Wubao County Radio and Television Station FM91.5 "Copper Wubao American Column" has met with you again!
When I wrote down this topic, my mind suddenly flashed, is this not the same as the TV series "Loading The Stage" that was popular on the central, provincial and municipal radio stations a few days ago, starring the famous Shaanxi actors Zhang Jiayi and Yan Ni? Isn't it suspected of rubbing people's heat? However, I think about it again, this probably has nothing to do with the TV series "Loading Stage"! People's affairs are in the provincial city of Xi'an, and our story is in a remote small county. The stage we are talking about is a place for singing, performing, holding meetings, and playing movies. We may be telling things earlier than their stories!
The story I am telling takes place in my hometown of Wubao County in northern Shaanxi, just in the town of Songjiachuan, where the county seat is located.
This is a beautiful mountain city, the county seat backs on Qianshan, Zhongshan, Longfeng Mountain, Houshan, across the river facing the Jade Emperor Peak and River Temple in the Lüliang Mountains of Shanxi. The Yellow River is choppy and winds around the city from east to west. Residents have lived in cave dwellings for generations, surrounded by mountains and rivers, living and working in peace and contentment.
The county seat is located on the main traffic route of Qinjin and Jin, the waterway is an important wharf, and the land is the key hub. Boats come and go, bustling, not bustling! Every New Year's Festival, when we encounter important days, everyone gathers in one place, singing, dancing, and making noise!
In my memory, this place is near the sand canal in Zhongping, Songjiachuan Town.
The sand canal was the bustling place of Songchuan Town at that time, a cross without traffic lights. At the south end of the Sand Canal, near the Yellow River, is the place where several blacksmiths play iron, and the famous craftsmen are Yang Shi, Shen Shi, Ronghua Brother, etc.; there are spiked shoes, horseshoes, and vegetable sellers opposite the blacksmith shop. On the east side of the street, there are stalls of the second class of old Han and Wang Chongyi's family, Li Shi and Fan Yi's barber shop; there are also sewing clubs, engraving clubs, wood industry clubs, hardware clubs, photo studios, etc. On the west side of the street, there are Daily Miscellaneous Stores such as Ru Yuan and Laohan, as well as canteens, Xinhua bookstores, hotels, porters, docks, charcoal yards, etc.; the second floor of Li Bulan's house is also a scene of Wubao, where many painters and students often sketch. From the charcoal field to the west is the bus station. Occasionally, there will be a car on the street, and on weekdays, it is mostly a donkey cart and a rack car pulled by people. There are also many small merchants and vendors on the north side of the sand canal, less than two hundred meters up, which is the important place I am talking about - the stage.
The location of the stage is about where the county post office is now located.
The stage sat south to north, about one meter five or six meters from the ground, and it was impossible for us children to climb the stage from the front, and from the outside, it was some years old, and the age of the building was unknown. The pedestal is made of stone, the stage is like a big house, there are beams, there is a wall, a carved wooden screen divides the stage into the front desk and the backstage, and the backstage has steps to connect the outside of the stage, which is convenient for the actors to get up and down. In front of the stage is a small square, which can accommodate about 1,000 people!
The stage was an important building, and such a building was rare in the county at that time, as if There was also such a thing in Xinjiagou Town.
Earlier events, I don't remember. In August 1961, wubao county was restored, and our family moved back to Wubao from Suide, where we lived not far from the stage, and our friends often played here.
Every year in the lunar calendar, February 22, August 22, November 22, is the county material exchange conference, Qin and Jin provinces neighboring cities and counties come a lot of people, said that the merchants gathered, the crowds of people, not exaggerated at all!
Generally speaking, at this time, the able people of Song Chuan will also come forward to "write a play", that is, invite the Jin opera troupe in Shanxi to sing a three-day drama. At this time, the stage has a purpose. Curtains are hung on the stage, and pillars are planted around the square under the stage, and white cloth is enclosed. After the three gongs and drums, the tickets were sold and the opera was sung!
At that time, there was no electricity, and the evening performances were illuminated by gas lamps. The gas lights are still quite bright!
The song of the first month is in the square under the stage. In the two-person field, the old man who danced well in his hand can still remember Song Changyou and Li Jinqi of "Hanging Drums", and the rising stars are Xin Jianwei and Jing Mingxuan. The water running boat on the fifteenth night of the first month is also quite interesting. Zhang Tianen, an artist who is now an honorary Chinese artist (that is, the author of the lyrics and composition of the northern Shaanxi folk song "Driving Out the Animal Spirit"),has also sung, acted, and played allegro on this field. In his memory, he is an interesting old man in northern Shaanxi who can sing and dance, loves to sing, loves to talk, loves red fire, and is interesting.
