The earliest Huagu Opera in Jingzhou is a Mianyang minor tune. There are not many singing items, only high tunes and low rhymes. In the Yuan Dynasty, it was named Mianyang Flower Drum Opera by local Liyuan disciples. Then, this opera was positioned in the early Ming Dynasty and was developed from the combination of Mianyang folk songs and Mianyang dialect. It is large-scale and exquisite in the late Qing Dynasty.
Jingzhou Flower Drum Opera performances were first recorded in literature during the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty. It generally went through the "Pastoral Period" when "drama" had not yet formed, the "Caotai Period" when drama began to take shape, and the "Caotai Period" where silk string accompaniment was introduced. The "Si Xian Period", the "fading period" in the decade of the Cultural Revolution, and the "heyday" from the 1980s to the end of the 20th century.
The central hinterland of Hubei, south of the Han River and north of the Yangtze River, is surrounded by plains and fertile fields. Tongshun River, Tongzhou River and Dongjing River flow through it, with a network of ditches and lakes and ponds. It is one of the holy places for the reproduction of "Chu Sheng" and "South Wind". Songs for weeding and beating wheat come and go, fishermen's songs and chants soar to the sky, three-stick drums, colorful lotus boats, lotus noises, and clamshell essences are popular in the countryside... It is these Han folk music, dances, stories, and customs that gave birth to the A unique local style of Han opera in the Jianghan Plain. Jingzhou Flower Drum Opera has gone through more than 300 years from its origin to today. Like many operas, it originated from folk drum singing. In ancient times, Mianyang Prefecture was located in the middle of a thousand lakes. On the field ridge, a good singer played the drums and led the singing, "Play the gongs and drums and sing Yangko, forget the pain and work quickly." The lively and loud singing and chanting can be heard all over the fields. Morning During the Zhengde period of the Ming Dynasty, Li Lian, who served as a prefecture official in Mianyang, recorded in "Mianyang Customs": "Sitting at night, playing drums and singing songs in Mianyang is a bad habit, but the ignorant people in the remote area follow "Artemisia", "Xielu" and "Evening Sing". "It's just the lingering wind". "And the scholar-bureaucrats also have people who follow it." Fei Shangyi, a scholar in Mianyang in the fifth year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1577), wrote in "Planting Rice in the Southern Suburbs": "The stream is winding and clear waves are flowing, and the five-acre hall is open. Pothos noodles. "I was leisurely chatting with guests in the bean shed, and suddenly I heard Yanggu singing farm songs." It was miserable to wander in the streets, begging for food and singing flower drums along the doorsteps.
Historically, Mianyang Prefecture in the Jianghan Plain was often flooded. There was a popular saying among the people that "Shahu Lake Mianyang Prefecture, ninety-nine years ago" "No harvest" is a proverb. In every disaster year, people go out to escape famine and make a living through folk singing and singing such as three-stick drums, fishing drums, lotus picking boats, beating discs and singing. On this basis, it gradually evolved into a story-telling, The repertoire with simple characters was originally called "Yanmen Flower Drum" (also called "Flower Drum on the Ground") because the early performances mostly featured victims carrying wooden stools or pushing carts, hanging gongs and drums, and singing while beating. It is also called "flower drum" or "cart flower drum".
The content of the performance is mostly drama fragments that reflect the love between men and women. The performance is accompanied by simple wooden boards and fishing drums, because of its soft and graceful tone. It is popular among people from all over the country. It is the "pastoral period" of Huaguzi.
In the areas of Maozui and Sanfutan in Xiantao City, Jianghan Plain, people are singing about planting and weeding. "Gaoqiang" and "Beiqiang" (a fusion of local Dago songs, Mianyang fishing drum tunes, singing and shadow puppets and other Han folk tunes) were formed here. Among them, the grass singing is a popular style related to production labor. It is a special singing form that combines the singing content with rich content, and the tunes are also varied. In addition to singing by you and me, it is mostly sung by one person and joined by others. The voice is high-pitched and simple, and the speech is in the dialect of the Tongshun River Basin, with a strong local flavor. Breath.
