Folk Art of "Three Brothers" in Zhengyangguan

A long history, splendid culture and prosperous business have given birth to a variety of folk arts, among which the "Climbing Pavilion", "Elbow Pavilion" and "Crossing the Heart Pavilion" which are known as the "Three Wonders along the Huaihe River" can best reflect the charm of Zhengyangguan folk art. According to many old people who have been in Zhengyangguan, the "lifting pavilion", "elbow pavilion" and "heart-piercing pavilion" in Zhengyangguan were introduced into Zhengyangguan from Shanxi and Henan in the Central Plains through Fuyang in the north of Anhui in the Ming and Qing Dynasties and along the Heying Valley. At that time, Zhengyangguan was already a busy commodity distribution center and an economic center in the middle reaches of Huaihe River. At present, there are 72 temples, and fifteen provinces such as Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Shanxi and Henan have set up guild halls here. Britain, Russia, France and other countries send people to preach and practice medicine here, with a population of nearly 80,000 at its peak. In particular, the transportation industry is very developed, with many passenger and cargo terminals and nearly a thousand porters. Every year, people play with lanterns at temple fairs, such as the Lantern Festival on the 15th of the first month and the Shui Ying Temple Fair on the 19th of February. The organizers of the Lantern Festival are eight "reeds" (also known as "feet") occupying the pier. They came forward to organize and raise money to play with lanterns. When playing with lanterns, every few lanterns are discharged, which adds up to a lively Lantern Festival, among which the most striking ones are the "lifting pavilion", "elbow pavilion" and "piercing pavilion". This traditional art form needs strong physique to perform, and it is deeply loved by dockers. They either lift or push or carry, competing to show men's masculinity, thus taking root among dockers. Every Lantern Festival, merchants gather, and inns and hotels are fully booked half a month ago. "Brother Tai", formerly known as "Brother Tai", has a long history. After being introduced into Zhengyang Pass, it can be divided into large-scale (6-8 people carrying), medium-scale (4 people carrying) and small-scale (2 people carrying) according to its size and number of people. Generally, 6-8 young adults carry the performance, 6 people carry it, 1 people are in front of the conductor, and 1 people are behind the guard. In the performance, "feet are as light as the wind, feet are as steady as a clock", "step forward nine inches and two inches, step back eight inches and eight inches, look straight at six roads, and listen in all directions without being surprised". The performers, dressed in colorful clothes, walked slowly accompanied by the band. On the pavilion, the young actors aged about 5-7 wear costumes according to different characters, or sit or stand on the attic, gazebo, sedan chair or lotus platform more than ten feet high, and perform some actions according to the characters. Frequently performed programs include: Immortals Go to Shi Yang, Goddess of Mercy, Lotus Fairy, Incense Soaring into the Sky, butterfly lovers, Red Line Stealing Box, etc. "Elbow Pavilion" evolved from "Lift Pavilion". Each "elbow pavilion" is made up of a young man who ties an "iron collar" around his waist and then uses a "core pole" to support the little actor to perform. The "iron collar coat" has a large weight to stabilize the center of gravity. There is a "core mouth" above the "iron collar coat", commonly known as "female core". The two ends of the "core rod" are "male cores", one end is connected with the person who supports it, and the other end is connected with the little actor. This "core" equipment is safe and reliable. The "core rod" used for jacking is about 2 meters; The shelves above for small actors to perform are called "sitting on the core", "holding the core" and "turning the core". Most of the people who carry the "core" on the ground are young and middle-aged, and they have a certain foundation of folk dance. They stepped on drums, listened to music, walked yangko and flower drum lanterns, twisted and changed formations from time to time. The little actors above are dangling and doing all kinds of actions, which are very harmonious. In the adventure, show a lively, happy and slightly humorous mood. Each elbow pavilion displays a kind of content, and the number of characters on the "core bar" varies according to the content. One person is called a tent, two people are called tents, three people are called tents, and there are as