Chengdu, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Accompanied by the crisp sound of sheepskin drums, the Yi people jumped up, and folk songs drifted from the courtyard to the streets. During the Spring Festival, four scene performances will be staged every day in the intangible cultural heritage courtyard of Huisala Village, Pingdi Town, Renhe District, Panzhihua City, Sichuan Province.
In the Yi language, "Hui Shala" means "the place where the water leaks", and the Jinsha River has flowed quietly for thousands of years in the Panxi Rift Valley, not far away. Long-term multi-ethnic exchanges and integration have formed a unique folk culture of the Yi nationality in this village in the mountain col.
The village of Wai Sala in the sun. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xu Bingjie.
After graduating from Yunnan University of the Arts with a major in dance choreography, Liang Jiacheng, a young man born in the 95s, entered the Renhe District Cultural Center to work. In March 2023, he became the first resident secretary of Huisala Village.
Rows of houses are arranged in a stepped pattern, and the lanes under the red walls and gray tiles are criss-crossed, "like getting into a maze, and each intersection will have a different scene." Leung Ka-shing said that this ancient village is beautiful and quiet in the sun.
Through consulting information and visiting households, Liang Jiacheng learned the stories of the four major families in the village, the Mao family's pen pole, the Najia Baoguzi, the Zhangjia wine jar, and the starting wheel, so he wanted to present these stories hidden in the mountains to tourists.
In the corner of Huisala Village, the houses are scattered, and the walls are mostly earthy red. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xu Bingjie.
Combining his professional expertise, Leung Ka-shing thought that he could integrate local culture and song and dance performances to choreograph a scene performance with the characteristics of a salad. He found the inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage in the village, first apprenticed to learn the arts, understood the essence of ancient music and sheepskin encouragement, and then went door-to-door to mobilize the villagers to join.
The peasant women in the village ...... with the elders and the college students who returned to the village during the holidaysThe novel form of performance won the support of many villagers, and a national song and dance team was formed. During the rehearsal, the villagers got up before dawn in the morning to work in the fields, went home for breakfast, and started rehearsals on time at 8:30 p.m., rehearsing for at least 6 hours a day.
The 55-year-old Qi Chaogang was a member of the village's ancient band, and he had a love for literature and art when he was young. "It's all performances, so it's better to try a new format, and it turns out to be a challenge. The rustic old man said with some embarrassment.
Qi Chaogang performed sheepskin encouragement in "Ah Ah Hui Salad". Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xu Bingjie.
Even if the villagers have a foundation in dancing, they still need to practice repeatedly to step on the rhythm and show beauty during the performance, and sometimes they need to practice a movement for a week. With the joint efforts of everyone, a 40-minute scene performance "Hui Ah Hui Salad" was finally completed. Enthusiastic sheepskin encouragement and melodious chatting and ancient music welcome tourists from afar, and life scenes such as farming, selling, and reading reproduce the stories of the four major families in Huisala Village.
In addition to the scene performances, during the Spring Festival, the village also holds special activities such as welcome wine, show (costume parade), * meeting and other special activities every day, so that tourists can experience the slang culture in the singing and dancing steps of the actors. Since February 10, it has received nearly 80,000 visitors.
The actors show off the Yi costumes in "Hui Ah Hui Salad". Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xu Bingjie.
Ms. Chen, who left Panzhihua at the age of 8, accompanied her mother for a walk during the Spring Festival this year, which was also the first time they came to Huisala Village. "The sunshine of Panzhihua is still as warm as when I was a child, and the integrated development of culture and tourism has made me see a different Panzhihua. Ms. Chen said that what impressed her the most about the performance in Huisala Village was the display of Yi costumes at the end, "The actors are like walking on the runway, it's so cool!" ”