Classic tracks of Chaozhou opera

The Story of Pipa (the story of Cai Boxie and Zhao Wuniang) is a story widely circulated among the people in China. The Southern Opera in Song Dynasty has put it on the stage, and the early drama "Zhao Zhennv Cai Erlang" recorded in Xu Wei's "The Narrative of Southern Ci" in Ming Dynasty is the story of "Bo Jia abandoned his pro-wife and cheated on her, and died for Lei Zhen". Unfortunately, this early script, known as the "first of operas", has not been handed down. The story of Pipa was rewritten by Gao Zecheng (Gao Ming), a native of Zhejiang Province at the end of Yuan Dynasty, according to Zhao Zhennv Cai Erlang. Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Pipa Story has been continuously revised in performances around the country, and there are dozens of different printed editions. Among them, the original edition of Gao Zecheng (that is, the original edition) is preserved or close to that of Lu Yidian's banknote school, and the new edition of Cai Boyi's Pipa Story (hereinafter referred to as Lu's banknote edition) and Jiajing's printed edition of Cai Boyi's new towel box. The manuscript unearthed in Jieyang, after expert research, is considered to be the third "meta-edition" after the Lu Chao edition and the towel box edition, an independent system, and also the earliest existing stage performance edition of Pipa, which provides a lot of evidence for studying the development and evolution of the edition, literature, singing and performance of Pipa.

The unearthed "Liu Xibi's Gold Hairpin" (namely "Liu Wenlong", which plays the story of Liu Xibi and his first wife, Xiao) is a drama script of the Southern Song and Yuan Dynasties that has been lost in historical records such as Yongle Dadian and Nanci Xulu. On the last page of the manuscript, there are the words "Shengsi Pear Garden was set up in the morning of June 7th in Xuande". Xuande is the year number of Zhu Zhanji, Emperor Xuanzong of Ming Dynasty. Xuande seven years, that is, AD 1432. The whole title of the final edition is "The Record of Liu Xibi and Jin Chai". Liu Xi Bi Jin Chai Ji is the full name of the script; "The new edition is all like the words of loyalty and filial piety in the North and South", which is an advertising text in the bookstore. This kind of advertising text is often published on the front page of the Yuan and Ming novels and operas. The text of this bookstore advertisement is also copied in this manuscript, indicating that this manuscript originally originated from the publication manuscript.

Although this is a written version, it is of great significance in terms of literature value, because the scripts of southern operas in Song and Yuan Dynasties in China were not printed and circulated in Song and Yuan Dynasties. The Yongle Dadian, compiled in the early Ming Dynasty, has copied 33 southern operas in Song, Yuan and South China, but it has been lost. The three scripts I saw in Southern Song and Yuan Dynasties, Zhang Xie's Champion, The Children of the Official Family Being Wrong, and Xiao Sun Tu, were re-copied during Jiajing's reign. The unearthed Liu Xi Bi Jin Chai Ji is the fourth Southern Song and Yuan drama script after Zhang Xie's No.1 Scholar, Children of the Official Family Being Wrong and Little Sun Tu. This is from the literature value. From the perspective of cultural relics, "it is the earliest ancient script in the times, whether it is printed or handwritten", which is more than 3 years earlier than The White Rabbit, which was published in Chenghua period of Ming Dynasty, which is considered to be the earliest opera engraving in China, and is a very precious domestic orphan in the treasure house of Chinese opera literature.

In addition, classic plays include Li Jing Ji, Tell My Husband, Liu Mingzhu, Su six niang, Wellside Meeting, Lulin Meeting, Yang Lingpo's Argument, Noisy Woman, Window Sweeping Meeting, Ci Langzhou, etc.

Among them, Yang Lingpo's Argument, Window Sweeping Meeting and Noisy Woman.

"Miniature Chaozhou Opera" Tiezhi Puppet Show

Chaozhou Tiezhi Puppet Show, commonly known as "Paper Shadow Show", is a rare variety of Chinese puppet art and a magnificent flower of Chaozhou Chaoshan folk drama art.. It evolved from the shadow play introduced by immigrants from the Central Plains in the Southern Song Dynasty. After the Qing Dynasty, in order to meet the audience's visual appreciation needs, artists gradually removed the white paper covered on the stage and changed their idols from flat to round, so "tying grass as the body, tying paper as the hand, cutting wood as the foot and molding mud as the head" was called "round paper shadow" at that time.

By the beginning of the 2th century, the Tiezhi Puppet Troupe in Chaozhou had used embroidered curtains as the curtain, put small tables and props on the stage for performance, and even used wood cutting to sing Chaozhou Opera tunes. So far, Chaozhou Puppet Troupe was initially formed.

Chaozhou iron puppet idol is manipulated by three iron branches connected at the back, retaining the characteristics of shadow play manipulation; Plays, performances and musical vocals are the same as those of Chaozhou Opera.

With the change of people's art appreciation fashion, the performance market is shrinking day by day; Puppet classes are mostly semi-agricultural and semi-artistic, and they are loose amateur art groups. It is difficult to study and inherit puppet shows, especially some difficult performance skills are facing loss, so effective measures must be taken to protect and inherit them.