If there is a big drama on the stage, the first time to see the opera "Liu Hulan" is on this stage.
Little children, anyway, I think it's fun, happy!
After a few more years, people built a new stage opposite the stage. The height of the stage is about one meter, which is not as high as the original stage. The platform is still made of ordinary stone, although there is no wall, there is no beam, but the platform is mostly. A few large pillars were planted on the stage, beams were erected, and a curtain was hung, and the front and back stations were separated, so wide and grand. An electric light, so bright!
Here, it has become an important place and activity center of the county seat.
The Yulin Regional Cultural troupe came to the county to perform. On this stage, I saw Mr. Shang Airen's "Animal Race" and other wonderful performances.
The Shanxi Jin Opera Troupe invited by "Writing Drama" performed plays such as "Fan Lihua" and "Mu Guiying Hanging Commander" on this stage.
The Wubao County Literary and Art Propaganda Team, which was established in 1965, also performed on this stage. Li Bugao and Yang Xiying's "Old Two Mouths Learn Mao Selection" is unforgettable, and the heroic image played by Niu Shiwen is still towering on the stage.
Singing contests of various prefectural government agencies and units were also held on this stage. I remember my mother's bank, and the songs that competed were "We Walk on the Road" and "The People's Army Is Loyal to the Party." The queues are neat and the songs are loud. The melody of this song still rings in my ears from time to time.
This place is also home to important large conferences in the county. According to the "Wubao County Chronicle", on February 19, 1967, the county held an oath meeting to "grasp the revolution and promote production", and the "rebel corps" of Yanfeng Middle School scattered the meeting and failed to end it successfully.
This is Wubao's famous "bombing meeting"! Good things and bad things, can leave a name on the county chronicle, it is not easy!
At the beginning of the Cultural Revolution, there were many people gathered here, loud and loud, big, big debate, big character newspaper. The world is in chaos!
For some reason, during the Cultural Revolution, the county built a new stage to sit west to east in front of this stage, in front of the county association and Song Chuan Primary School. The scale is similar to the original platform, but the wall is built in the south, north and west directions of the platform, which is convenient for installing sets and hanging curtains. The lighting and sound of the stage have also been improved a lot!
On this new stage, we have watched the released movies "Surprise Attack", "Heroes and Children", "Mine Warfare" and "Tunnel Warfare" many times. These were the few films during the Cultural Revolution that could be screened in public.
On this stage, on June 1, 1968, we ushered in the establishment of the county revolutionary committee. The former county party committee, the county people's committee, and the public procuratorial and legal offices were merged into "four major groups", namely, the office group, the political work group, the production command group, and the political and legal group. The Cultural Revolution gradually began to change from chaos to governance.
On this new stage, I heard a party history report written by a PLA officer about around the time of the Ninth Party Congress. From the beginning of the founding of the party, it has been talked about the Central Soviet Region, the Long March, the War of Resistance Against Japan, the War of Liberation, the founding of the country, and the socialist revolution and construction, and has talked about the various line struggles of the Party. The first time I listened to such a lesson, the first time I heard the story of the so-called "28 and a half Bolsheviks". For more than two hours, the sound on the stage was full of emotion, vivid and lively, and hundreds of people under the stage listened carefully to the lectures, and applause rang out from time to time, which was very educated!
On this new stage, we also watched a lot of performances. Performances by the Red Guards, performances by the People's Liberation Army, performances by the county literary and art propaganda team.
We also watched the revolutionary model play rehearsed by the peasants of Xinjiagou Commune, "Shajiabang". This is a program rehearsed by farmers to be performed in the county town.
In August 1970, at the meeting of county cadres, our school organized a rehearsal of the large-scale Qin Revolution model play "Red Lantern" to report to the conference on this stage, which was successful and well received!
Of course, this matter needs to be said a few more words.
In the summer of 1970, the school organized a rehearsal of the revolutionary model play "Red Lantern". Several teachers and classmates in the rehearsal team actually chose me to play hatoyama, the villain in the play. The main characters of the play, Li Yuhe, are played by Zhang Tiesheng, Li Tiemei is played by Lu Aiqin, Grandma Li is played by Teacher Xin Rongying, the traitor Wang Lianju is played by Song Qifeng, HuiLian is played by Kong Quanqing, the guerrilla leader is played by Xin Jianwei, the general director is Teacher Song Juntai, Pan Hu is played by Teacher Chen Hongbin, and the band conductor and playing board is Li Wei. Without stage experience, we study hard, experience hard, rehearse carefully, and really look like we perform.
