Our reporter Wu Meng
After entering the ambush, the summer heat in the south of the Yangtze River is still transpiring.
At dusk, a central square in a township in Haining, Zhejiang was crowded with people, and a shadow play was being staged.
The gongs and drums played in unison, the silk and bamboo rang loudly, and after the three-foot silk cloth, the artist moved square inches between his fingers, and a crane spread its wings and flew over, landing on the back of the tortoise that probed its brain, and "da da" pecked the tortoise shell twice.
Everyone in the audience waited for the turtle to move, holding their breaths and not bothering to shake the fan.
This is the 42nd performance of the Haining Shadow Art Troupe's "Send Operas to the Countryside" this year.
"60 years ago, we held boats to perform shadow puppets in villages and towns along the Haining waterway. 60 years later, young people followed our footsteps to send shadow puppets to all parts of the country and then abroad." Looking at the familiar people on the stage Tortoise and Crane, Guo Zhiying, the non-genetic inheritor of Haining's shadow play, sighed.
Doing everything in one go, waving millions of soldiers with both hands.
It has experienced the prosperity of thousands of people watching the movie, and it has also been on the verge of being lost. Today, Haining shadow puppets are still performing on the stage.
Generations of shadow puppets have played from full of blue silk to gray temples, and those who dance under the lights are always young.
Dengying has been passed down for decades, and behind it is the original intention and love of three generations that are hard to give up.
Reunion: Can't forget, can't let go, and continue the front line after 40 years
Guo Zhiying never imagined that 40 years later, she would be able to meet shadow play again.
In 2004, Shen Shengbiao, an old colleague of the troupe, found the retired Guo Zhiying and invited her to join the newly established Haining Shadow Art Troupe.
"Our shadow puppet troupe has been reorganized again?" Guo Zhiying was upset, and this good news evoked her memories of youth that had been dusty for many years.
Back in 1965, 18-year-old Guo Zhiying received an admission notice from the Zhejiang Shadow Puppet Troupe.
Just graduated from high school, she was selected by the troupe for her outstanding voice and acting talent when she was an announcer in a cultural performance.
At that time, the troupe was the only professional shadow puppet performance team in the province, with classes for actors, bands, and modeling.
Guo Zhiying, who has never been in contact with shadow puppetry, followed the old artists of the troupe, started with familiarity with the performance process, and learned skills such as acting and singing little by little.
Soon, her "classroom" was moved to the stage in the field along the river that extends in all directions in Haining.
"At that time, we carried a few large suitcases full of shadow puppets and stage props on the boat. When we reached one place, we went ashore to perform for the villagers. After three days of performances, we moved to another place." In Guo Zhiying's impression, shadow puppets The troupe's mobile performances run all year round.
In just one year, she followed the troupe to 24 communes in Haining and visited more than 100 villages and towns.
Everywhere they went, they set up a temporary stage with bamboo poles in the open space of the village, covered it with white silk cloth, set up gasoline lamps, and assembled the shadow puppets to be used for the performance according to the characters. .
"New Year's shadow play gathers stars in the jar, Jingu Village is full of night windows, glamorously talks about Chang'an Jia's children, and Xunyi sings Yiyang accent." In his book "Ancient Salt Guanqu", Zha Qichang, a native of Haining in the Qing Dynasty, described shadow play in this way. grand scene.
Born in the Southern Song Dynasty, Haining shadow play has a strong water town charm in its bones. It is the only national-level shadow play in the Jiangnan region.
"Yiyang tune" is commonly used in martial arts, and "haiyan tune" is used in literary opera. The former is high-pitched and passionate, while the latter is soft and tactful. It cooperates with Jiangnan silk and bamboo such as flute, suona, and erhu.
"At that time, for a two-hour performance, all the tickets were 'robbed'." Guo Zhiying recalled that there were often thousands of people in the audience with nowhere to go.
Looking at the attentive faces, the hardships of performing in the cold winter and hot summer melted into the melodious singing and shadow dancing again and again.
