When the job you like can't support yourself
What would you choose to do?
Recently, the story of Fujian girl Cai Dongmei
rushed to the hot search on Weibo
For the opera career she loves
Cai Dongmei started working at the age of 17
Worked as a restaurant waiter, bus conductor,
Office administration, also drove online car-hailing......
Her only criteria for choosing a side hustle were:
No overtime
Puppet show "originated in the Han Dynasty and flourished in the Tang Dynasty"
Because the puppets have different shapes and manipulation techniques
It is divided into many forms
Cai Dongmei learned about marionettes
In 2006, Hokkien marionette
It has been included in the national intangible cultural heritage
It has nearly 300 tunes
When performing, the actor needs to be familiar with the lyrics and singing
And he needs to hide behind the puppet
Just a few thin wires in your hands
Draw out the actions and emotions of the characters
Cai Dongmei was born in 1987 in rural southern Fujian
At the age of 14, he began to learn drama with the artists in the village
At that time, puppeteers were still a good "profession"
But by the time she got on stage
Of the 12 people in the group, only 4 remained
The master said that it was
"One day you're gone,
No one can play this play."
From the age of 17
Cai Dongmei relies on five jobs to make ends meet
Persevered
"The only thing I care about at work is whether I need to work overtime
Because I'm going to a puppet show at night."
In August 2021, with the help of a friend
She is on the Douyin @阿梅 (Fenggui puppet show) account
Released the first video "Spring Rain Song"
She put on offline performances
The hard-to-see details of the performance were moved online
It caught the attention of netizens at once
Cai Dongmei remembered
The first live broadcast was attended by more than 5,000 people
"The last 20 years
In total, I performed more than 1,000 performances
There are only so many people who have seen the performance."
Now, while the actors show their faces on stage and sing
The thread lifting process is also demonstrated
Accompanied by a lively puppet show
Soon gained the love of netizens
Currently, @阿梅 (Fenggui puppet show)
The number of followers exceeded 1 million
"The income from live tips
That's enough for the whole team."
As the fame grew, there were more performances
Many old people in the opera industry
It has also returned
Amei also has several more sixteen or seventeen-year-old "apprentices"
What Cai Dongmei didn't expect was even more
She was able to get out of Zhangpu County, Fujian
appeared on the stage of the CCTV Opera Spring Festival Gala
January 2024
She wears a white satin blouse and a horse-faced skirt
With the puppet "Brother An Tong"
Participated in the recording of the opera Spring Festival Gala
After 22 years in the arts, Cai Dongmei is finally
Put the endangered "hanging silk puppet show"
brought into the ideal opera palace
Inheritance is not easy
Kudos to her persistence!