Its performance form was developed on the basis of Han folk songs and dances and floor flower drums. During the Qianlong period, these art forms also developed in the practice of artists and gradually evolved into costumes and costumes. It is a simple storyline performance, mostly singing words of congratulations or short stories about love life, such as Shizhimei, Sifan, embroidered purse, flying kites, reed flower tune, double bamboo shoots, etc. This is what people called it at that time. "Flower Drum Along the Door" and "Flower Drum on the Ground". Later, the artists drew on other opera types to continuously enrich and improve them. In the past, only a cappella singing was changed to singing and composition, and men pretending to be women was changed to women pretending to be women, making their performances closer to life. It also has a certain artistry.
During the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, Huaguzi emerged from the countryside and became Huagu opera, which began to take on a dramatic form, which is called the "Caotai period" of Huagu.
The repertoire of Jingzhou Flower Drum Opera during the Caotai Period gradually became richer. It developed from "single plays" to "duozi plays" and "three small plays" including Xiaosheng, Xiaodan and clown. The contents of the repertoire performed Most of them are small life dramas that reflect marriage, love and family disputes. During this period, the performance of the group of artists has developed from three to five people to the scale of "hurrying up and stopping at once".
As a form of opera, Jingzhou Flower Drum Opera has its own characteristics. The first record of performance activities was also recorded in the Daoguang period.
The Qing Dynasty Fu Zhuoran's "Maojiang Night Talk" records: "During the Daoguang period, there was He Silang in Daijiachang in Mianyang who formed a troupe to sing and play fish drums and bamboo slips. With the accompaniment, the spectators sit around, the seats are full, and the reputation is outstanding. The villagers call it "platform flower drum". This shows that Mianyang flower drum opera has begun to take the stage, and it is no longer a flower drum along the door, but a cart flower drum. Xianfeng and Tongzhi During the years, the "platform flower drum" developed into a relatively large stage built with "six poles". Although the performance format is still "accompanied by gongs and drums, supported by human voices", the flower drum here has been widely integrated into folk ceremonial activities, and is closely related to the three The folk rap arts such as stick drums, fishing drums, and Taoqing were intertwined, and acquired the gene of "drama".
At this time, Jingzhou Huagu has entered its first heyday, and has also emerged from the "platform". The flower drum has developed to six poles (a stage form), the artists have developed from a group of three to five people to a scale of seven tight, eight loose and nine full, and the repertoire has also developed from single plays to couplet plays, three small plays (xiaosheng, Xiaosheng, Xiaosheng). Dan, clown), such as "Pinching the Swords", "Double-Leveling Bamboo Shoots", "Sanguantang", etc. It is often performed to welcome gods, games, birthdays, and congratulations. It is known as the divine opera, lantern opera, and meeting opera. The performance is unprecedentedly grand, and has formed the performance scale of "Wuli Three Stage Opera" in the rural areas of Jianghan Plain.
The four main tunes and more than 200 minor tunes of Jingzhou Flower Drum Opera recorded in the literature are characterized by lively rhythm, beautiful melody, lyrical narrative, and full of earthy fragrance. The percussion accompaniment of Jingzhou Flower Drum Opera comes from the folk gongs and drums of the Jianghan Plain. There are 76 traditional percussion brands.
The earliest recorded Mianyang flower drum artist was during the Kangxi period. Five children of Wang Yuanfa were kidnapped and made homeless. Their surname was Wang Shuifa. Although he entered the arena, he always passed on operas, pushing carts and flower drums, colorful lotus boats, singing small tunes, playing with tiles, and tile boards... and passed them on to his son... and also passed them on to Wang Chunbao. Wang Chunbao, the descendant of the Wang family, was the eighth generation descendant of the Wang family. From the Daoguang to Xianfeng and Tongzhi years, Jingzhou Huagu opera performances were extremely active.
After the emergence of the gate, its influence continued to expand, and three gates, namely Huang, Shi and He, appeared one after another, which were finally called the four gates of Mianyang Huagu.