In the late 1960s, the Shadow Puppet Troupe was disbanded.
Guo Zhiying often thinks of the youthful years when he studied and performed with his companions, but he has never touched a "little skin man" again.
Along with Guo Zhiying, there was also the troupe owner Hu Chenshengbiao who witnessed the former glory of shadow puppetry.
After the troupe was disbanded, he picked up the erhu and sang a piece in his spare time, but shadow play has become a distant dream in his heart.
Who knew a reunion would come unexpectedly.
In 2003, New Zealand's "Chinese New Year Lantern Festival" invited Haining shadow play to perform, and Shen Shengbiao once again played the huqin for the shadow play.
The performance received prolonged applause from New Zealand's then Prime Minister Clark and the local audience.
This "going to sea" ignited Shen Shengbiao's long-cherished thoughts - to restore the shadow puppet theatre troupe!
Facing Shen Shengbiao's invitation, Guo Zhiying was both happy and hesitant.
I am happy that I can regain the skills full of youthful memories with my old friends, but I am suspicious of "does anyone still love to watch our shadow play"?
As early as the early 1980s, Haining began to organize shadow puppetry singing and scripts, and successively recorded video materials of well-known folk performers.
However, new audio-visual entertainment such as movies and TV has dampened people's desire for shadow puppetry. Several groups of performance teams supported by the Cultural Affairs Bureau or self-organized by the people have fallen silent again due to poor income and lack of successors.
But Shen Shengbiao was determined.
After returning to China, he sold the aluminum alloy factory that he had operated for many years, and set up a shadow puppet theater with 100,000 yuan.
"Our shadow puppets are very popular abroad, and such a 'national treasure' must be passed on in China." His words spoke to Guo Zhiying's heart.
Having not touched shadow puppets for 40 years, Guo Zhiying thought that she had long forgotten how to operate and sing.
"I didn't expect that when Headmaster Shen picked up the familiar old tune of "Mushroom Picking", I would blurt out the lyrics." Recalling the scene at that time, Guo Zhiying smiled with tears.
The skills taught by shadow play have long been engraved in her mind, and time cannot make it fade.
Teenagers get acquainted and old people reunite, this time all because of love.
In addition to Guo Zhiying, Shen Shengbiao also invited back six old colleagues of the original troupe, including Lin Guanrong, Zhang Kunrong, Ma Sunying, Zhao Run, Shi Senyan, and Li Xuelin.
Start, start, main Hu, prop making... The most basic lineup required for the performance was finally assembled.
The former masters once again guided Guo Zhiying to perform, as if going back in time.
However, it is easier said than done to revive the old drama.
"We compared the few old scripts and videotapes, recalled the details little by little, and slowly found the feeling." After 8 months of rehearsal, rain or shine, four fairy tale plays and one original play were finally "revived".
After a report performance, the old shadow play troupe officially returned to the public eye.
"The most impressive thing is the 'Spring Festival' in Shanghai Nature Wild Insect Museum in 2006. There were 28 performances in 4 days, and there were performances and interactions. Although it was winter, I was covered in sweat." But seeing the eyes of domestic and foreign audiences Guo Zhiying felt that no matter how tired it was, it was worth it.
"Our insistence is right. As long as people still pay attention to this ancient art, we will continue to perform." Guo Zhiying said.
Taking over the baton: from leather to shadow puppets, adding responsibility beyond feelings
In 2006, Haining Shadow Play was selected into the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list.
Just as the troupe was getting more and more attention, the head of the troupe, Shen Shengbiao, fell.
Shen Shengbiao was already suffering from cancer the last time he led the band to perform in Shanghai.
On the way, the lymph node on his neck suddenly bleeds. He ignored the dissuasion of his relatives and colleagues and persisted until the end of the performance. After returning to Haining, he became ill.
