Yuncheng Meihu is originally called "Fanhu", "Three Strings", also known as the" Melody ", "Qingqu" for its melodious lingering tune and fascinated audience. Meihu is based on the local folk songs. Absorbing Puzhou bangzi music, it gradually develops into a traditional opera which songs can be connected as a set. It was formed in the years of Jiaqing and Daoguang period in Qing dynasty, with a history of more than 200 years. Meihu originated from the County of Mei and Hu in Shanxi Province and got its name, spread to the south of Shanxi Province later, and gradually developed into one of the opera types in Shanxi Province. Puzhou in Shanxi Province and Tongzhou in Shannxi Province are only separated by one river, and the customs and language habits of the people are basically the same, and the exchanges are frequent. Therefore, it can be said that meihu is formed on the basis of folk songs and customs on both sides of the Yellow River in Shanxi and Shaanxi, and gradually reached perfection through the exchange and mutual influence of artists in Shanxi and Shaanxi. The early Meihu performance gives priority to "Three playets" (Xiaosheng, Xiaodan, Clown), the play content mostly reflects the folk family life story.
Stage Photo of A Red Heart
The history of Yuncheng Meihu mainly passed four stages，including folk song, rap, family drama and professional class society. During the reign of emperor Qianlong of the Qing dynasty, among the 12 folk tunes published by Yongkuizai in capital , "Two Busy Ends", "Yinniusi" and "Zun Taiping" were the main tunes retained by Meihu in the south of Jin. These tunes were later used by some blind people and poor people to make a living with three-string accompaniment, four-tile percussion festival, walking from street to street, singing at street stalls and doing happy things for others. The so-called "Pipa music for the blind, upper dusk street. Who call wine, sing to the moon." is a true portrayal of that time.
Stage Photo of the Emotion of Fruit
During Jiaqing, Daoguang years of the Qing dynasty, someone put the folk Yangko singing combined with Shehuo, to minor tunes, developed into a drama, gradually moved on stage by the "ground stalls" . In this period, "ground stall" artisan Wu Xiaobao, Wang Xirong, Wang Shengcai waits to begin to move Meihu on stage performance. On the one hand is to reserve the form of folk art. The songs are mostly based on opera plays, such as "Female Widow Testing the Field", "Ancient City Meeting", "Emperor Gu's Monk", etc. This kind of program is often sung to the end and rarely stated. The other one is stage performance. Its repertoire is not only large-scale operas such as Anti-Datong and Flaming Horse, but also opera excerpts such as Zhang Lian Selling Cloth, In-law’s Fighting and Du Shiniang, with spoken parts, singing and performance, and free selection of Qupai. The first Meihu Opera Troupe was organized by Duan Yaogong who came from the east village of Jiezhou and folk artists who came from Lingbao in Henan Province during the reign of Daoguang in the Qing Dynasty. It is recorded that the props they used for their first performance were their own household items, dressed in their wife's wedding gowns, and performed on the stage of a deserted temple theater. When local villagers were informed of it, they scrambled to climb the wall to watch it. Seeing such a situation, they decided to perform in public the next day. After they performed such programs as "Fang fan", "sell cloth", "go to Nanyang", they were very popular . In the coming Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, as the members of this troupe increased, they borrowed the clothes of stilts from Jiezhou, and performed more than ten plays in Goddess Temple at the foot of Zhongtiao Mountain, such as "Pick up Thousand Gold", "Three Jinshi", "An'an Sent Rice", "Anti-Datong", "Ancient City Fair", which made a great sensation
During the period of Tongzhi and Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty, Meihu in Shanxi learned from Pu Opera, and gradually developed into a kind of opera that can show historical stories, such as "Butterfly cup", "String Dragon Beads and "Eight Pieces of Clothes". However, for a long time, Meihu still focused on small operas, and in the folk, there has been no makeup, no performance, no singing in the end, no singing in vain, popular with the modern opera of the Qing dynasty.