Wang Chunbao (1832-1910) was the first. The representative figure of the Wang family is Wang, who is from Changjiawan, Mianyang. He has nearly a hundred disciples throughout Jianghan, together with local celebrities Zheng Donghua, Shi Wang and the "Four Mountains of Mianyang" - Lu Songshan, Xiao Yushan, Wei Mingshan, etc. He co-created a number of stand-alone and couplet plays, such as "Jianghan Pictures", "Death of My Husband", "Liu Chongjing Goes to the Grave", "Selling Groceries", "Sending Duanyang", etc., and transplanted and adapted suitable Han-melody plays. Studying the singing skills of singles, pairs, and three small plays that should be performed on the first and second dans, he worked hard to achieve his goals during the cold and summer seasons, and when it rained at night and the lights were sparse, he polished them with great concentration and finally achieved the right result. It is a new singing style of Huagu opera that uses the local language and pronunciation of the Tongshun River Basin as the standard for singing tunes, Qishui and minor tunes. The elegance of Han opera and Qingyi has a local charm. Wang Chunbao has a wide range of disciples and is strict in teaching. He also formally established a standardized opera troupe to sing Caotai opera.
The "Historian Family" with Swann (1832-1916) as the representative figure. Historiography is from Jinchuanwan, Nanxiang, Mianyang Prefecture (now Honghu Branch River). Born as a scholar, he failed in the provincial examination and became frustrated in his official career. After getting acquainted with Wang Chunbao's opera troupe, he respected Wang as his teacher and studied Huagu. He first studied Dan, and later changed his life. He was also able to write plays and compile lyrics, and his specialty was Gaoqiang and Qishui plays.
The Huang Family Mentou, represented by Huang Ersheng (1853-1913) (a native of Zhaoganhe, Huilongwan, Mianyang).
Huang loved to watch three-stick drums and "ground flower drums" since he was a child, memorize lyrics, and practice singing in the fields. When his father saw this, he sent his son to Wang Chunbao's opera troupe to learn opera. It is its own school, focusing on Siping tune and minor tune.
He Jia Mentou (a native of Hejiawan, Sanguandian, Jianli County) represented by He Xialing (?-1928). He was expelled by the elders of the clan because of his love for flower drums when he was young. He studied under the Mianyang artist Shi Wang and changed his career from Dan to a clown. In view of the lack of talent in the flower drum art, he changed his career to a clown. He studied hard and practiced hard, and was loved by the audience. Call it Hepai. His sects are all Gong Chou, focusing on Chou Siping, Qishui tune and special minor tunes.
From this point of view, the four gates are the ancestors of Mianyang flower drums, and the Wangjiamentou is the first of the four gates.
At the end of the Qing Dynasty, Du Jiaguang, a talented scholar from Mianyang Wangchang (now Shahu Town), collaborated with Mianyang Huagu artists to compile the official script for the first time, which is the famous "Eighteen and a Half Water Books". Such as "Chen Shimei Denies His Ex-Wife", "Qin Xuemei", "Wu Han Murders His Wife", "White Fan", "Sanguantang", "Liu Lin Writes a Complaint", "Zhu's Liver Cutting", "The Torture of Hongmei" and so on. The birth of the formal script has greatly expanded the Huagu Opera industry, adding raw roles, old students, net roles, and miscellaneous roles; the dan roles are divided into Zhengdan (Qingyi), Erdan and Huadan, and absorb Qingdan, Daomadan; Xiaosheng Generally speaking, there is a distinction between civil and military roles. The clown is both a shaodan and a laodan. The enrichment and completeness of the industry system directly promoted Huagu Opera to become a formal opera type, and it suddenly reached the level of elegance, keeping pace with Han Opera and other opera types.
A large number of artists from the neighboring counties of Mianyang came to Mianyang to learn skills from their masters, or masters from Mianyang went to various places in Jianghan to spread their skills. In the early days of liberation, the number of flower drum artists in Mianyang was unprecedented. According to "Jingzhou Flower Drum Opera Records" There were 579 famous Huagu opera artists in Jingzhou area before 1949, among which there were as many as 284 famous artists from Mianyang (including Honghu), accounting for half of the total number of artists in the region. At that time, there were many private theater troupes, performing in urban and rural areas of the Jianghan Plain and even in rural areas of other provinces such as Henan and Hunan. Jingzhou Flower Drum Opera originated from Mianyang.