"Father didn't even know anyone at the end, but when he talked about shadow puppets, he could still talk endlessly." In the eyes of Shen Shengbiao's daughter Shen Fengjuan, her father was obsessed with shadow puppets until the last moment of his life.
Shen Shengbiao left, and the Shadow Puppet Troupe lost its backbone.
However, if you don't forget it, there will be echoes!
One day, when Shen Fengjuan was sorting out her father's relics, she found a collection of shadow puppet music cards and stacks of research articles on vocal tunes, and saw her father write in her diary: "If Haining shadow play disappears in the hands of my generation, I will The sinners of history."
Shen Fengjuan woke up like a dream, and felt full of regret: "Although we were always by our side when my father was seriously ill, we didn't understand his heart." In order to fulfill his father's wish, Shen Fengjuan put down the leather garment business that had been in business for 20 years and devoted himself to it. Invest in the management of shadow puppet theatre.
"The troupe must survive before the shadow puppets can be passed on." Shen Fengjuan, under the pressure of the troupe's "there are old people and young people at the bottom", runs between various historical districts and theaters, seeking performance opportunities.
Thanks to her efforts, resident theaters in Jiaxing Meiwan Street, Tongxiang Wuzhen Scenic Spot, Haining Yanguan Scenic Spot, Haining China Leather City and other places have opened their doors to shadow puppet theaters successively. , now receives more than 100,000 spectators every year.
"Inheriting shadow puppetry for me was originally about feelings, but later it has become a responsibility." At the beginning, Shen Fengjuan "knows nothing" about shadow puppetry. She has encountered obstacles everywhere, but she still bravely led the troupe through difficult times.
With the increasing number of performance arrangements, Shen Fengjuan has new worries.
Haining shadow puppets are also called "Five People Busy". As the name suggests, at least five people are required to perform a play.
There are only a handful of artists who can lead the troupe, and the youngest Guo Zhiying is over sixty years old.
Without fresh blood injection, how far can the troupe go?
"Old entertainers really love shadow puppets. No matter where the performance is, they leave as soon as they say it, and they never refuse." Seeing her father's old colleague frequently traveling around, Shen Fengjuan couldn't bear it.
What she didn't want to see was that another old artist, like her father, had no one to inherit his skills, and would leave the world with a belly of shadow puppetry.
It is imminent to expand the team and find a successor.
However, acting in shadow puppets is not a profitable business after all.
Over the years, seeing talented and talented young people come because of their love for shadow puppets, and then leave due to the pressure of livelihood, Shen Fengjuan felt a pain in her heart.
She understands that if the troupe cannot increase its income, no one can continue to study full-time with only one or two thousand yuan per month. This is a real problem.
"But full-time academic performance is the bottom line of the troupe's recruitment. Our troupe can't accommodate too many people, so we need everyone to have the sincerity of inheritance and the awareness of 'one specialization and multiple abilities'." Shen Fengjuan was not convinced about the selection of young successors. Willing to compromise.
Fortunately, in recent years, the troupe has undertaken more than 100 government tours of "Send Operas to the Countryside" and "Cultural Visits to Relatives".
The troupe has been groping forward on the road of commercialization of shadow puppet performances, and has gradually turned from losses to profits.
If the show is good, the audience will be large, the income will increase, and the artists will be able to put more effort into creating better plays.
Shen Fengjuan, who has been in business for many years, is well aware of this virtuous circle.
Creating new plays has become a major focus of the troupe's work.
"On the one hand, according to modern movie viewing habits, we have simplified the 'speaking but not practicing' part of old dramas, and adjusted it from two or three hours to about 15 minutes; "Shen Fengjuan said.
Script writing, puppet design, soundtrack narration, rehearsal performance... Shen Fengjuan strictly controls every step of the creation of the new play.
"The inheritance of shadow puppets tests the character and conscience of literary and artistic workers. Our creative process is the same whether it is big or small."
"Whether it's sincere or perfunctory, you can tell at a glance." Shen Fengjuan said, "We must be worthy of the audience when we do shadow puppet shows."
