Preservation and Inheritance of Huagu Opera in Southern Anhui —— An Intangible Cultural Heritage〔*〕



Preservation and Inheritance of Huagu Opera in Southern Anhui
—— An Intangible Cultural Heritage〔*〕

Zhang Jing

(School of LiteratureArts and MediaTongling University,TonglingAnhui244061)

As a traditional local opera widespread in Anhui,Jiangsu and Zhejiang province,Huagu Opera in southern Anhui came into being around the year 1854 (Qing Dynasty) and has a history of over 100 years.It originated from Henan chansons and Hubei Huagu tunes which were brought in with the immigration of people in the two provinces and were later integrated with the local dancing and singing and the artistic elements of other opera genres.With its distinct colors and local features,it gained great popularity among the local people and was approved by the state council as a kind of intangible cultural heritage in June,2008.

However,with the change of the social and ecological environment in rural areas and the impact of diversified entertainment means after the reform and opening-up,Huagu Opera is losing its previous charm and is faced with a predicament,which is embodied in a decrease in the number of audience and inheritance artists as well as the weakening artistic features.Therefore,the study on its preservation and inheritance is a matter of great urgency.This paper analyzes the endangered situation of Huagu Opera and proposes ways to preserve it by combining the traditional means with the modern technology.

Ⅰ.Introduction

Huagu Opera in Southern Anhui has the flavor of folk songs and is characterized by its plain,beautiful and changing aria.The performers dance with the accompaniment of gongs and drums as well as the players’ singing.Adapted from folklore and local folk songs,most of the plays reflect ordinary people’s lives and ethical values and few of them are about complicated legal cases.The roles can be classified into sheng,dan and chou.Sheng and dan are less amusing than chou,〔1〕who always has exaggerated acts and humorous speech,and consequently plays a leading role in comedies,as is manifested in the classic Huagu Opera -The Tale of an Embroidered Portrait (also called Nao Huang Fu),in which seven roles (eight role in total) are chou.

The formation of Huagu Opera in Southern Anhui is closely related to immigration.At the end of Taiping Rebellion,Southern Anhui,as the peripheral area of the heavenly capital (now Nanjing),was the main battlefield that the Army of Qing Dynasty and the Taiping troops fought for and became desolated gradually.〔2〕And during the previous two hundred years,a series of natural calamities struck Hubei and Henan.These two factors contribute to the immigration from these two provinces to Southern Anhui and the introduction of Henan chansons and Hubei Huagu tunes,which,with the evolution of the times and the cultural integration,evolved into the early Huagu Opera.At the end of Qing Dynasty,it was frequently banned and had to be put on together with Peking Opera and Anhui Opera,which enriched and improved its performing art,costumes and make-up.This period is a crucial stage in the development of Huagu Opera.However,in the Republic of China period,because of the wars,many people became destitute and homeless and Huagu Opera in on the verge of dying out.

After the foundation of PRC,the CPC and the government paid more attention to Huagu Opera,which was gradually revitalized.But since the early 1980s,with more and more peasants searching for jobs in big cities and under the impact of diversified entertainment,it was losing its public favor and experiencing its downs again.However,with the joint effort of local government,relevant art workers,folk artists and its lovers,it was chosen as an intangible cultural heritage and had an opportunity to regain its past glory.

Ⅱ.The current situation of Huagu Opera

The impact of the mass media leads to the young generation’s indifference to traditional art.〔3〕The change of ecological environment,traditional ways of skill teaching and inheriting,and the plight of the old artists lead to the worrying current situation of Huagu Opera which is confronted with the threat of being marginalized.

1.The impact of mass media

Modern media has changed people’s entertainment thoroughly.With the advent and popularization of electronic networks and the Internet,people’s aesthetic tastes become diversified.They can gain all sorts of information and entertainment from the media,but they are deprived of the fun of participating in artistic activities.Besides,televisions,DVD and cellphones have already found their way into ordinary families,which makes it possible to enjoy and appreciate various folk art at home.Consequently,the stage art is almost replaced by the screen art.

2.The change of ecological environment

With the change of ecological environment,Huagu Opera is losing its advantage of regional adaptability.The loss of performance venue (such as towns,squares,land-temples,barn floors,yards,etc.) leads to the gradual disappearance of its spirit and flavor.Besides,the changes in social lives break the closed inheritance system of farming culture and the traditional plays no longer fit in with the new living environment.

3.The plight of the artists

The decrease in the range of the audiences makes the artists’ talent unappreciated.Besides,the lack of funds makes the artists switch jobs,which makes it more difficult for the opera troupes to survive.And the few survived folk artists can’t receive basic living standards.Therefore,it is difficult to preserve and pass on the craft.

Ⅲ.The preservation and inheritance of Huagu Opera

Huagu Opera enriches people’s lives as well as passes down historical craft.Its preservation,inheritance and development are of great significance to the promotion of ethical and cultural progress.Considering its current situation,the author thinks Huagu Opera may be preserved and inherited through traditional and modern means.

1.Traditional means

(1) The connection between transmission and inheritance

Huagu Opera is passed on through oral instruction and demonstration.Therefore,its development is based on the effective transmission and inheritance.But at present,it is faced with two problems: a decrease in the number of old folk artists and the lack of young artists.There are two ways to tackle these problems.First,the old artists should be protected and given adequate care.Second,the young artists should be given awards and praise to enhance their initiative.