In the first year of Xuantong (1909), Jingzhou Flower Drum Opera debuted in three towns in Wuhan for the first time. Mianyang flower drum artists Lu Jinyu and Zhou Gao formed a group and entered Wuchang Xujiapeng, Hankou Railway Station, Hanyang Parrot's open-air (theater) theater and tea house and restaurant performed performances such as "Standing on the Flower Wall", "Writing a Statement in the Willow Forest" and "Sanguantang", which lasted for two months without leaving the seats, and became well-known in the three towns.
In the sixth year of the Republic of China (1917), more than 20 people including Mianyang Flower Drum Opera artists Chen Xingou, Chen Jialin, Shen Si, Xie Chuncheng, Tang Shitou, Yao Yuchun, Huang Heigou and Wu Fuxing entered for the second time He performed at the *** and Shengpinglou (the first formal theater in the three towns of Wuhan at that time) in the French Concession in Hankou, and the result was a sensation in Jiangcheng with his wonderful singing and performances.
In the early years of the Republic of China, Duan Feng (date of birth and death unknown), the first generation of female performers in Mianyang Huagu Opera, was a peasant girl from Zhulin Bay in Daijiachang, Mianyang (now part of Honghu), and she made her debut on the stage. He rose to prominence when he performed the performance of picking cabbage, and was hailed as the true phoenix. After her, a group of more influential actresses broke through secular prejudices and old habits and made their debut, such as Wang Qian, Wu Cui, Jiang Jin, Huang Jinxiu, Li Zai'an, etc. They have made positive contributions to enriching the singing and performing arts of Mianyang Flower Drum Opera.
In the late 1920s, the first and most influential class of Huagu Opera appeared in Mianyang, specializing in cultivating Huagu Opera talents. The class leader Cui Song (1887-1952), a native of Mianyang, is the third generation successor of "Wangmen". Starting from the 17th year of the Republic of China (1928), he successively set up accounts in Makou, Zangheting, Shididu, Jiajiawan, Sanjiangkou and other places. He served for seven times, over 20 years, and taught 80 apprentices. Remain. There are as few as seven or eight apprentices in each subject, and as many as a dozen, and they graduate in about three years. He has trained more than 80 apprentices, and 61 of them are known by name. Among them, Chen Yaoshan, Chen Huazhi, Yang Jingxiang, Chen Dazhong, Wu Daofa, Hu Monk, Liu Tiandang, Han Naizi, Liu Xianzao and Zhao Donghan were more accomplished. For art apprentices to enroll, parents must pay for their own board and lodging and a small amount of tuition. All orphans will be subsidized by the class. After one year of learning, you will perform on stage as an intern. In addition to the teacher's remuneration and material costs, the income will also be used to give the apprentice a small amount of pocket money to buy bed sheets, cotton-padded clothes, cloth shoes and other items for the apprentice. When entering the academy to become a teacher, one must worship the opera god Lao Lang Wang and recite the class rules.
In practice teaching, attention should be paid to teaching according to each individual, giving individual tablets to apprentices who can read, and then explaining the meaning of the words in the play. The apprentices all respect Master Cui Song and call him Dad Cui. After graduation, apprentices can volunteer to take classes. The outstanding ones among the artistic apprentices will be actively recommended to the theater troupe by the majors. Each batch of apprentices forms a doll troupe when they enter the internship period. Cui Song personally leads them to perform mobile performances in rural markets and towns in Mianyang, Tianmen, Qianjiang, Honghu, and Jianli. There is a saying among the masses that Cui Song's doll class is fresh every three years.
After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, the Jiang puppet regime continued to "ban the performance of flower-drum and obscene operas", and the theater troupes were forced to disband. Some artists were imprisoned, some returned home to work in farming, and some lived in other places. In order to survive, most artists had to form "three-in-one troupes" and "two-in-one troupes" with Han opera, Chu opera (Huang Xiao Huagu) and even Henan Yue Diao opera, and changed to sing Han opera or Chu opera, or half stage (i.e. half stage). They sang Han opera or Chu opera, half of them sang flower drum opera, commonly known as "Cherishing the house and hiding from the rain") until the liberation of the country.