Before and after the 10th year of the Republic of China (1921), there were many professional classes in Meihu in South Shanxi, such as sun Fusheng class in Xinjiang, Gao Shiwei class in Xia County, Huangzhuang class in Puzhou, fighting class in Linjin, etc., and Meihu section class set up by Zhao Liancheng in Jiezhou. During this period, there were many famous artists, such as Lu Gengren (1892-1977), a famous Jinnan clown in Shiqiao, Yongji. He performed Pu Opera and Meihu, with a clear and infectious voice. He was good at such plays as "Guida", "Shijing", "Dragon and Phoenix Flag", "Sweeping the Qin Dynasty", etc. Meihu shining yongtandiao was recorded in 1937. In the 18th year of the Republic of China (1929), Jinnan suffered disasters. In order to survive, Meihu artist developed and innovated in art . They absorbed the performance skills of Puzhou Bangzi, such as gong and drum scriptures , Qupai, chanting, wing hat, whip, lipstick, boots, water sleeve, chair, etc. and developed from "Three Small" to "Sheng, Dan, Jing, Mo and Chou". A group of famous artists appeared. For example, Cui Doudou in Yao village, Beixin Township, Linyi is full of singing voice and emotion.unexpected and touches people's heart. He plays Mei Ying in "Selling Water", the characters are vividly portrayed, the repertoire is also expanded to perform the big opera and the liantai opera, and even dare to compete with Puzhou opera. There has been a grand victory of Meihu and Puzhou opera in Yuncheng. In 1928, artists such as Doudou, Haisheng and other famous actors of Pu opera troupe such as Lao Zhenxiang performed in Xiaowang Village of Ronghe, and Meihu troupe was very popular. Some famous actors of Pu opera said: "Wang Cuncai has such a great reputation.Can't he hit Doudou's hum hum hum?(often refer Meihu as" singing hums ")..In the area of Linjin and Yishi, it was said that "it's better to watch Meihu ‘Da Jing Tang ’instead Pu opera ‘Fan Xi Liang ’；Doudou 'Selling water' instead 'Dadun with Poniang'(take a nap with woman).Then class organized by private Meihu clubs have increased, such as: Tai fei's 'Wowo Theatrical Troupe',Wuwang and Zhangwu,beside the Yellow River, Wang Shen, Daochang ,and Beima has successively set up Meihu club. They performed after the Spring Festival, the tomb-sweeping day, the autumn harvest and the wheatplanting. Usually gathering in ancient temple stage of the town, the villagers rushed up and watched. But it is too short, the impact is not big.
During the Anti-Japanese War, under the guidance of the literary and art policy of the communist party of China. A famous artist Li but in the east of Yuncheng arrived in Yanan to teach Meihu. At that time, People's troupe in the border area of Shanganning and the literary and art workers, by using Meihu reflect people's struggle in the border regions and participate the "Twelve Sickle","Educated Couple,"Enjoyed People"and so on. For the rise and development of new Yangge opera movement provides an important artistic creation conditions and laid the foundation for the modern Chinese Meihu. During this period, Meihu troupe in Yuncheng was forced to disband, and the artists were divided into five parts, some of them were put into Puzhou Bangzi troupe, some of them were put into Anti-Japanese troupe, and some of them were put into Anti-Japanese troupe to publicize Anti-Japanese in the form of Meihu company singing and small plays in the square and battlefield. In order to publicize the party's policies, spread revolutionary ideas, inspire revolutionary morale, and activate the revolutionary team and the people's cultural life in the liberated area, the propaganda team of the three prefectures of Taiyue of the Communist Party of China stationed in Chenjiazhuang village of Wenxi County is composed of a group of versatile and revolutionary young people who are mainly engaged in the rehearsal of modern drama of revolutionary Meihu, as well as some ancient costume plays with patriotic education intention, such as: There are also a lot of small programs of Meihu that are compiled and performed in combination with the revolutionary situation, such as "Tiger Child Turned over", "Wang Gui and Li Xiangxiang", "Brothers and Sisters Open up the Wasteland", "Husband and Wife can Read", "Twelve Sickles", "Red Lady wants to Revolt". These performances have been praised by Jia Kangjie and Chai Zemin, leaders of Taiyue local committee, and deeply praised by the revolutionary army, cadres and revolutionary roots Welcome from the local people. .Under the leadership of Yan Zixiang who is from Linjin county, the former head of the Special Committee of the Communist Party of China, Linyi County organized a group of trained and progressive youth, and dispatched Zhang Yingxue, Li Chengru, Su Zhiqian, etc. to form the Public Opera Troupe in the name of the XiMengHui Yuncheng City center.The troupe compiled and reproduced a number of Anti-Japanese dramas, such as "Soldiers", "Songs of the Fishermen", "Catch the Traitors", "Defend Wuhan" and "Great Victory of Pingxingguan".They successively performed for the masses in Yongji, Yishi, Anyi, Yuxiang and other counties. In February 1938, after the Japanese invaders occupied Yuncheng, The Anti-Japanese troupes in Yuncheng and Yishi are very active."Nongsheng Opera Troupe", " Advancing Opera Troupe", "Progressive Opera Troupe", "Huanghe Opera Troupe" and " Mass Work Group" mainly performed Anti Japanese opera and Meihu, and assisted in some propaganda for national salvation.