Accompanied by new dramas from scratch, Shen Fengjuan's sense of achievement and excitement are beyond words.
In her view, combining traditional culture with education and popular science is also the social responsibility of shadow puppetry in the new era.
Talking about the troupe's original repertoire, she opened the conversation.
"The Pharaohs' shadow play "Little Tiger Meets the Civil Code", "The Honest Official Xu Rulin" advocating clean government, "Three Little Red Army" inheriting the red gene, "Smart Sorting of Garbage" promoting environmental protection... We have at least 30 or 40 copies in our family. "
How to coordinate innovation and inheritance, Shen Fengjuan has a steel scale in her heart.
"My father's original intention in creating the troupe was to allow traditional repertoires to continue and shine in the new era, and we have been adhering to this."
Over the years, the troupe has written, created and rehearsed dozens of traditional plays, and continues to rehearse and record 10 old plays every year.
The certificates of merit displayed in the South Gate Shadow Puppet Performing Arts Center record the achievements, and his masterpieces such as "Dragon Palace", "Water Man Jinshan" and "Chicken Fight" have won awards in various competitions at home and abroad for many times.
The troupe has been established for 18 years, and a group of inheritors has also changed from apprentices to leading actors.
Among the current 23 members, artists under the age of 40 account for more than half of them, including those born after "00".
Over the years, Haining's "Pi Nan Nan" has left beautiful images all over the country, and has gone abroad step by step.
In 2014, the troupe went to Iran to participate in the "International Puppet Shadow Puppet Exchange Conference" on behalf of Chinese shadow puppets, and performed excellent repertoires with artists from more than 60 countries.
"Finally, I didn't let my father down." Shen Fengjuan felt relieved to see the troupe on the right track, "I'm almost 60 years old. When the troupe's operations are improved and a successor is found, I can 'retire' with peace of mind. "
"Come on, come on," she said with a smile.
Sowing: Hook up the wonderful shadows, touch the eyes, draw the heart with the heart and integrate the ancient and the modern
The slender brush strokes outline the raised corners of the eyes, the colorful ink draws the flowing skirts, and the smiling woman in Chinese dress under Xu Luyan's brush gradually "wakes up".
"Whoever draws the skin image is the projection of the author's character," she said.
Xu Luyan, born in 1987, is one of the youngest inheritors of shadow puppet production in Haining City.
The shadow puppets she draws have delicate brushstrokes and flexible lines. The primary colors of blue, red, black and yellow are flatly painted with the rhythm of the Southern Song Dynasty, making Haining's "pien people" who "carve less and paint more" full of humanity.
In 2017, Xu Luyan made props for the new play "Crossing the Monkey Forest" by the Haining Shadow Art Troupe.
It was the first time that she independently designed and produced all the puppets for a whole play.
"There are four monkeys in total, one character, five bamboo poles in each group, plus a set of backgrounds. From drafting to sewing, I personally did every link, and then revised it according to the rehearsal effect. It took more than two months." Although " Cutting the bamboo sticks hurts all the hands." But at the moment of completion, Xu Luyan felt a sense of accomplishment in her heart.
With this set of shadow puppets, Xu Luyan and the troupe artists appeared at the "Taiwan·Zhejiang Cultural Festival" together.
She participated in the whole process of set, soundtrack, and performance. When she saw the "skin man" she made come alive on the screen, the charm of traditional art once again "struck the soul".
"I've been inseparable from shadow puppet production in my life," she thought.
Speaking of the encounter with shadow puppetry, Xu Luyan called it a "beautiful fate".
In 2010, Xu Luyan, who graduated from the university with a major in animation, was recruited by the Haining Cultural Center for the "shadow puppet production" job.
"On the first day of work, I went to see the Haining Shadow Puppet Art Troupe rehearsing "Dragon Palace", and I watched it all afternoon without knowing it."
This time, he never looked away.
