Source: Wenzhou News Network
The Kowloon Helmet from the cangnan County Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition Hall
Xia Fayun
Wenzhou Network News This year's Mid-Autumn Festival, Henan Satellite TV, which has repeatedly "gone out of the circle", launched the "Mid-Autumn Festival Fantastic Tour", once again bringing a new visual experience to everyone with a breakthrough in conventional visual means. Among them, the opera program "Drama • Rhyme" appeared in the picture of Li Xin, the inheritor of the opera helmet making skills.
Helmets refer to the headdresses worn by actors when performing in traditional Chinese opera. Cangnan Jinxiang Xiajia is a family with nearly 300 years of helmet making history, and the "Xia Yijin" opera helmet has been famous in Pear Garden for hundreds of years. Mei Lanfang, Zhou Xinfang, Ma Lianliang, Gai Mingtian and a large number of other famous Peking Opera actors are all "fans" of the "Xia Yijin" opera helmet.
Today, among the exhibits of the Cangnan County Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition Hall is the "Xia Yijin" opera helmet. Today, we tell you the story of the past and present life of the "Xia Yijin" opera helmet.
■ Legends of past lives
It was passed down to the court of the Qing Dynasty
Helmet smith Jin Yijin
The "Xia Yijin" opera helmet on display at the Cangnan County Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition Hall is a Nine Dragon Helmet. According to the staff of the museum, its producer is Xia Fayun, the seventh generation of "Xia Yijin" opera helmet production.
Helmets are a collective term for the various crowns and hats worn by characters in traditional Chinese opera, which are roughly divided into four categories: crowns, helmets, scarves and hats, which are an important part of traditional opera costumes. According to Yue Hui's "Study of Xiqu Helmets", xiqu helmets appeared in the Yuan Dynasty and were basically formed at the end of the Ming Dynasty. In the Qing Dynasty, especially after the birth of Peking Opera, it reached the peak of development, and some well-known helmet technicians and helmet makers came into being.
Cangnan is one of the main birthplaces of Wenzhou southern opera, Cangnan people love to act, listen to drama, one of the two major local dramas in Wenzhou and the earliest class of drama "Lao Lianchang", the "Tongfu" class that brings Yongjiakun opera back to life many other famous drama classes were born in Cangnan Andong' famous characters Yang Shengtao, Ye Liangjin and other famous drama clubs were born in Cangnan local drama class, of which Yang Shengtao is a cangnan Jinxiang person.
The staff of the museum introduced that there is such a story about the origin of the "Xia Yijin" opera helmet. According to legend, the "Xia Yijin" opera helmet was inherited from the Qing Dynasty court helmet smith Jin Yijin. During the Reign of Qing Yongzheng (1728), Jin Yijin fled alone due to the scourge of "anti-Qing restoration", and after several twists and turns, he was exiled in Wenzhou, Zhejiang and Fuzhou, Fujian. During this period, Jin Yijin lived in seclusion in the Xia family in Cangnan Jinxiang for many years, and passed on his craft to Xia Kexian, the ancestor of the Xia family. Later, Jin Yijin fled elsewhere, and Xia Kexian created the name "Xia Yijin" to commemorate it.
Many famous opera artists
Was once a "fan" of it
When the "Xia Yijin" opera helmet was passed down to the fourth generation of Xia Shouzhen, because of its skillful craftsmanship, exquisite craftsmanship and complete variety, especially the production of peking opera helmets was precise, standardized, and had high artistic value, it was once famous in the national theater industry. At that time, many famous troupes and famous actors came to customize and order. Chinese Peking Opera masters Mei Lanfang, Zhou Xinfang, Ma Lianliang, Gai Mingtian, etc. have all come to visit the Xia family. Ma Lianliang, a master of Peking Opera and the signature figure of the Fufeng Society, played the "Silver Diao" worn by Qiao Xuanshi in "Ganlu Temple", and the "Huang Diao" worn by Zhou Xinfang, a Chinese Peking Opera performance artist and founder of Peking Opera Qipai Art, in "Xu Ce Running City", are all from the hands of the Xia family.