April and May 1947, Linjin and Yi were liberated one after another, dominated by students and teaching staff from middle schools, primary schools, and civilian schools in the two counties, closely in line with the situation at that time.?With eyebrow door form rehearse "Tiger Child Turn over", "Blood and Tears Enemy", "White Hair Girl", "the Official Enemy", "Liu Hulan" and so on modern drama.Comrade Wu Xiantu, head of the Propaganda Department of the Linyi County Committee, absorbed about 40 members of the Taifan and Chu Hou "family opera" groups.Xie Zhixue (president of Linyi Meiyang, Niu du University) as head, Zhang Feng (former president of Linfen Pu Theater) as director, formed a "bombardment propaganda team."The main performance of Meihu new opera, mixed with some influential Meihu traditional repertoire "Pick up Jade Bracelet", "Kill Dog", "Three on the Sedan Chair", "Eight Pieces of Clothing" and so on.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, in the direction of the party's "charm" and "double hundred" policy under the guidance, the Meihu in the south of Shanxi Province got rapid development, amateur troupe also set up fast, farmers rehearsed the Meihu and self-directed and acted, at the same time, they started organizing and excavating the traditional drama that hold in store for a long time, for example, "Vender Turn over", "Dogs Celebrate Birthday", "Capital Alive", "Visit Little Sister", "A Bachelor Crying His Wife", "To Marry Mr. Li", etc. Especially the actor called Cheng Genhu, a man disguised in female attire, inherited performing arts of the Meihu, singing style exquisite, performance, having a unique style in the Meihu in singing, using pad just right, enjoy a high reputation. In development process form north and south two big schools, south road with Linyi belt as the center, after 1952 established Linyi Meihu troupe, Wenxi Meihu troupe, Jishan Meihu troupe. North Road with Linfen as the center, has formed the Meihu Opera Troupe in Linfen area. All of them are active in the "Golden Triangle" area along the Yellow River, including Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Henan. In the 1970s, the Meihu Opera Troupe in Wenxi County and Jishan County were disbanded during the Cultural Revolution.The two troupes have achieved remarkable effect in music reform and repertoire rehearsal. Wang Xiulan, a famous Pu opera performing artist, has set up opera school and Meihu class in Yuncheng, and cultivated more than 100 Meihu talents in total.
After the downfall of the Gang of Four, theatrical activities returned to normal. Since the Third Plenary Session, the Cultural Center in Linyi County has set up the Meihu "Qingqi Team", which is active in this vast area of Yuncheng. Especially the Meihu opera troupe of Linyi County, since the establishment, he has entered Beijing seven times, Zhongnanhai three times and the Great Hall of the People once, giving special performances for Party and state leaders, such as Zhou Enlai, Zhu De, Deng Xiaoping, Li Xiannian, Peng Dehuai, Luo Ruiqing, He Long, Ji Pengfei, Peng Zhen, Bo Yibo, Jiang Zemin, Wu Bangguo and so on. In the past 65 years, he has consistently insisted on composing and performing modern operas, creating and rehearsing more than 240 (hui) modern operas, performing more than 18,000 performances and attracting nearly 27 million spectators.