For the first two years, she studied "full-time" shadow puppet production in the family of Wang Qiansong, a national non-genetic inheritor.
Master's old play box containing thousands of traditional play puppets is an infinite treasure copied and copied by Xu Luyan. as if alive."
The more profound the culture, the less eager it is for quick success.
Xu Luyan understands that it is faster to slow down.
"In the first two months, I didn't even touch a single piece of cowhide, and I practiced the most basic line hooking for 8 hours a day." She always maintained a sense of awe towards the thousand-year-old treasure, and the line drawing became smooth, and she "allowed" herself to copy it. original.
In Xu Luyan's eyes, the "grandfather"-like master Wang Qiansong doesn't talk much, but he leads by example and influences her career path.
When Xu Luyan arrived at Master's house at 8 o'clock every morning, the old man had already been sitting at the desk and drawing for two hours.
"Master has the dedication and focus of the older generation towards traditional art. Only by working harder can I be worthy of inheritance."
Fortunately, she has been fond of fine arts since she was a child, and her profession is a hobby. Xu Luyan feels that she is really lucky.
As soon as she began to draw shadow puppets, she became fascinated, and often sat for four or five hours, forgetting even to eat.
Two years later, Xu Luyan has mastered a complete set of shadow puppet production processes, including drafting, skin selection, drafting, scissoring, cleaning, drying, ink painting, coloring, and sewing.
In the past 12 years, she has produced thousands of sets of shadow puppets, and she still feels that the most satisfying work is the next one.
How can I draw a shadow puppet?
Xu Luyan's answer was to go into his heart and "make friends" with him.
"What repertoire the characters come from, what stories do they have, which dynasty they belong to... If you don't understand and draw them thoroughly, there is no charm."
The process of painting, in Xu Luyan's view, is a deconstruction and reorganization.
"Where did this group of patterns start, and which figures are grouped together? Split to the end are lines with varying thicknesses, which together have a harmonious sense of unity."
In order to "live" the profile of Haining's shadow puppets with "one hand, one eye, and five faces", she never stopped studying.
"I studied the clothing patterns of Haining's traditional shadow puppets, and found that the costumes of Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties all appeared." An idea came to her mind: if shadow puppets are constantly evolving with the changes of the times, are there modern elements? Can it be combined with shadow puppets?
As soon as she said it, Xu Luyan tried to integrate cartoon images and modern graphics into the design, and also made static shadow puppets into handicrafts.
"Our shadow puppets have delicate lines and can stand up to scrutiny, but the most important thing is to have light. Only through light transmission can the crystal colors flow." She went to dozens of advertising companies to customize a portable light box with a thickness of 5 cm. It has achieved a new breakthrough in the form of Haining shadow puppets.
But it is far from enough that only one person can draw. The seedlings are struggling to grow just to spread their branches and leaves one day.
In 2016, the Haining Cultural Center opened a 100-class shadow puppet production craft training class to the public free of charge, with Xu Luyan as the keynote speaker.
Three years ago, she began to teach the cultural administrators and cultural staff of the Zhouwangmiao Town Cultural Station in Haining City, and taught 15 regular students the production skills every Thursday afternoon.
At present, students who can independently complete and create their own creations have been able to take charge of local intangible cultural heritage activities.
They supported the establishment of research bases, and spread this craft to rural children in activities such as the "Spring Mud Project" and "Little Migratory Bird Project".
"My master's seed has now grown a tree of fruit." Xu Luyan is not worried about the future of shadow puppet art.
"The more China, the more fashionable", she believes that the millennium heritage of traditional culture can stand the test of time, and will also gain new interpretations in the new era.
Casting the Soul: Although the shadow is light, it weighs thousands of pounds. It is both kung fu and character
"Shadow puppets are light and fluttering in the hands, but they seem heavy when they dance. It's not only about the skills of the hands, but also the character of the person." From the apprentice "Little Guo Zi" to today's "Mr. Guo", Guo Zhiying has a lot to do with shadow puppetry. Understand that after 60 years of fermentation, it has become more mellow.