Later, Zhang Tiesheng, Xin Rongying, Kong Quanqing embarked on the road of professional actors, and Lu Aiqin, Song Qifeng, Xin Jianwei, Li Wei and so on embarked on leadership positions.
The county's economy is developing, urban construction is advancing, and the people's cultural life also needs to be improved. In 1971, the county decided to build a new People's Film Theater in Songchuan Houping, east of the county party committee. This was the first major building in Wubao at that time, and it was a major event in the county. Shortly after entering high school, we also participated in the voluntary labor of construction projects.
According to the "Wubao County Chronicle", in April 1972, the Wubao County Film Theater was completed.
Since then, the county has its own movie theater and its own auditorium, and it will not delay the meeting and performance due to cloudy rain!
I wrote the article "Drama Stage" because I looked at the old photos and saw that the photos taken in front of the theater after our comrades who went to the countryside to join the team were recruited and returned to the city.
In this theater, we saw the large-scale opera "The White Haired Girl" rehearsed by the county cultural and labor troupe; we saw the revolutionary model play "Red Lantern" performed by the Qinxiang Theater in Shaanxi Province; and we also saw the literary and artistic programs and many old and new movies performed by our Zhiqing Report.
In this theater, I, who was still a high school student, listened to the report of Fan Shizeng, deputy secretary of the county party committee at that time and secretary of the party branch of the Fan Jiatuo Brigade, which caused my ideological trend to progress. Later, I came to this brigade, went to the countryside to join the team for four years, served as the leader of the Zhiqing group, served as the branch committee of the brigade, and served as the deputy secretary of the brigade branch (presiding over the work). In December 1977, I took the college entrance examination from here again and went to college.
This theater has left me with many nostalgia and memories!
After leaving Wubao, I would come back every year at first, and once in the next few years. The county has changed a lot, and it has become a bit unknown!
The old People's Film Theater was demolished, the old illuminated stadium was demolished, the old house was demolished, and the old street was demolished. But the new theater was built, the new conference center was built, the new sports center was built, the new Yellow River Bridge was built, the new building was built, the new Riverside Park was built, the new Wubao Middle School was built...
Changed, changed, everything changed, became beautiful. But what remains unchanged is his love for his hometown and his nostalgia for his hometown.
In September 2020, I participated in the "2020 Teachers' Day organized by wubao county party committee and county government and the autumn opening ceremony of Wubao Middle School", and I had a lot of feelings. At that time, I had sent such a message in the WeChat circle of friends, and now I resend it, just to be able to understand my mood at this time:
"On September 9th and 10th, for two consecutive days, I had the honor to participate in the '2020 Teachers' Day organized by wubao county party committee and county government and the autumn opening ceremony of wubao middle school'."
"Nine days a day, the itinerary is hurried and colorful. The scene experienced the most beautiful along the Yellow Highway, visited Henggou Hot Spring, the Yellow River Er moraine, Chairman Mao's East Crossing of the Yellow River Memorial Park, shocked by the rolling Yellow River, and felt sorry for the great East Crossing! Coming to Sigou Liuqing Cultural Park, coming to Liuqing's hometown, I felt shocked again! I am proud that Wu Bao produced such a great writer as Liu Qing. Came to Wubao handmade noodle processing base, came to Lijiahe mountain apple base, came to Lijiata greenhouse vegetable base, came to the rural revitalization base of Shenqi village, came to the transformation project of the former Wubao nitrogen fertilizer plant, visited the county sports center, the county hospital, the 307 National Highway Wubao Yellow River Bridge and the lead project. I deeply feel that Wu Bao has changed and become beautiful! ”
"Ten days a day, to participate in the completion of the new campus of Wubao Middle School and the opening ceremony of the school. After visiting the new campus and participating in the Teachers' Day Recognition Conference, I was shocked again! I am glad that the children of Wubao have such a good teaching environment and conditions! I think the hardware facilities here are no less than those of large cities and developed areas! I wish to bless my alma mater again! Once again, I wish my hometown more and more beautiful! ”
Ah, the stage, the stage of the hometown, the eternal memory, the endless nostalgia!
Producer: Zhang Jiahui Editor: Wei Jiangjiang Review: Ren Jianmin