(2) The creation of new plays

The mentality of the audiences should be considered when taking artistic measures.〔4〕Though popular among elderly audiences and fans,the traditional plays cannot reflect the modern life.Therefore,choreographing some new plays that cater to the young can help to increase the number of audiences and sustain the development of its troupes.And they may be created by delving into,selecting and adapting the traditional plays as well as by gaining inspiration from daily life.

(3) The support of local government

Adequate funds are essential to the preservation and inheritance of Huagu Opera.But it is difficult for the troupes and artists to obtain funds without government’s support.First,government should provide financial support which can guarantee the training of the artists,the creation of new plays as well as the improvement of facilities.Second,it should make schemes to promote the preservation,inheritance and development of Huagu Opera.By means of the abundant tourist resources there,plays can be arranged in some scenic spots to present the charm of Huagu Opera and also enhance its popularity.

2.Digital means of its protection and preservation

In Development Plan for Cultural Reform during the “12th Five-year Plan” Period,it’s pointed out that “digital protection and dissemination should be used in the preservation of intangible cultural heritage”.The advancement of modern technology makes it convenient to inherit Huagu Opera.Although it may be difficult to inherit the performances and aria of some traditional plays,they can be collected by digital means.

(1) Digital collection of performances

The singing,reading,acting of the performances can be recorded by audio and video devices.Besides,dataconcerning the pre-acting preparation should be collected.For example,the training and practicing processes and the relevant explanation should be recorded.In addition,accompaniment also plays a key role and should be recorded.

(2) Digital collection of aria

Language is the basis of the intangible cultural heritage.〔5〕Huagu Opera derives from oral art and there are more than ten types of tone-patterns and timbres which are difficult to inherit.And the old age of artists who grasp these arias makes it difficult to inherit them effectively.Besides,there are limitations in the traditional ways of recording language and music scores,as the delicate changes in the fundamental frequency cannot be recorded accurately.In addition,although the arias can be recorded through imaging and recording equipment,the recorded sound is different from the live sound and even a minute difference may lead to an incorrect perception.〔6〕

Prof.Sun Jiangping once proposed a digital theory of “multi-mode language” which is enlightening to the digital preservation and inheritance of Huagu Opera.Modern devices and software can be used to collect data,including speech signals,muscular signals,voice signals,heart rate,breathing; parameters like the sound length,pitch,amplitude,fundamental frequency and formant are extracted by software analysis.Recording the arias from the perspectives of acoustics,physics and psychologies can preserve the techniques of the old artists even after their death and make it possible for the arias to “revive”.

(3) The construction of digital e-databases

Digital e-databases should be constructed,which has integrated cataloging and complete storage and can be easily retrieved,to store audiovisual materials,digital record of the aria,schools of aria as well as the artists’ life〔7〕and to preserve complete information of Huagu Opera.Besides,these databases should be introduced to digitalized public and university libraries〔8〕to provide effective means for the scholars to study Huagu Opera from different perspectives.

Conclusion

All artistic phenomena are inevitably influences by local custom and social life and the music of traditional opera is no exception.Huagu Opera integrates Huagu tunes with the local singing and other opera genres.It’s now faced with many problems,namely,difficulty in its inheritance,lack of creativity and a decrease in its audiences.Therefore,to preserve and inherit it,factors should be considered,such as the connection between transmission and inheritance,the creation of new plays and gaining governmental support,and digital collection can be applied.This study is not only of great importance to the development of Huagu Opera but also enlightening to the inheritance other local operas that are on the verge of perdition.

References:

〔1〕Wang Yizhen,The Study on Joyousness of Chinese Traditional Drama,Shanghai Normal University,2012.

〔2〕Ge Qinghua,Hubei and Hunan Immigrants of the Intersectional Regionof Jiangsu - Zhejiang - Anhui after Tai Ping TianGuo War,Journal of Hunan University(Social Sciences),2005,19(4),pp.97-102.

〔3〕Wang Anchao,Historical Evolvement and its Protection of Traditional Music in Anhui Area,Hundred Schools In Arts,2013(3),pp.167-172.

〔4〕Yu Quiyu,The History of Chinese Drama,Anhui Literature and Art Publishing House,2014.

〔5〕Kong JiangPing,On the Theory and Methodology of the Digital Inheritance of Speech and Culture,Journal of Peking University(Philosophy and Social Sciences),2013,50(3),pp.89-97.

〔6〕Kong JiangPing,On the Theory and Methodology of the Digital Inheritance of Speech and Culture,Journal of Peking University(Philosophy and Social Sciences),2013,50(3),pp.89-97.

〔7〕Wang Anchao,Study of Protection and Development of Anhui Folk Music Based on Modern Science and Technology,Journal of Hefei University of Technology(Social Sciences),2012,26(1),pp.92-97.

〔8〕Wang Anchao,Study of Protection and Development of Anhui Folk Music Based on Modern Science and Technology,Journal of Hefei University of Technology(Social Sciences),2012,26(1),pp.92-97.

As a traditional local opera,Huagu Opera in southern Anhui have faced a threat of dying out as a result of the change of social and ecological environment in the rural areas of China as well as the impact of multiple entertainment since the reform and opening-up.Based on the analysis of its current situation,this paper proposes ways to preserve and inherit Huagu Opera by combining traditional means with digital collection technology.

intangible cultural heritage; Huagu Opera in southern Anhui; origin; digital collection; preservation and inheritance

About the author：Zhang Jing (1979—),lecturer in School of Literature,Arts and Media,Tongling University,Master of Arts,research field: intangible cultural heritage.

〔*〕Anhui Special Funds for Domestic Visiting Scholars (gxfxZD2016245); Anhui Social Science Key Research Project(SK2016A0933)