many as four tents. Traditional programs include: Empress Shui Bo Shocked the Four Seas, Beating the Cherry, Flowers Scattered by the Goddess, Flowers Buried by Daiyu, Immortal Descent, Fisherman Killed the Family, The West Chamber, the Monkey King Catching the Leopard, Broken Bridge, Peach Blossom Garden, and The Three English Wars, and so on. "Heart-piercing Pavilion" and "Terrain Training of Huainanzi" describe the characteristics of 36 overseas Chinese as "chest piercing": when an old man could not walk, the young man put a device on his chest to carry him (Annex 7). After being processed by folk artists, it evolved into a "heart-piercing pavilion", with two strong young men carrying iron pieces, about 2 to 3 meters high, and a small actor carrying a special bamboo pole ("heart-piercing pole"). The little actor dressed up as a clown such as "Seven-product Sesame Officer" and "Matchmaker" on the stage of drama, and the bamboo pole seemed to "pass through" the little actor's heart, which was very clever and thrilling. Frequently performed programs include Liu Erjie's Meeting, Mute Girl's Complaining, and Stealing Fairy Grass. Accompanied by the band, the little actor made some funny moves with the pace of the museum bearers, which made people laugh. There are both connections and differences between "lifting pavilion", "elbow pavilion" and "piercing pavilion" in Zhengyang Guanzhong. The same point is that the core is used by different numbers of small actors to perform brilliantly on it, which is clever and hidden, humorous and beautiful, and is accompanied by gongs, drums, suona and flute pipes. The difference is that the number of young and strong actors supporting young actors varies according to different forms. "Elbow Pavilion" is supported by one person, "piercing Pavilion" is carried by two people, and "lifting Pavilion" is carried by many people. During the performance, lights, gongs and drums ("Eighteen Chapters") cleared the way, followed by the band, playing festive and unrestrained music full of local flavor, such as "A Hundred Birds at the Phoenix" and "Sister Wang at the Fair". Compared with the back elbow of Shuitou Town in Xia County, Shanxi Province, the flat pile of Daying Village in Shan County, Henan Province, the pumice in Taishan City, Guangdong Province, and the floating color in Lumei Town in Wuchuan, Zhengyangguan has its own characteristics, which embodies the characteristics of high, difficult, dangerous and beautiful. 1, "high" In addition to the upper and lower performers, there is also a "core pole" in the middle of the "elbow pavilion", which is more than 3 meters high, and the "lifting pavilion" is more than 4 meters high, which gives the audience a good view. 2. "difficult." The "elbow pavilion" can support several people with a maximum weight of 200 kilograms. It's hard to feed them. To stabilize the center of gravity and perform for a long time is beyond the reach of ordinary people. 3. "Risk". "Heart-piercing Pavilion" seems to pierce the heart; The little actors on the "elbow pavilion" turn their heads in the air from time to time, do handstands and perform acrobatics; The traditional "lifting the pavilion" is also combined with "stilts", and stepping on "stilts" to lift the pavilion gives people a novel and thrilling feeling. 4. "beauty." "Juge", "Elbow Pavilion" and "Chuanxin Pavilion" are exquisite in terms of clothing, props, lighting, music, performances and the contents reflected. Each frame is unique and strives for perfection, and it takes time to find out the tricks and create characteristics by relying on props. For example, the Buddha in "Lift the Pavilion" shines on Guanyin's head, and the night is charming. Little actors are all handsome children who have been selected. After makeup, they look more beautiful in the light and shadow at night. Zhengyangguan folk art is characterized and supported by "lifting pavilion", "elbow pavilion" and "piercing pavilion", with complete varieties. There is only one pavilion in other places, and there are at most two pavilions, while Zhengyangguan has "lifting pavilion", "elbow pavilion" and "piercing pavilion", with staggered performances and unique style. Nowadays, in many overseas places where "Elbow Pavilion" and "Lift Pavilion" are performed, modern means such as scooters or motor vehicles are used to replace people's shoulders, which loses the original flavor of traditional folk art, while Zhengyangguan Town has maintained the traditional artistic styles such as "Lift Pavilion", "Elbow Pavilion" and "Pass the Heart Pavilion", which have not changed so far. The program also has a unique local color, such as Shui Bo Sishou, Goddess of Mercy, and Fairy Go to Shi Yang. Performers wearing Misha blue shirts and black hats are closely related to local history and culture. The "Ascending Pavilion", "Elbow Pavilion" and "Crossing the Heart Pavilion" in Zhengyangguan are the products of ancient cultural accumulation along the Huaihe River. It is of great value to explore, rescue and protect the "Denggao Pavilion", "Elbow Pavilion" and "Guo Xin Pavilion" in Zhengyangguan. 