Their works, "Jian Shui Dong Liu", "A Red Heart" and "Suo Na Love", have been successively made into films, and their eight episodes of drama series "Emei Mountain" have been released nationwide. The dramas of "Shi Li Hua Xiang", "Shan Mei", "Hu Le Biography" and "Yun San Yue Yuan" were broadcast on CCTV and Shanxi TV for many times, which aroused strong repercussions all over the country. "Zhao Xiao Lan" and "Liang Qiu Yan" reflected the struggle against the feudal marriage concept in the 1950s. Sons and Daughters' Debts and "Three Girls" criticized the feudal residual thoughts for poisoning people in the 1980s. "Zhang He Bay" reflected the great changes in the countryside. "Xing Hua Village" and "Hu Le Le Biography" publicized the land contract responsibility system. "A Red Heart" reflected the advanced deeds of Wang Chuanhe, a model Communist in the 1960s. ""The Feeling of Loess" in the 1990s was published. Since the new century, "Zhang Xiao Ming" have reflected the director of the model village committee, and Jing Baoshan, the National Excellent Communist Party member, his work, "Shou Wang", have been publised. "Suo Na" Tears reflected the distorted psychology of rural musicians. "Shi Li Hua Xiang" reflected the independence of women in the new era. ""Shan Mei" reflected the socialist harmonious countryside, etc. They all eulogized the times, reflected people's opinions, criticized the current situation, and criticized the unhealthy trend and other life themes. They performed people and things around the ordinary people, served farmers for a long time, took root in the grassroots, and formed their own unique performance style. They have been praised by the Propaganda Department of the Central Committee and the Ministry of culture for many times. They have been rated as "advanced unit of national cultural work" and "ideological propaganda worker of Shanxi Province". In 2003 and 2013, Yan Huifang, a national first-class actor, won the "first Chinese Drama Award · Chinese Drama Plum Blossom performance award" for the brilliant performance of modern drama "Shanmei", participated in more than 40 national, provincial and municipal drama performances, and won various medals and certificates 220. In addition, the troupe has successively performed in Beijing, Changchun, Changsha, Yuzhou, Xi'an and other places. A group of outstanding Meihu performance artists, such as Cheng Genhu, Ren Hong, national first-class actors Li Yingjie, Yan Huifang, Guo Gaoji, Zhang Junfang, fan Lin, Wang Manxi, Zhang Changxiang, Wang Bin, Ling Hujie, etc., and a group of young Meihu performance talents, such as national second-class actors, Wei Chenghong, Hou Juan, Wang Guodong, min Laibao, Cao Sulong, Han Xiaozhong, etc., and Cheng Pei, Xu Tengfei, Chen Hua, Wang Xiaozhong, etc. Jing and other new comers. Wang Xiulan and Pei Qinglian, the famous performing artists of puju opera, were also invited to play the main roles in Meihu's film art films "Jianshui Dongliu" and "A Red Heart" in the 1960s. The group's main repertoires are: A Red Heart, Spring Flowers in Bloom, Liang Qiuyan, Yun San Yue Yuan, Hu Lele Biography, Suona Tears, Zhang Xiaomin, Shanmei, Guo Xiang Qing, Shi Li Hua Xiang, Shan Feng, Shou Wang, and the transplanted repertoire: Leave the Truth, Good Year Good Month, Family Case, Small Official Hawker Primary School Teacher, Playing the Bowl, etc. Listening to Meihu and singing Meihu has become one of the indispensable contents in the wedding, funeral and wedding celebrations of the common people, and the opera has gradually developed into a large opera along the Yellow River.
There are more than 100 traditional repertoires in Meihu, Yuncheng. The main repertoires are "the Story of Burning a Bowl", "Ruyidian", "Dajingtang", "Three Jinshi", "Selling Water", "Four Errands Carrying Books", "Zhang Lian selling Cloth", "Hundred Treasure Chest", "Family Mother Fight", "Taishan Map", "Nun Sifan", "An'an Sending Rice", "Dazzling Persuasion", "Du Shiniang", "Three Jinshi", "Liu Jinshi" "Yichuanshu" and "Zangzhou" are the traditional plays. During the Anti-Japanese War, the new operas from the old area of Yan'an included "Brothers and Sisters Open up the Wasteland", "Everyone Likes", "Twelve Sickles", "White Haired Girl" and many modern operas transplanted and adapted from the brotherhood.
