◆ Zheng Jielin, reporter of "Japan Overseas Chinese Daily".
On the evening of September 25, 2024, at the Kita-ku Community Cultural Center in Tokyo, the National Day Gala for overseas Chinese in Japan to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China was brilliantly staged. Among the 17 programs, "River of Life" is particularly eye-catching. This group of programs interprets the stories of three generations of "intangible cultural heritage" artists of the old, middle and young generations who teach the "stunts" such as face changing, shadow puppetry, and monkey play to the next generation, which deeply touches the hearts of the audience. Accompanied by the moving melody of "River of Life", the figures of the old, middle and young generations of artists alternately pass by on the stage, telling the charm of "intangible cultural heritage" art and conveying the power and hope of cultural inheritance.
In this performance, Wang Wenqiang, a famous Chinese artist in Japan, the representative of the China Face Changing Art Center and the president of the Asian Association for the Promotion of Arts and Culture, and his 5-year-old son Wang Wusheng appeared on the same stage for the first time, wonderfully interpreting the art of face changing originating from Chinese Sichuan Opera.
"This time, I was invited by the director team of the party to participate in the creation of the song "River of Life". This song expresses the surging of life and the spirit of inheritance. As a traditional Chinese art, the inheritance and continuation of Sichuan opera face changing overseas coincides with the theme of this work. In an interview, Wang Wenqiang expressed his gratitude to the director team for the creative opportunity and reiterated the importance of inheriting the art of face changing. He hopes that through such performances, more people can understand the art of face changing, and at the same time inspire the younger generation to love and spread the traditional culture of "intangible cultural heritage".
On the stage that night, Wang Wusheng, who was only 5 years old, was dressed in a performance costume, holding a fan lightly in one hand and turning around lightly. When he turned around again, in an instant, his face had quietly disappeared, leaving behind his immature face and focused expression.
From receiving the notice to performing on stage, it took only two months for Wang Wenqiang to prepare for this "father and son on the same stage" face-changing show. During this time, he overcame many challenges, from movement essentials to costumes, to finally achieve this seemingly "impossible" thing. "It's not easy to teach a five-year-old to change his face in two months. At that time, I thought about letting him perform some simple movements without changing his face. But when I consciously asked him to practice some basic movements of changing his face and explain how to use the fan, I didn't expect him to quickly grasp the essentials. Let's change a face and take a look! In teaching, Wang Wenqiang quickly discovered his son's potential and began to train him systematically and professionally.
Now that the question of whether or not you can learn it or not is solved, the next step is to prepare the costumes and props. It is reported that because there is no ready-made children's face-changing costume, 5-year-old Wang Wusheng's performance costume was temporarily tailored for him by his grandmother. On the stage, the boy's face and hand-held props are almost exactly the same as Wang Wenqiang's, but they are a "miniature version". This unique customization not only reflects the deep affection of father and son performing on the same stage, but also adds warmth and touching touch to the inheritance of this traditional art.
Recalling the rehearsal the day before the party, Wang Wenqiang told reporters that when the lights came on, his son said excitedly: "I'm so excited!" This made him feel very gratified. And this year, it is his tenth year in Japan, from studying abroad to starting a business, and then to being able to perform on the same stage this time, this is a beautiful and new beginning.
Wang Wenqiang's artistic journey began in his hometown of Anhui, where he grew up in the Huangmei opera tunes on the banks of the Yangtze River. Because of his love for performance, Wang Wenqiang was admitted to Anhui Huangmei Opera School at the age of 12 due to his extraordinary talent in opera, and received systematic study. Here, he gradually mastered a wealth of knowledge and skills in opera.
Later, while studying at the China Academy of Drama, the highest institution of traditional Chinese arts, Wang Wenqiang not only focused on the creation and performance of traditional arts, but also communicated with artists from other local opera genres and broadened his artistic horizons. In the process, he developed a strong interest in the art of Sichuan opera face changing, and eventually studied the art of Sichuan opera face changing under Mao Tingqi, a Chinese national first-class actor and master of Sichuan opera.
In 2014, Wang Wenqiang went to Japan to study and was admitted to the Graduate School of Performing Arts of Japan University, and won the national public scholarship to study abroad. During his studies in Japan, Wang Wenqiang learned about and studied traditional Japanese arts such as Noh, Kyogen, Kabuki, Humanoid Joruri, and modern Japan theater, and developed a strong interest in the comparative study of Chinese and Japanese art and culture. Through direct communication and contact with Japan audiences, he deeply felt the importance of promoting art and cultural exchange, and strengthened his belief in cultural business as his future life goal. Wang Wenqiang has established the Asian Association for the Promotion of Art and Culture, the China Face Changing Art Center and other institutions in Tokyo, Japan, mainly engaged in art and cultural exchanges, and is committed to spreading the precious traditional Chinese art of face change in Japan.
When it comes to the future, Wang Wenqiang is very much looking forward to his son passing on the art of face changing. He felt that the art of face-changing had given him great blessings, both spiritually and materially, and believed that the best way to repay him was to pass on the art to the next generation. Wang Wenqiang admits that although his son faces many choices and possibilities in his future life, he still hopes that his son can inherit this traditional art.
It is foreseeable that as a Chinese-Japanese mixed-race born in Japan, Wang Wusheng will play an important role in the exchanges between China and Japan in the future. Wang Wenqiang said that as a parent, he does not want to interfere with his son's future choices, but hopes that Wang Wusheng can enhance understanding, communication and tolerance between China and Japan through the art of changing faces.