1, historical value. Zhengyangguan has a history of hundreds of years. Through vivid performances of well-known myths, legends, historical stories and dramatic figures in the long history of China, it reflects the customs, tastes and aesthetics of people's life in the Huaihe River Basin, and shows the intelligence of working people in the Huaihe River Basin. It will be an excellent way to study the cultural customs of Huaihe River to study the "lifting pavilion", "elbow pavilion" and "crossing the heart pavilion" in Zhengyangguan. 2. Artistic value. The "Lift Pavilion", "Elbow Pavilion" and "Piercing Pavilion" in Zhengyangguan integrate acrobatics, color tying, lighting, music and performance, and integrate poetry and painting into one furnace, which enlivens the festive atmosphere, invigorates one party's morale, stabilizes one party's peace, creates a happy, harmonious, favorable weather and prosperous atmosphere, and cultivates a large number of people who can fight, fight and be able. From ancient times to the present, Zhengyangguan's performances such as "lifting the pavilion", "elbow pavilion" and "piercing the heart pavilion" are packed with people. 3. Educational value. Traditional performances in Zhengyangguan include "Holding the Pavilion", "Elbow Pavilion" and "Crossing the Heart Pavilion", as well as "Lying on the ice as a carp", "Abandoning the official to find the mother" and "Strangling the tiger to save the father", all of which are well-known traditional educational themes. Another example is Guanyin Blessing. During the performance, the young actors of Guanyin distributed leaflets and printed thousands of poems and aphorisms, which were excellent teaching materials. It will play an important role in enriching people's cultural life, improving people's quality and building a harmonious society. 4. Economic value. Because of its flexible performance mode and unrestricted conditions, it is suitable for participating in various festivals and festive activities, especially street activities, and is deeply loved by the broad masses of the people; With the expansion of scale, the change of performance form, careful packaging and participation in major celebrations, business and cultural activities are very promising. Zhengyangguan's "pavilion", "elbow pavilion" and "heart pavilion" not only create a strong atmosphere for carrying out material and cultural exchange activities under modern conditions, but also play a huge role in promoting the development of one party's economy and tourism.

Development in recent years

Over the years, the town party committee and government have kept in mind Theory of Three Represents, taking people as the foundation, enriching the people and building a harmonious society as their own responsibility, adhering to the concept of building the party for the public and governing for the people, establishing Scientific Outlook on Development, relying on the advantages of the ancient town, coordinating urban and rural development, and taking the road of "revitalizing the town through industry and attracting investment". Change the appearance of urban construction, adjust the structure, develop tourism to enrich the people, emancipate the mind, explore boldly, and increase investment attraction. At present, there are nearly 100 private enterprises, of which 4 have an annual output value of more than 5 million yuan. Famous enterprises include Zhengyangguan Embroidery Factory, Wool Knitting Factory, Zhengyang Ship Repair Factory, Zhennan Casting Street, Zheng Da Broiler Processing Factory, etc. Now the whole town has formed pillar industries such as embroidery, sweater weaving, shipbuilding, casting, paper packaging, plate processing, broiler breeding and processing, deep processing of grain, oil and food, vegetables and fruits in greenhouses.

At present, Zhengyangguan town government is harmonious, business is prosperous, business circulation is prosperous and orderly, private economy is prosperous, and the investment environment is increasingly optimized. A civilized, harmonious and energetic Zhengyangguan is rising in the west of Anhui, which is really a hot spot for foreign investment and entrepreneurship.