Wang Baohe: Life is sweet, and practicing acrobatics still requires hard work

【Approaching the Writers】

Guangming Daily reporter Geng Jiankuo Chen Yuanqiu Guangming Daily correspondent Ha Congjie

He was born in an acrobatic family, at the age of 6 began to follow his father to sell art, from the art of more than 70 years, relying on "three immortals return to the cave", "bone reduction", "deep throat sewing needle technique" and many other unique skills, at the state banquet to conquer foreign guests from all over the world, on the big and small stages let the audience of all ages stunned, with the superb skills of the magic to win the name of "ghost hand". As a national non-hereditary inheritor of Wuqiao acrobatics, he hopes that the unique skills can be inherited, and he hopes that the spirit of acrobatics that endures hardships and constantly transcends can be spread.

Wang Baohe performed in Wuqiao Acrobatic World. Photo by Dou Songshang/Guangming Picture

A wooden stick, two bowls, three sponge balls, and no other props to assist. The 77-year-old Wang Baohe held a "magic wand" in his hand and "directed" three sponge balls to enter and exit at will in and out of the buckled bowl. The audience will never be able to guess.

This trick that stunned the audience was called "Three Immortals Returning to the Cave", and with this stunt, Wang Baohe won the name of "Ghost Hand". From more than 70 years of art, he has practiced a masterpiece and has been rated as the representative inheritor of Wuqiao acrobatics of the national intangible cultural heritage project.

"No matter what you do, there is no bitterness, it is rare to be sweet." In Wang Baohe's view, practicing acrobatics is especially necessary to work hard, "Entering the new era, you can no longer eat the hardships of life, but you must eat the suffering of art." ”

Wang Baohe is thin and small, but his spirit is strong, his waist is like a flagpole, and he walks lightly like a swallow. In 1944, he was born in Niezhuang Village, Wuqiao County, Hebei Province, to a family of acrobatics, learned art at the age of 6, and took the stage at the age of 8.

Wang Baohe's great-grandfather Wang Yulin was one of the famous "Eight Monsters of Tianqiao" in Beijing at that time, known as the "King of Unlocking Locks", who relied on a unique "bone reduction technique" to go south and north, leaving a great reputation.

Wang Baohe's father, Wang Fushou, in addition to being proficient in "bone reduction", can also "turn in the middle", "water meteor", "three immortals return to the cave", "deep throat sewing needle technique"... The shows continued to be enriched, and the performances became more and more popular, and Wang Baohe followed his father to sell art to make a living since childhood.

"At that time, the four seas sold art on two legs, shouldered the burden, trolley, and carried simple props along the Grand Canal." Wang Baohe still often sings the "gong song" that was sold at that time: the small copper gong is round and leisurely, learning to play tricks and walking in the rivers and lakes, Nanjing has taken Nanjing, Beijing has collected Beijing tour, the north and south of Kyoto are not collected, and the spring and autumn on both sides of the river are spent...

Wang Baohe practiced with the adults and tasted all the hardships in the turbulent displacement. "At that time, it was all open-air exercises, and in winter, my hands and feet were frostbitten and swollen, and I still had to flip and fight and play meteors... You can't slack off for a while, you will be punished if you are lazy, and your relatives who are close to you have become particularly strict when passing on the art. Wang Baohe said that especially when practicing the two family skills of "bone reduction" and "deep throat sewing needle technique", the elders urged them more strictly and tightly.

"Bone reduction" is to stretch the bones as much as possible, especially the bone joints near the shoulders, so that the joints are misplaced and tightened, thereby shrinking the body. At this time, the wide belt should be tightened to prevent the internal organs from moving down and injuring. "Deep throat sewing needle", that is, the needle is contained in the mouth, and the needle is sewn on the line through muscle movement, which has a certain danger, and it is accidentally punctured. The two stunts, Wang Baohe took seven years to practice before and after, "In that era, there was no real skill, and there was no stomach at all."

