" became the spiritual and cultural symbol of Sanqin.
"Three Drops of Blood has passed down eight generations of actors for more than a hundred years, and has been widely transplanted by Jin Opera, Henan Opera and other dramas," Hui Minli said.
In June this year, after three years of production, the 3D film version of "Three Drops of Blood" was unveiled at the 9th China Qinqiang Art Festival.
The camera moves up and down, the rhythm of light and shadow flows, and the audience uses 3D glasses to immerse themselves in the "Xinghua Village" that has been sung for centuries.
With the wings of science and technology attached to "Gu Diao Du Tan", the broad-sounding and heart-warming Qin Opera becomes deeper and more intense, rough and agitation.
Resonate with the times and sing the right sound of the country
Mirror-framed stage, lattice windows, carved doors, Xieshan Mountain... Under the shadow of the sky and clouds, the Yisushe Theater, a Ming and Qing style building located in Xi'an Xiyi Road and facing the north, is more quaint and vicissitudes.
In 1917, it officially became the permanent rehearsal site of Yisu Society.
For more than a century, on this square-inch stage, the banhu has not stopped, and the clang has not stopped.
But little-known is that this brick and wood theater, which can accommodate more than a thousand people, was once one of the secret command posts of the "Xi'an Incident", and even recorded the patriotic past in the sky.
In December 1936, the Japanese invaders overwhelmed the territory of China, and the mountains and rains were about to come.
Li Youjun recorded in his book "Xi'an Yisu Society and the Modern Transformation of Qin Opera (1912-1949)" that on December 9 of that year, Yang Hucheng invited officials from the Jiang faction in Nanjing to watch the Qin Opera performance at the Yisu Society Theater, "He even took the Xi'an Incident into account. The command place is secretly located in Yisushe... He entered and exited the Yisushe Theater three times, and commanded the military operations in Xi'an city by remote control."
The lights on the stage were bright, the drums and music blared in unison, and they sang a grand drama that concealed people's ears.
In order to gain room for manoeuvre and ensure that the action is foolproof, "In a critical moment, Yang Hucheng can only hope for the Qin Opera performance of the Yisu Society, and strive to add Qin Opera as much as possible, so as to delay the Jiang faction officers who are watching Qin Opera in the theater."
For more than two days, the cast and crew of Yisu Society, regardless of life and death, participated in a major historical change in the momentum of Qin Opera's "sound like a golden horse and an iron horse, roaring like a million soldiers".
On December 12, 1936, the "Xi'an Incident" that shocked China and foreign countries took place, which opened the prelude to the national unity war of resistance.
The Yisu Society "has taken great risks from the height of the concept of family and country and the destiny of the nation" and "made a special contribution".
"As the first modern drama club in the history of Qin Opera to promote social reform with drama, many core characters of Yisu Club have learned from both China and the West. Consciousness and feelings of family and country." Chen Chaowu, vice president of Yisu Society, said, "At a time when the country has suffered from external insults and national disasters, especially after the May 4th Movement, the modern intellectuals of Yisu Society held high the banner of science and democracy, and used opera to pinpoint the problem. The purpose of the times is to encourage the audience, to make everyone aware, and the nation to have hope.”
"Although the Qing court is swayed, the remaining troubles still exist, the Eurasian winds and rains, the times are aggressive, the snow is pressing the frost, and the layers are forcing me... The pain of the country is deep, where is the soul of the country." In the reflection In the preface of the Eight-Power Allied Forces Invasion of China play "Summer Palace", the screenwriter Fan Zidong wrote that, with the history of humiliation, he "wanted to make the whole audience cry, laugh, get angry, and scold. Knowing the shame of the country, Yixue, I believe. The nation's vibrancy."
Jianghan in the south, Youyan in the north, sings the life of the ink and ink, and worries about the hatred of the family and the country: "Gong Jinpao" describes the tragic Sino-French war, "Guanzhong Academy" grieves the legacy of the Opium War, "Autumn Wind and Autumn Rain" "Praise the heroic feat of Qiu Jin... After the "September 18" Incident in 1932, more than 90 people from the Yisu Society went to North China, which was under pressure by the Japanese army, to express condolences to the anti-Japanese soldiers and civilians. In seven months, they traveled thousands of miles. Patriotic dramas such as "Down with Japanization" were performed from spring to summer.
Five years later, in June 1937, at the time of the salvation of the nation, Yisushe started its second trip to North China.
At this time, the Japanese imperialists had already occupied the Northeast, and they were trying to "get Longwang Shu" to go out west and go south.
In order to promote anti-Japanese resistance and boost morale, Yisu Society performed mostly new historical dramas that reflect national heroes resisting the enemy and saving the country. Among them, Feng Zhimo created "Broken Mountains and Rivers" and "Broken Mountains and Rivers" based on the deeds of Yue Fei, Han Shizhong and Liang Hongyu in resisting foreign aggression. The two dramas "My Rivers and Mountains" aroused great repercussions. During the performance, "the crowd was high, and the voices were like waves." At that time, "National News" called these patriotic dramas "writing the pain of history, promoting the consciousness of the nation, and deafening."
