The daughter was ruthlessly driven out of the wealthy family and went to the countryside

Chapter 1100 Pear-shaped Opera

Grandpa Shen nodded: "Yes, and the good fortune is still in our own family, so we must cherish it."

Grandma Shen chimed in, "Yes, we should cherish what we have."

The first performance ended with applause and cheers from the audience. The dance team was drenched in sweat, but hearing everyone's applause made all the training worthwhile.

They exchanged a glance and smiled knowingly. Tonight's performance was a great success; they could retire gracefully.

Shen Wenxu said to the staff next to him, "Set it up so that the big screen plays the performance we just saw on a loop."

The staff member replied, "Yes, Mr. Bao."

A few seconds later, the dragon dance video started playing on a loop on the big screen, making the entire scenic area even more lively.

The large screen was hung quite high, and those who hadn't seen it before, or those who hadn't had enough, all turned to look at it.

The tourists then shared the videos they had just recorded on WeChat Moments, Weibo, and other short video platforms. Within minutes, friends from all over the world had seen them.

Many people left comments below the video:

"It's hard to see authentic dragon dances these days. This one is quite good. You can tell they put in a lot of hard work."

"This dragon dance looks magnificent; it would be even better to see it live."

"It's a pity I only have two days of vacation, otherwise I would definitely go to see it live. It's hard to see such a beautiful dance these days."

"The blogger is awesome! The art troupe is awesome!"

"Give a shout-out to our blogger..."

Short videos quickly became popular, and within a short period of time, many people came across dragon dance videos while browsing videos, resulting in widespread cultural dissemination.

Live broadcast room——

[As expected, they didn't disappoint; the very first performance captivated me.]

The two dragons were so lifelike; when they danced, they looked just like real dragons. I wonder what they were made of.

The art troupe's performances never disappoint, and this time they have once again increased my appreciation for them.

[I really want to go up there and dance! It's so beautiful! The lighting technician is amazing too. I've noticed everyone on the blogger's side is incredibly talented.]

[So beautiful! Eating duck while watching a live performance is absolutely amazing.]

【…】

The virtual gifts flew across the screen, dazzling and beautiful.

Shen Baohong was the most excited to see this. He received a lot of gifts every time he did a live stream, and the popularity of his live stream would soar to number one, which was unmatched by other live streams.

The other staff members were also very excited. The more tips they received, the more bonuses they would receive, which motivated them to work harder!

Xia Rui went on stage again: "Did you all like our first performance, the dragon dance?" After saying that, she pointed the microphone at the audience.

Everyone answered in unison, "We like it, one more!"

Xia Rui put the microphone away, a polite smile on her face: "The first program was wonderful, but our second program is not bad either. Welcome our Lihuang Opera troupe, who will now perform Lihuang Opera for us."

"I'm sure none of you have seen Lihuang Opera here before, right? The troupes we've invited have been around for quite a few years. We'll leave you in suspense for now; you can guess how many years they've been around after you see our performers."

"Alright, without taking up any more of your precious time, please enjoy the Pear Spring Opera next."

The unique sounds of gongs and drums from the Lihuang Opera filled the air, and the performers, already dressed, began their performance to the accompaniment of the music.

Lihuang Opera, also known as Grassroots Opera or Ping'an Opera, is a local opera. According to the official history of the Ming Dynasty, "Taiping Prefecture Records", there was a custom in Dangtu, Wuhu and other places on the day of Lichun (the beginning of spring) that "the opera is performed and female entertainers are recruited". Later, when Huang Yue wrote "Yuhu Bamboo Branch Poems" in the Qing Dynasty, he named Ping'an Opera "Lihuang Opera".

Wuhu Nihuang Opera was once a "star-studded" art form, with Zhang Jiying, Wang Zhenlin, Hu Jiashou, and Jin Lixing known as the "Four Champions of Nihuang Opera." Zhang Jiying's family had a handwritten script that was more than three feet tall, but unfortunately it was destroyed by a flood in the summer of 1931.

The grassroots Mud Opera could not withstand the blows of foreign influences and the coercion of "official" officials. After the 1930s, it was only maintained by scattered performers. The county annals said: "There is a so-called Mud Opera, whose lyrics are very vulgar and mixed with ditties. It is a kind of blind female storyteller. People would invite them to perform when there was a celebration, and they regarded it as a business."

In 1927, Zhang Jiying's third son, Zhang Yiluan, wanted to inherit his father's business and revitalize Nihuang Opera. He gathered a group of artists and set up a "Nihuang Guild Hall" at Shen Fengbie's house in Beimen. This was a professional singing group with the characteristics of a republican troupe, as well as a training center for Nihuang Opera actors.

After liberation, the Wuhu cultural department implemented the principles of "letting a hundred flowers bloom" and "bringing forth the new," and the traditional plays they compiled mainly included "An'an Delivers Rice," "Turning Back at the Bridge," "Three Plays with Peony," "The Bowl," "Offering Sacrifices at the Pagoda," "Old Dou Sends His Son," "Chen Lin Carries the Box," "Making a Scene in the Courtyard," "Forced Divorce," and "Fanning the Grave."

In 1959, a group of male and female students were recruited, and the "Wuhu Lihuang Opera Troupe" was officially established. They wrote and performed works such as "The Legend of the White Snake", "Qin Xianglian", "The Second Plum Blossom", and "Three Invitations to Fan Lihua".