"Learning is fast, but learning is difficult. If you want to make good grades, you must first settle down." Guo Zhiying sighed.
Martial arts play is the most exciting and most test of operation skill in Haining shadow play.
"Holding three to five bamboo poles in each hand, it is necessary to show the character's agility in fighting and the dancing of swords, spears, swords, and halberds, as well as gongs and drums. Without ten years of skill, it is impossible to achieve good shape and spirit," she said.
When he was young, Guo Zhiying started to practice the "start" as an assistant, observing the essentials of the main actor's "start" while acting, and pondering how to pinch the bamboo pole.
Three-nine in winter and three-fu in summer, the vividness of the "little skin man" is now realized in the experience of hundreds of plays a year.
Teaching is integrated into actual combat, and now, she teaches students the same way.
At the beginning of the art transfer, the resident theater performances usually arranged for two teachers to "start", and two students "start" to cooperate, and each performance was one-on-one practice guidance.
"For example, in the match between the tiger and the wolf in "Mushroom Picking", the wolf is timid and the tiger is fierce. How to express it?" Guo Zhiying often gave this example when teaching the essentials of operation.
She skillfully provoked a wolf and a tiger to demonstrate, the tiger's mouth opened and closed, its tail was raised and swung, and the wolf on the opposite side bowed its head and stepped back.
These vivid interpretations, in addition to making use of the experience summed up by the predecessors, also originated from the careful observation in life.
After retiring, Guo Zhiying will go to the zoo with his old colleagues to "learn scriptures" in order to perform well in animal-based fairy tales.
In 2009, Lang Zhangming, a university graduate, came to the Shadow Puppet Troupe and received guidance from many teachers including Guo Zhiying. From the teachings and self-practice of the older generation, he realized that there are no shortcuts in shadow puppet performances, only diligent study and practice. ponder.
This "85" young non-genetic person came from a shadow puppet family, and his grandfather Lang Zili was also a member of the Zhejiang Shadow Puppet Troupe.
Since childhood, shadow play became Lang Zhangming's natural choice.
When he was a child, he was a member of the audience, watching his grandfather manipulate the shadow puppet to fly up and down.
Now, he has become the manipulator on the stage, and it has also become his mission to let shadow puppets enter the childhood of the next generation.
Accompanied by shadow puppets for 13 years, Lang Zhangming has now become the main force of the younger generation of the troupe.
In addition to helping Shen Fengjuan to share part of the management work, he is also responsible for leading the team to perform in the countryside, playing a leading role in the creation of many new plays.
A splendid shadow puppet show is all about years of hard work.
Lang Zhangming introduced that a new play takes at least a month to rehearse. During this period, the script needs to be revised according to the actual operation effect, and the soundtrack and narration must be coordinated. s work.
"The audience's biggest compliment is 'being on the scene', and the highest realm of an actor is 'the unity of the puppets'." This young successor has his own set of experience, "Haining shadow puppets do not change their expressions, joys and sorrows only depend on Only by integrating our emotions into the performance of our hands can we inject real vitality into shadow puppets."
At 7:30 p.m., after 4 shows, Lang Zhangming and 8 other partners ended their one-day tour.
"This month we will go to Hudou Village and Zhengyang Village, and then to Jinhua and Deqing... In July, except for two days off, the rest of the day is full of three performances." His face was a little tired, but his tone was full of energy.
While speaking, the troupe members dismantled the stage neatly, and within 5 minutes all the props had been loaded into the car.
On the country road, a small truck with several striking characters of "Haining Shadow Art Troupe Inheriting Human Intangible Cultural Heritage", like a moving signboard and a slogan of determination, drove towards the horizon that blended with the night.
Tomorrow, the sun will rise from there and continue to shine on this hot land that has nurtured the shadow puppet culture for thousands of years.