"Drama is the symbol of public consciousness. When the country is destroyed at home, it is the attack festival to charge and defeat the enemy." Feng Zhimo summed up the creative intention of the script.
After the "July 7 Incident" broke out, when the staff dormitory was overturned by Japanese bombs, the Yisu Society rehearsed non-stop. The members carried 10 buns every day and traveled 20 miles back and forth to the air-raid shelter in Guanyinmiao Village in the southern suburbs of Xi'an. Anti-Japanese repertoires such as "Pushing the Pen to the Rong".
"In March 1938... our Northwest Field Service Regiment (hereinafter referred to as the Western Division) was ordered by the Eighteenth Group Army General Headquarters to take the last train from Shanxi and the last wooden boat to cross the Yellow River and arrive at the Kuomintang ruled area. The ancient city of Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi Province." In her memoirs, Ding Ling, then director of the Western War Group and a famous female writer, eloquently recounted the stage past of the Yisu Society and the Western War Group jointly carrying out anti-Japanese propaganda in the flames of war.
Due to the needs of anti-Japanese propaganda, the Western Division rented the Yisushe Theater in Xi'an at that time, and braved the air raid alarm for days, and successfully staged the anti-Japanese drama "Assault".
"I've never seen a regiment like yours... Dozens of people are like one person, regardless of level, rushing to work and laughing all day long." Infected by his style, he only charged 200 yuan for the original rent of 750 yuan.
Since then, the Yisu Society has been generous.
Ding Ling recalled that when the Western War Troupe was rehearsing Lao She's play "The Martyr Died for the Country", many actors could not sing Qin Opera. Wang Tianmin personally instructed Xia Gefei"; Yisu Society also brought out "the best outfits and let us choose and try them on"; on the day of the performance, they gave the actors "fans for makeup, face painting, and headwear"; , "They are just like us, put down their hearts and send out knowing smiles."
"The bleak autumn wind is here again, and the world has changed." After the founding of New China, the Yisu Society, which was "up and down" in the "shaky" Republic of China, opened a new page, breaking the old practice of not accepting actresses in the past. Recruited Meng Yiyun, Chen Miaohua and other first batch of Qin Opera actresses in New China, and achieved a historic leap from "man disguised as a woman" to "woman disguised as a man"; after the people's government took over, with government funding, Yisu Society also Breaking the precedent, it absorbed some foreign actors such as Xiao Ruolan, which enriched the singing and gave the whole company a new look.
He Sang's "Centennial Yisu Society" records: From April 1, 1953 to the end of August, a total of 45 key members of Yisu Society joined the "Fifth Regiment of the Chinese People's Condolences to the DPRK Literary and Art Work Group", and went deep into the front lines of resisting U.S. aggression and aiding the DPRK. During the heavy bombardment and artillery attack by enemy planes, more than 600 performances were performed, bringing the "local accent" to more than 300,000 volunteer soldiers.
After the reform and opening up, especially since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Yisu Society, which has the same frequency as the country and resonates with the times, has continued to innovate the "hundred-year drama list": "The Daughter of the Party" shows that the Communists "have not yet fulfilled their original aspirations, The revolutionary dedication spirit of "Changhong with passion"; "Dream Weaver" focuses on the craftsman spirit and model worker spirit of Zhao Mengtao and other textile workers from "fed and warm" to "clothing the world"; "Hot Years" promotes medical staff, sinking Civilian heroes such as cadres, logistics couriers and other civilian heroes are united, life is paramount, and the spirit of anti-epidemic...
A person cannot stand without spirit, and a country cannot be strong without spirit.
"The Yisu Society has been passed down for more than a hundred years. The tradition of 'writing for the people and acting for the people' will never change. The original intention of using the national spirit and the spirit of the times to gather energy and educate the people will not change." Hui Min Li said.
In July this year, the play "Zhaojun Xing", a tribute play "to celebrate the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the 110th anniversary of the founding of Yisu Society", successfully premiered. The prelude chapters such as returning and crossing the heart have composed a long spiritual song with Chinese aesthetics, showing the common destiny of the Chinese nation and the harmony of the country and the country.
Passing down the fire and cultivating the elegance of Qin Opera
On February 1, 2010, Chen Miaohua, a performing artist of Qin Opera and an actor of Yisu Society, passed away at the age of 70.
"Old Shaan" always "was greeted by Qin Opera when born, and mourned by Qin Opera when passed away".
That night, outside the Yisu She Theater, hundreds of meters along the west road, was crowded with thousands of fans who came to pay their respects. The actors set up a cappella in the cold wind and bid farewell to the "Qin Opera female student Kui Yuan" with tears in her eyes. Classic arias such as "The Legend of the White Snake" and "Doujinlou" are like weeping and complaining, and they sounded late into the night...
Chen Miaohua was one of the first batch of Qin Opera performers in New China.
From the 1950s to the 1960s, Chen Miaohua moved the northwest with the famous Qin Opera films "Flaming Horse" and "Three Drops of Blood", which made "Qin Opera go to the whole country". The combination of hardness and softness, natural and simple performance, has become a benchmark for Qinqiang women to dress up as men, and has also become a performance "textbook" for younger Qinqiang students.