The "Three Immortals Returning to the Cave" was formally studied by Wang Baohe when he was in his 30s and taught by his father. Some people are not optimistic about this "small trick" and think that it is not possible to go on a big stage, but Wang Baohe does not think so. He believes that there is no difference between big and small craftsmanship, as long as you are willing to work hard, you will be rewarded when you practice to the top.

"Three Immortals Returning to the Cave" is first of all a "fast" word. The diligence and understanding beyond ordinary people have achieved Wang Baohe's dazzling "ghost hand divine skill". During the performance of CCTV's "Get Together", the film crew used three cameras to shoot Wang Baohe's technique from different angles, and then slowed down in turn, still failing to see the mystery.

The second is "selling mouth", that is, to put words to the point, grasp the psychology of the audience, and deal with various "problems" raised by everyone at any time. Invite the audience to the square table, gather to the edge of the bowl, even stare at the bottom of the bowl obliquely, and even hand the ball to the audience to hold it firmly, Wang Baohe can change the three small balls back and forth. "I perform every day in Wuqiao Acrobatic World, in total, no less than thousands of performances, and each performance is different." The variations under the simple props make Wang Baohe's performance close to the audience and interesting.

Then there is the "rescue scene", that is, to withdraw the unintentional or deliberately exposed horse's feet. It requires the performer to use the technique flexibly, the mind to react quickly, and the language to express tact. The show seems to be a small trick, but it is really kung fu. "Some audiences will put forward the requirement that the actors cannot be stopped, and they must be able to round the field and not be cold." Wang Baohe was so familiar with this skill that he reached the point of pure fire.

Now, 77-year-old Wang Baohe is stationed in Wuqiao Acrobatic World, performing in the "Ghost Hand Residence", in addition to showing unique skills, he also integrates "persuasion to quit gambling" and so on, which is fun and educational. The skill of "Three Immortals Returning to the Cave" has been passed on, and his descendants and apprentices have been able to perform independently. Wang Baohe insisted on opening the door to teach art, as long as there was a guarantor to ensure the character of the students, he was frank and honest. In addition, he searched for folk artists everywhere to collect lost folk skills, so that acrobatics, a treasure of traditional Chinese art, were constantly enriched and inherited.

Compared with before, the pace of acrobatic innovation is accelerating. Lighting, music, clothing, technology... With the help of various modern means, the ornamental and artistic nature of acrobatics has been continuously improved. Wang Baohe believes that no matter how it evolves, the craftsmanship of acrobatics cannot be lost, the practice cannot be reduced, and "actors cannot fool themselves, let alone fool the audience." He often told the children who studied acrobatic skills at the Wuqiao Acrobatic Art School that when practicing gong, don't be afraid to suffer hardships, don't work hard, it is rare to have real kung fu.

"In the past, artists were 'asking for food', 'scattering chopsticks' and 'collecting cakes' everywhere, but now they have become respected actors, people call me 'artist', enjoy the special allowance of the State Council, and the status of actors has really improved." Wang Baohe said. Once, when he went to Tibet to perform condolence performances, in a Ten Kilometer Taoist Shift, the Tibetans held hands and danced to stop them from leaving, and they did not let them go until they were allowed to perform a few programs, and Wang Baohe was deeply moved. He said that the people need art and welcome art, and actors must not discredit art, but must be willing to endure hardships and practice their true skills; only in this way can they carry forward their acrobatic skills and benefit the people.

In the new era, some of the programs that attracted audiences by harming the body in the past have gradually been lost, including "bone reduction" and "deep throat sewing needle surgery", because they cannot find the heirs and face loss. Wang Baohe believes: "Now that life is good, the days are sweet, some bitterness can be stopped, and some unique skills can be preserved in books and recorded in history." However, the spirit of acrobatics of suffering in hardship, diligent study and hard practice, continuous transcendence, and diligent pursuit must still be passed on, which is our true wealth. ”

Guangming Daily (13th edition, October 20, 2021)

Source: Guangming Network - Guangming Daily