Tao Yuanming wrote, "Picking chrysanthemums by the eastern fence...by nature I love hills and mountains," and perhaps the clay opera is like "originally a common weed, swaying aimlessly on a high branch."

When the government-run theater troupes in Wuhu were forced to shut down due to "insufficient funding" and "aging actors," small theaters in Zhongjiangqiao, Doumenshan, and Houjiashantou were opening their doors with great fanfare.

In 2006, Lihuang Opera, submitted by Wuhu City, was included in the first batch of provincial intangible cultural heritage lists of H Province.

Right now, the performance on stage is "An'an Delivers Rice".

An'an delivering rice is a folk tale, a scene from the Ming Dynasty legend "The Story of the Leaping Carp".

Scholar Jiang Shi, misled by slander, was forced by his mother's orders to divorce his wife, Pang San Niang.

San Niang was too ashamed to return to her mother's home, so she had no choice but to live in a nunnery.

Her son, An'an, was only seven years old. He missed his mother dearly and, without telling his grandmother, carried rice to the nunnery to serve his mother. He also repeatedly begged his mother to come home.

Although San Niang loved her son dearly, she was bound by feudal etiquette and could not return home. She could only gently persuade An An to go home, and the mother and son parted with tears in their eyes.

Young people don't understand it very well, but older people love it and watch it with great interest.

Shen Yingying tugged at Yin Yuwen's sleeve and asked softly, "Can you understand it?"

Yin Yuwen shook her head: "I grew up abroad and have only been back for less than half a year. I don't know much about the culture in China yet. I think this kind of opera is very profound and I can't understand it."

Shen Yingying whispered to Yin Yuwen, "I know, I'll explain it to you."

She told Yin Yuwen the story of "An'an Delivering Rice".

After hearing this, Yin Yuwen was stunned for a moment: "Yingying, we don't even know what the opera is about, how do you know this story?"

Shen Yingying waved her phone: "When the song just started, I heard the title of the play, and then I looked it up on Baidu with my phone."

Yin Yuwen chuckled: "You startled me. I thought you understood."

Shen Yingying shook her head: "I think only people who have worked in this industry can understand it. People like us with less experience can't understand it at all. We can only listen to the voice."

Yin Yuwen agreed: "That's true."

Over here, the county magistrate whispered to his wife, "This play is quite to my liking."

“I also think it sounds good,” said the county magistrate’s wife. “I heard this opera when I was a child at home. Back then, it was sung by a group of young people. Now it’s sung by older people, but I guess it was sung by people from that time.”

The county magistrate nodded: "There are few people who can sing this kind of opera nowadays, so every time we hear it, it will be one less time to hear it."

The county magistrate's wife praised, "Shen Xuening put her heart into it; she even took care of our group. It's truly touching."

The county magistrate smiled and said, "That's right."

On the other side, Qin Zizhou asked Shen Xuening in a low voice, "How did you come up with the idea of ​​hiring such a troupe?"

Shen Xuening waved her hand: "The plan was written by Qin Dianwen, go ask him."

"He wrote it?" Qin Zizhou asked in surprise. "When did he learn to write proposals?"

Shen Xuening explained, "This Dragon Boat Festival planning was something I solicited. Anyone could write something, including Qin Dianwen, who wrote something exceptionally well, so I adopted it."

Qin Zizhou still couldn't hide his surprise: "I've never seen him write a proposal before."

Shen Xuening said, "Just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean he can't."

"This..." Qin Zizhou couldn't refute this.

Seeing that Qin Zizhou reacted quite strongly, Shen Xuening said, "Would you like to take a look at the proposal written by Qin Dianwen?"

Qin Zizhou nodded: "Show me after the party, I really find it amazing."

Shen Xuening chuckled: "I was also surprised when I saw it. I even read it twice and didn't think there was anything wrong with it."

Qin Zizhou became even more curious: "Okay, I definitely want to see."

The performance of the Lihuang Opera on stage was halfway through, and the audience's feedback began to arrive.

"I originally came to the theater to see a traditional opera performance, but I didn't expect to see it here. I must say, although I don't understand it, I think it's quite interesting."

"Experts see the details, while laymen just watch the show. Okay, I admit I don't understand it, but they sing pretty well."

"I finally got to see traditional opera today. I've only ever seen it in textbooks before. Now I'll be able to write better reading comprehension passages in the future."

"..."

Live broadcast room——

Wow, that's amazing! They actually hired opera singers to perform for us! Who had such a brilliant idea?

[This is a really good song, I have to give it a reward.] A carnival-like scene appeared, with dazzling special effects filling the entire screen.

[I never expected to see someone earnestly performing opera in a live stream. The blogger really put their heart into it; I could feel their sincerity.]

How long will this show last? Could you please add a narration? I can't understand a word.

[Does anyone understand this play? Could an expert please explain?]

【…】

Shen Baohong relayed the issue of everyone not understanding the opera to Shen Xuening, who immediately became the interpreter. After listening to her explanation, everyone finally understood.

Some older people were moved by the stories in the opera, and some even shed tears.

Shen Wenxu gently patted Cao Qingyun's head: "If your mother were kicked out of the house, would you go and bring her rice?"

Cao Qingyun asked in bewilderment, "Why was my mother kicked out of the house?"