Due to historical reasons, many Mianyang flower drum artists make a career out of singing Chu opera and have formed many Chu opera troupes. There are four influential Chu opera troupes in Mianyang: Yiguang, Guangfu, Fulian, and Lianhe. They are named after the fish biting its tail. They sing Chu opera as well as flower drum opera.
Huagu artists who "borrowed their houses to hide from the rain" and switched to singing Chu opera have raised the banner of "the return of the opera" and received the attention and support of cultural authorities in various places. The founding of New China brought a warm spring to Mianyang Flower Drum Opera and its artists.
Jingzhou Flower Drum Opera is full of rich local sentiments, and its singing style is melodious, sweet and melodious. The performance not only shows the colorful life and style of Huxiang, but also has a strong flavor of Han folk life. During the Republic of China, many Mianyang flower drum artists resolutely participated in the domestic revolutionary movement and devoted themselves to the Anti-Japanese War and the War of Liberation led by the Communist Party.
While participating in the Agrarian Revolution led by the Communist Party of China, Du Jinting and Wang Qian (female), flower drum artists from Xiliuhe, Mianyang, were arrested and died heroically.
In the 23rd year of the Republic of China, Mianyang flower drum artists Liu Sibao and Zeng Xiaochun participated in the propaganda work of the Honghu Soviet government led by He Long.
During the Anti-Japanese War, Xiang Yao (a native of Jingshan), a disciple of Song Jingui, a famous veteran artist of Mianyang flower drums, formed a troupe to sing operas. They often performed in the anti-Japanese base areas in the Hubei-Henan border areas. The troops of the Fifth Division performed a condolence performance and were ordered to protect the scouts who went to the Japanese and puppet-occupied areas, and choreographed and performed fashionable flower-drum operas to carry out anti-Japanese propaganda activities.
When the 128th Division of the Kuomintang was stationed in Mianyang from 1939 to 1943, Wang Jinzai, a patriotic anti-Japanese general and commander of the 128th Division, learned about the local folk customs and learned that the people in Mianyang liked to watch Huagu Opera. Therefore, he He developed a great interest in the Mianyang Flower Drum Opera. He held the Flower Drum Opera in his hands as firmly as a gun barrel, making it a propaganda tool for the 128th Division to connect with the masses and resist Japan.
The ban on singing Flower Drum Opera is lifted. During the Republic of China, the county government explicitly banned the singing of Flower Drum Opera. Some actors were convicted and punished for singing "prohibited" Flower Drum Opera. As a result, some Flower Drum Opera troupes disbanded, some Flower Drum artists switched careers to other operas, and some lost their jobs and lived in other places. There is Nanba Village in Miannan Township. There are more than a hundred people in this village. Men, women, old and young love Huagu Opera, and many people can sing Huagu Opera. During the off-season, the village organized four opera troupes to sing operas. With the income, they built a bridge on the river next to the village, named Huagu Bridge. Nanba Village is also known as Huagu Village. The township chief filed a complaint with the county to severely punish the actors and the leading villagers who "violated the ban."
At that time, because Wang Jinzhan, commander of the 128th Division, approved the singing of Flower Drum Opera in Beiziqiao where the division was stationed, the county could not pursue further investigation of the "Flower Drum Opera Case" in Nanba Village, and the case was dropped. After the news spread that the 128th Division banned the singing of Flower Drum Opera in Baiziqiao, Flower Drum Opera that had been banned for many years in surrounding counties such as Jianli, Qianjiang, Tianmen, and Hanchuan became active again.
Open flower drum teaching classes. Wang Jinzai instructed his think tank "Reform Committee" to hire Huagu artists Sheng Xiang, Yang Duqing, Huang Chuxiang, Huang Chongxiang, Mo Zhengdian, etc. to form Huagu teaching classes, which were funded by the 128th Army. Therefore, all Huagu opera teaching classes were collectively called "No. 12" Eight Flower Drum Teaching Class". It is equivalent to the military-type "compulsory primary school" established by the division.