The melody of Meihu music in Yuncheng is rich, with strong local flavor. It reflects people's life with simple language, easy to remember and sing, and catchy. In 72 major and 36 minor, there is no rigid style restriction. At the beginning, Meihu in Yuncheng was struck with four page tiles and accompanied by three strings. After moving onto the stage, it gradually added Banhu, flute, erhu, suona, etc., and the percussion instruments added drum board, secondary board, Bangzi, Ma Gong (six characters), cymbals, small gongs, banging bells, big drums, etc., forming the accompaniment form of stage drama, song, culture and martial arts field. There are 72 major tunes and 36 minor tunes in the aria, and there are more than 200 at present. The major focus on sad plots, such as "Old dragon crys at sea","Xijing","slow five changes",etc.; the minor focus on happy plots, such as "picking flowers", "silver thread", "a string of bells", etc. There are also some neutral tunes, which can express sadness and happiness, such as "Siping", "Luozi", "Gangdiao", etc. Qupai and luogujing also mainly absorb Qupai and luogujing of Puzhou Bangzi and designed music. The main musical instruments are Banhu, flute, Sanxian and erhu. Since the new century, it has formed a music accompaniment form with the combination of traditional China and Western. Its aria features are different from Pu Opera, which are impassioned, bold and extensive. The singing of Meihu is more euphemistic, delicate, beautiful and abounds in full of joy, excitement, deep, miserableness and grief. The performance program absorbed the water sleeves, hat wings, boots, peacock feathers, chairs, handkerchief and danzi of Puzhou Bangzi.
In 2008, Yuncheng Meihu was included in the second batch of national intangible cultural heritage protection list, Li Yingjie was named the representative inheritor of the national intangible cultural heritage Yuncheng Meihu, Yan Huifang and Yang Junpeng were named the provincial representative inheritors, and Qin Hongzhou, Wei Chenghong, Cao Sulong and Guo Xiaoyan were named the municipal representative inheritors.Heritage base now covers an area of 2800 square meters, including: classrooms, reference rooms, warehouses, activity rooms, conference rooms, training venues, rehearsal hall. As a protection unit, Meihu Opera Troupe in Linyi County earnestly implements the intangible cultural heritage law and scientifically promotes the productive protection of intangible cultural heritage in accordance with the principle of protection first, rescue first, rational utilization, inheritance and development. It has successively established the “Yuncheng Meimei Training Institute”, established a data room, trained outstanding eyebrows to inherit talents, digitally preserved some traditional repertoires, arranged eyebrow music, strengthened special fund management, and recorded “Mengcheng Meimei Famous Names”. The aria album, "Yan Huifang aria album"; recorded the modern drama "Yang Sanjie sue", "a red heart", "Shanmei", "Shilihuaxiang", "Watching", "Fruit Home" and "Glorious Sixty Years" outstanding repertoire 》. Further propaganda of the "Yuncheng Eyebrows", let the eyebrows sing, music everywhere, and resonate in the community. It also makes people feel the transformation of "Yuncheng Meihu" from traditional eyebrow music to modern eyebrow music, and feels the perfect combination of modern sound chamber and traditional eyebrow vocals, leaving valuable treasure for "Yuncheng Meihu", set off A glorious page has further passed on and protected the national intangible cultural heritage “Yuncheng Meihu”.
The Linyi Meihu troupe of Shanxi Province was founded in 1953, which is one of the members of the Chinese Opera Modern Theatre Research Association and also is the state-level intangible cultural heritage protection unit. It is the only troupe in China that has always insisted on producing modern dramas since the founding of the country. The troupe once entered Beijing, four times into Zhongnanhai, and entered the Great Hall of the People to attend performance. For the party and state leaders such as Zhou Enlai, Zhu De, Deng Xiaoping, Li Xiannian, Peng Dehuai, Luo Ruiqing, He Long, Ji Pengfei, Bo Yibo, Peng Zhen, Jiang Zemin and Wu Bangguo, the troupe performed special performances. More than 240 modern operas were rehearsed, among which "One Red Heart", "Ravine Water Flows East” and "Feelings to Suona" were filmed, "Ten Miles Flower" and "Shanmei" were broadcasted on CCTV several times. The eight-episode drama series "E’mei R” has been filmed. The troupe participated many performances for more than 40 times and was awarded the title of “National Cultural Work Advanced Unit” and “Shanxi Province Ideological Propaganda Work Model Unit”. Since the new century, under the leadership of the new leadership team, our group has achieved unprecedented brilliance. In 2003 and 2013, our group was awarded the "The first and fifth national advanced collectives serving farmers at the grassroots level" by the Central Propaganda Department and the Ministry of Culture. Yan Huifang, a national first-class actor, won the "First Chinese Drama Award and Chinese Drama Plum Blossom Performance Award". The whole group won more than 210 medals and certificates from the state, province and city. At present, the whole group of comrades are united in the city and work together for the development of the Chinese opera modern drama, and strive for a better and more active cultural life.