However, in the 1960s and 1970s, for various reasons, the "Xia Yijin" opera helmet once declined. In the late 1970s, Xia Fenglan, the sixth generation of "Xia Yijin" opera helmet production, restarted this craft.
In 2008, Xia Fayun, the seventh generation of "Xia Yijin" opera helmet maker, took dozens of helmets to participate in the exhibition of China's intangible cultural heritage held in Beijing, causing a sensation, and many media rushed to interview. At that time, guangming daily even published a report entitled "Xia Fayun: Inheriting the Peking Opera "Xia Yijin"", which attracted the attention of many Chinese at home and abroad. Since then, orders have poured in from all over the country.
■ The story of this life
128 processes
All handmade
On September 29, we met Xia Fayun, who was busy making helmets in Cangnan Jinxiang. Xia Fayun said that the production process of many helmets has been reduced to about 50, but the "Xia Yijin" opera helmet has always followed the 128 processes on the ancestral drawings, drawing, engraving cardboard, ironing, powdering, oiling, gold paste, french blue, inlay beads... These processes are all handmade, and one process cannot be less.
Xia Fayun said that this set of ancestral drawings contains a total of 48 kinds of helmet making drawings, involving more than 100 styles. Every time he finished making a helmet, he had to use an iron seal on the inside of the helmet to brand the three words "Xia Yijin", which was the old name of the Xia family helmet that had been passed down for nearly 300 years, and according to modern parlance, it was the trademark of the Xia family helmet.
There are many kinds of Chinese opera, about 360 kinds, famous peking opera, Yue opera, Huangmei opera, commentary, Yu opera, Kunqu opera, Sichuan opera, shadow puppet opera and so on. In particular, Peking Opera is the most popular and has the greatest influence on Chinese opera, known as "National Opera". Xia Fayun said: "The helmets used in each play look similar, but they are different. Every kind of helmet, I can do. ”
In front of Xia Fayun's workbench hung a picture - "the world's first helmet". "This is a kind of confidence in the 'Xia Yijin' opera helmet, and it is also the evaluation of the 'Xia Yijin' opera helmet by many people." Xia Fayun said that the reason why he has this confidence is because the helmet he makes is both comfortable and strong, "at least 30 years will not be broken." ”
"In the past, our ancestors had rules, and small helmets were not given." Xia Fayun said that nowadays, the small helmet has become a bestseller, for example, this year he has received orders from many puppet troupes, "every day is doing it, too busy." ”
Hope there is one
Large helmet exhibition hall
Just a few years ago, "inheritance" was still a problem in front of Xia Fayun. But now, Xia Fayun's son Xia Jinglin and nephew Xia Jinghan have all learned and are the eighth generation of "Xia Yijin" opera helmet production. Despite this, Xia Fayun still hopes to pass on this skill to more people. "My studio is too small, and if someone comes over to study art, eating and living is a problem."
Shen Taifeng Ancient Residence is one of the comprehensive protection projects of Jinxiang Ancient City and an iconic cultural landmark of Jinxiang. In 2018, Jinxiang turned this ancient house into an acropolis cultural living room. In May this year, there was an additional "First Helmet in the World" exhibition hall in the living room of the Acropolis Culture, where 40 or 50 "Xia Yijin" opera helmets were exhibited. "This exhibition hall is too small to exhibit such a small part." Xia Fayun said when he took us to visit this exhibition hall.
Xia Fayun said that since 2008, there has been an idea that has been haunting his mind, that is, to build an opera helmet museum, which has a helmet making place and a helmet display venue, so that all varieties of helmets can be exhibited, so that more people can see their exquisiteness, and they can also collect apprentices and pass on this skill. He hoped that this dream would be realized as soon as possible.
This article is from [Wenzhou News Network] and only represents the author's views. The National Party Media Information Public Platform provides information dissemination services.
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