After graduating from compulsory primary schools, students can serve in the army as squad leaders, trainee platoon leaders and other official positions; students in Huagu teaching classes sing operas and do anti-Japanese propaganda work after graduation.
In the four years from 1940 to 1943, the regiments and battalions of the 128th Division were in Beiziqiao, Gongchang, Xingou, Qinchang, and Panchang in Mianyang and Jianli. 45 Huagu Opera teaching classes have been established in other places, with as many as 1,435 students.
Set up an anti-Japanese propaganda team. The teachers and students in the Flower Drum Opera teaching class are like the class leaders and actors. They are both the Flower Drum Opera troupe and the anti-Japanese propaganda team. At the military garrison, we contacted the masses by singing flower drum operas and actively carried out anti-Japanese publicity activities. Division Commander Wang Jinzai's "Instructions" and propaganda slogans became the main content of anti-Japanese propaganda. The ten major contents of its "doctrine" are: "Value conscience, uphold morality, understand righteousness, perform duties, love the community, obey orders, know how to be treated, be loyal, be close to the people, and defend the country." These ten sentences were, at the time, All adults in Mianyang, Jianli, Tianmen, Hanchuan and other counties where the 128th Division is stationed must read and memorize it by heart. They must recite the "Instructions" when passing checkpoints. If they cannot recite it, they will be punished.
The memory of the eighty-year-old man is still fresh. Slogans such as "I am a patriot, and I am a patriot! Those who eat and do nothing are the sinners of the country! Wang Jinzai would rather die than be a slave to the country! Those who become traitors are the sinners of the country! Launch a nationwide resistance war and strive for final victory!" The slogans were publicized through the flower drum opera performed by the Anti-Japanese Propaganda Team and became widely known to everyone. The troupe also wrote and performed new plays based on the actual facts of the Anti-Japanese War, such as "Capturing Japanese Soldiers Alive" and "Killing Dogs and Traitors", which were well received by the audience. Due to the attention of division commander Wang Jinzai, the propaganda team with the Huagu Opera Troupe as the main body played an important role in the Anti-Japanese War propaganda.
Many Mianyang flower-drum artists sacrificed their precious years and even their lives in order to resist Japan and save the country, leaving a very precious page in the development history of Mianyang (Jingzhou) flower-drum opera. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Jingzhou Flower Drum Opera regained a new lease of life. Five county-level private and publicly-subsidized professional theater troupes (later changed to local state-owned ones), more than ten self-financed township and town theater troupes and numerous amateur theater troupes were established. After 1955, the music singing style was reformed, from one singer singing in harmony, and gongs and drums to accompaniment to string accompaniment. By sorting out traditional plays and writing and performing new plays, the performing arts have been greatly improved; the scale and area of ??performances have also been expanded.
In 1951, the Mianyang County Government held a literary and art work conference in Miancheng to implement the State Administration Council's "Instructions on Opera Reform Work" and register opera societies and well-known artists. With the approval of the County Culture and Education Department, many artists of Mianyang Huagu formed four professional Chu opera troupes (later changed to Huagu Troupe). The names of the troupes are "Yiguang", "Guangfu", "Fulian" and "United", with the first and last words connected. , which means "brothers and troupes belong to the same family", was under the administrative management of Mianyang County Culture and Education Department. Since then, Mianyang Huagu Opera has four legal and formal troupes recognized by the government.
After that, due to the flow of troupes, the first batch of county-level Huagu troupes such as Tianmen, Mianyang, and Qianjiang were established successively.
The "Yiguang" Theater Troupe is headed by Wang Shouyin and Ni Xinping. After its establishment, it performed in Jianli and was called the "Yiguang Chu Theater Troupe" in Jianli. In 1954, Zhongxiang was displaced due to a flood. The Zhongxiang County Government took over the company and renamed it the "Zhongxiang County Flower Drum Troupe" with Yang Duqing as its leader. In 1957, he performed in Qianjiang and settled down. It was renamed "Qianjiang County Flower Drum Troupe", later "Qianjiang City Jingzhou Flower Drum Troupe", and then upgraded to "Hubei Province Experimental Jingzhou Flower Drum Troupe". In 1991, the famous actor Hu Xinzhong became the leader. To this day, he is still active in Qianjiang and surrounding counties and cities.