Although he is a famous Qin Opera master, in the memory of Li Dongfeng, a Qin Opera actor from the Yisu Society, Chen Miaohua was very low-key and simple during his lifetime.
"After Mr. Chen retired, she often came to see everyone's rehearsal. She always came quietly and sat in the last row to watch it carefully." Li Dongfeng said, "She taught us 'to practice more.' It sounds simple, but it is the truth. For opera actors, only by practicing every day and every now and then can they become a role and a play.”
In her later years, due to illness, Chen Miaohua had inconvenient legs and feet. Even so, she often took the initiative to visit her door to chat with younger actors such as Li Dongfeng.
"I had just joined the Yisu Society at that time, and I was a junior among the juniors. As a famous artist like Teacher Chen, I didn't have any airs at all." Li Dongfeng said, "She thought I was a plastic talent. In the dormitory the size of a palm, he showed me the resonance of the brain again and again." In the Qin Opera 3D movie "Three Drops of Blood", Li Dongfeng played the roles of Zhou Tianyou and Li Yuchun, who were once famous by Chen Miaohua.
Qu Peng, 40 years old this year, is a famous "patch" actor of Yisu Society.
"It's specialized in 'filling holes'. Wherever it needs to be moved." Qu Peng, a professional veteran, said with a smile, "I don't care whether the role is important or not. Act well, act thoroughly, act absolutely, if there is no rehearsal for the time being, you will die and practice, practice fine, practice deep, and practice at home.”
Qu Peng's understanding of the stage and roles is inseparable from the careful cultivation of Hui Kunhua and many other teachers.
There is only one Qin Opera excerpt drama "Unpacking the Book". Hui Kunhua, who is nearly seventy years old, took Qu Peng and rehearsed it for nearly 10 spring and autumn.
Demolition of Books is from the traditional Qin Opera drama "Out of Tangyi", which tells the story of Wu Zixu's father Wu She and his brother Wu Shang were wrongly murdered by King Chu Ping, and Zixu escaped from Chu State to Wu State.
"At that time, Mr. Hui had long since retired. Every day at three o'clock in the afternoon, he would wait for me under the open shed in the courtyard." Qu Peng said, "The "Demolition of the Book" is a combination of both singing and performance, both civil and military. It took two years to teach the ground grinding with just one shaking action."
After a few years of queuing, Qu Peng felt that it was almost the same and wanted to "show a hand". Hui Kunhua shook his head and said, "No, it's still a long way off." In one play, Hui Kunhua taught him from 70 years old to almost 80 years old. .
In 2015, Qu Peng appeared in the 7th Hongmei Competition with "Unpacking the Book". Although it was "late" but "a blockbuster", he won the first prize of the competition.
"One year before Mr. Hui's death, his memory deteriorated significantly due to illness, but he still remembered the play. Once, he got lost and ran to Chang'an District. When everyone found him, they found out that he wanted to find me and give I'm talking about drama." Qu Peng choked out, "A few days before he died, he was lying on the sick bed unable to speak, and he gestured to me to show him a few laps of the show."
After the young Huadan actor Wang Fengyun was admitted to the Yisu Society, she thought "too many skills do not overwhelm you", and once quietly paid for "private education" and "secretly practiced" the Qin Opera excerpt "Hanging Paintings".
"This play won an award after the performance. When the club found out, not only did they not criticize me, but they also reimbursed me for my study expenses."
""Hanging Paintings" is a very classic Huadan 'doing kung fu', which includes unique skills such as squatting, chair, handkerchief, and water sleeves. She should be motivated." Hui Minli said, "We can't let those who love to study and get good grades suffer because of 'door views'."
Establishing a heritage center, letting rising stars take the lead, and asking old artists to "set up the stage" for young actors... As the first "female head" in the history of Yisu Society, Hui Minli is more willing to teach her through the stage and repertoire.
In recent months, she has been in the theater almost all the time, bringing actors to rehearse the new original historical drama "Zhao Jun Xing".
During the interview, a clip of tens of seconds, everyone went back and forth, and repeatedly polished it for more than an hour.
"The only way to learn a play is to learn it bit by bit, and to act more deeply. The 'Four Skills and Five Techniques' fit together perfectly," said Hui Minli, who played Zhaojun.
Since its founding 110 years ago, Yisu Society has recruited 20 students, with thousands of talents, all over the Qin Opera troupes in the northwest.
"As the younger generation, we will continue to educate and play, continue to inherit with the heart of pure children, and carry forward the art of Qin Opera with the combined efforts of the old Qin people." Hui Minli said.
"Everything in the past is a prologue," said the playwright Shakespeare.
Compared with the great history of the Qin Opera, the originator of Bangzi Opera and a hundred operas in the Qin and Han Dynasties, the Yisu Society, which has more than 100 years of "ancient tunes alone", is a gorgeous movement and a wonderful fragment; As far as the Secular Society is concerned, it is now a new starting point. The thick and fertile soil will give birth to more splendid opera flowers in the future. The curtain opened again, and one good show after another was ready to go, and it began!