In the 1950s, Jingzhou Flower Drum Opera became finalized and matured. More than two hundred traditional plays were collected, selected and re-arranged for audition. While removing the dross, "Picking Flowers", "Bringing Colors", "Bite Bowl", etc.
When the "Guangfu" troupe was established, it was composed of Shao Faqing and Zhao Dexin were in charge and went to Jiayu Jiezhou to perform. Later, it was renamed "Jiayu County Chu Opera Troupe" and it still tours and performs throughout Xianning City.
When the "Fu Lian" Theater was first established, it was headed by Yu Haosheng and Li Xianghuan. In November 1952, it moved to Tianmen Yuekou and settled down.
In 1954, he went to Tianmen Chengguan and wanted to name the troupe "Tianmen Flower Drum Troupe". Because a large number of famous actors from Mianyang, such as Wei Zebin and Xiao Zuojun (female) of the troupe, wanted to leave the troupe and return to Mianyang, after coordination with the relevant departments, the name "Tianmen County Tianmiang Flower Drum Troupe" was chosen. Li New Year and Shen Shan are the chief and deputy heads. Still touring around Tianmen.
Liu Mingfang and Chen Huazhi of the "United" theater troupe are in charge. In 1953, Cui Liujin was elected as the group leader, and Gong Yixiang succeeded him. After 1955, Huang Chongxiang and Shu Xiaoyun became the deputy group leaders. In May 1956, it was officially named "Mianyang County Flower Drum Troupe", with Huang Chongxiang appointed as the leader, and Cheng Lanting and Ou Qingsheng as deputy leaders. In 1960, Jin Minti was appointed as the leader. In 1973, the Huagu Opera Troupe was restored. In 1977, Guo Bairong was appointed as secretary and leader, and Xiao Yuanlin, Shu Xiaoyun and Xie Guifang were appointed as deputy leaders. After the county was demolished and the city was established in 1986, it was renamed "Hubei Mianyang Flower Drum Troupe" and it still performs in urban and rural areas inside and outside the city.
In 1955, Jingzhou Flower Drum Opera took steps on the road of inheritance and reform. Its important symbol is the inheritance of "one singer for all" and "unique skills". "Picking flowers", "bringing colors" and "biting bowls" are the three remaining stunts in Jingzhou Flower Drum Opera performances. For example, Cheng Lanting, a well-known artist from the original Mianyang Flower Drum Opera Troupe The flower-picking performances of "Six Steps", "Eight Stages", and "Ten Gods" vividly express the postures of seeing, smelling, listening, picking, stabbing, climbing, beating, releasing, and piercing, and have a strong flavor of life. The shaping tasks are realistic, dare to break through, and are eclectic, which greatly enriches the expressive power of the opera and expresses the artistic characteristics of Mianyang Flower Drum Opera.
Chen Shan is also an outstanding representative of Jingzhou Flower Drum Opera. The repertoire includes "Cidian", "Visiting Friends", "Lanqiao", "Embroidered Purse", "Picking Vegetables", etc. In 1953, Chen Shan and Yang Duqing brought "Dalianxiang", which reflected the poor life of flower drum artists. Participated in the first folk art performance of New China and was received by central leaders such as Mao Zedong, Zhu De and Zhou Enlai.
From the 1950s to the mid-1960s, the Jingzhou Flower Drum Opera stage was clean and beautiful. Plays such as "Bamboo Shoots", "Zhan Jing Tang", "San Guan Tang", "Spring Girl Picks Up an Axe", "Borrowing Oxen", and "Blocking the Sedan Chair" respectively won awards in Hubei Province and Central South District literary and art performances. These achievements have been laid. Jingzhou Flower Drum Opera has become as famous as Hubei Han Opera and Chu Opera.
After the beginning of the "Cultural Revolution", the Huagu Opera Troupes in various counties were abolished, and the performance of Flower Drum Opera was gradually restored from the 1970s to the 1970s. The 1990s was a period of comprehensive development for Jingzhou Flower Drum Opera. From performance content to form, from script to stage, from music to stage design, refreshing and unforgettable artistic creations appeared.
Since the reform and opening up. , Jingzhou Flower Drum Opera has been developed in an all-round way, becoming more artistically perfect, and its ideological content is also refreshing. It won creation awards or performance awards in provincial performances and performances in Hubei Province, bringing this local opera into its heyday. In 1980, the new traditional play "Standing on the Flower Wall" was filmed in color by Zhujiang Film Studio. Stage opera art films; plays such as "The Blind Man Makes a Drama", "The Man Who Wanted", and "Selling the Nest" were made into TV films.
Jingzhou Huagu has successively produced "Family Case" and "Xiang Laosan". Eight major operas, including "Recruiting a Son-in-Law", came to Beijing and sang on the capital's stage. In September 1988, at the invitation of the Chinese Opera Modern Drama Research Association and "Drama Review", Mianyang Huagu Troupe compiled the traditional play "Send Fragrant Tea". The large-scale modern drama "Asking for a Son-in-law", which he created, was performed in Zhongnanhai and participated in the China Art Festival (Zhongnan Film Festival). Qianjiang Flower Drum Troupe's Jingzhou Flower Drum Opera adapted from Cao Yu's masterpiece "The Wilderness" went to Beijing twice: in 1990, it participated in "Cao Yu". "The 65th Anniversary of Engaging in Theater Activities" was performed to celebrate "The 65th Anniversary of Engaging in Theater Activities" and sang in Zhongnanhai; in 1996, "The Wilderness" was re-arranged as "The Wilderness" and went to Beijing to perform for the Sixth National Literary Congress.
In 1993 Qianjiang Flower Drum Theater was upgraded to Hubei Province Experimental Jingzhou Flower Drum Theater. "Love in the Wilderness" performed by the theater highlights the integration of song, dance and drama, creating an artistic realm of "familiarity yet newness" and giving people a brand new aesthetic experience.
The play won the Hubei Provincial New Drama Works Showcase Gold Award in 1995, the China Cao Yu Drama Literature Award and the Hubei Provincial "Five One Project" Award in 1997, and the China Wenhua New Play Award in 1998. The troupe's national first-class actors Hu Xinzhong, Li Chunhua and Sun Shi'an won the 14th and 15th Chinese Drama Plum Blossom Awards and the 8th China Wenhua Performance Award respectively for their successful performances in "The Wilderness".
From 2000 to 2001, Mianyang Flower Drum Troupe performed "Standing on the Flower Wall", "Thirteen Styles", "Mo Chou Girl", "Two Jade Cicadas", "Driving Sons to Herd Sheep" and "Qingfeng Pavilion" The eight major plays, "Sanniang's Teaching Son" and "Fake Bridal Chamber", and the five short plays "The Beheading Hall", "Ji Gong Descends from the Mountain", "Jia's Marriage Argument", "He Yebao Writes a Complaint" and "Visiting Friends" were published by Yangzijiang Audio and Video The company recorded it into VCD discs and distributed them at home and abroad.
In 2008, at the first Hubei Local Opera Art Festival, the Mianyang Flower Drum Troupe selected a large-scale costume flower drum opera "The Demotion of an Official", a traditional excerpt of "Chen Lin Tortures the Bandit", and a modern drama "Old Neighbor". With their accumulated artistic standards and vivid performance capabilities, the two little threes stood out and showed off at the festival, and won 14 awards in one fell swoop. In particular, "The Demotion of an Official" won three artistic laurels: Outstanding Transplanted Drama Award, First Prize for Music Creation, and First Prize for Actor Performance.
In October 2013, the short play "Robbing the Boss" selected by the Mianyang Flower Drum Troupe won the Drama Category Star Award at the 10th China Art Festival.
Around the 21st century, Jingzhou Flower Drum Opera has encountered an irresistible crisis. The discovery and rescue of Jingzhou Flower Drum Opera is crucial to the inheritance, protection and research of Jingchu folk culture and art. In 2006 and 2011, Jingzhou Flower Drum Opera was twice included in the national intangible cultural heritage list with the approval of the State Council after declarations from Qianjiang City and Xiantao City.