After spending two joyful interactive classes with the children, the volunteer group visited Pei Tiwen, the inheritor of the Sichuan intangible cultural heritage “Lushan Lantern Opera,” who unveiled the secrets of this theatrical genre with a history of over 2,000 years.
Lushan Lantern Opera
“Lushan Lantern” is a local lantern opera from Lushan, Sichuan. Performances are mostly passed down orally among folk artists. Its earliest traceable origin is the “August Color Tower Gathering” during the Northern Song Dynasty, where Lushan Lantern was one of the performance acts. It is also a product of the cultural integration between the ancient Qiang culture of the Qingyi Qiang Kingdom and Han Chinese culture in Lushan.
In addition to the orchestra and backing vocals, Lushan Lantern Opera mainly features only two roles: the clown (commonly known as “Flower Nose” or “Three-Face”) who wears a straw hat without a top, a reversed sheepskin vest, holds a palm-leaf fan, and sports a clipped mustache. He moves in a grid-like step pattern, with exaggerated, bold gestures, witty and humorous speech. The female lead (commonly known as “Youngest Sister”) is dressed as a village girl, wearing a black hair scarf, makeup, cloud-shaped beauty marks, sun patches, flower hairpins, and a blue apron tied around her waist. She holds a flower-patterned fan in one hand and a colorful silk scarf in the other, with reserved, shy movements, soft and tender lyrics, and dances in a cross-step pattern. Behind them is a group of lantern carriers. Most of the content is improvised.
The people of Lushan often say they go to watch “Dang Lantern Opera,” as if it wouldn’t be Lantern Opera without the “Dang.” In fact, the word “Dang” reveals the unique skill of Lushan Lantern Opera—aside from mimicking, speaking, teasing, and singing, there’s also the “Dang”—twisting the “duck step” and singing Lantern Opera tunes.
Beyond basic skills, Lantern Opera places greater emphasis on live performance ability and the chemistry between the clown and female lead roles. There are many improvised musical segments, and slow reactions or dull lyrics mark a poor Lantern Opera performer.
Inheritor of Lushan Lantern Opera
A slightly slender but spirited elderly man waited at the entrance of Wangjia Village in Lushan County for the arriving group.
“Look at this wall of mine—it collapsed in the earthquake,” the old man said with a smile, pointing to the crumbled wall. The simple brick-and-wood house had been further battered by the 4.20 earthquake, leaving it even more dilapidated. Yet his mood remained unaffected—in fact, he seemed quite excited. “This is the kitchen—it was almost completely destroyed. I just got a minor injury back then, nothing serious (it’s fine).”
This elderly man is Pei Tiwen, the inheritor of Lushan Lantern Opera.
As he spoke, the old man invited everyone into his home. Aside from a sliver of light coming through an open window, the house was dim, but one could still make out the packed bookshelves and various materials and scripts. It was hard to associate such surroundings with this talkative and lively elderly man.
“I started learning Lantern Opera when I was very young. I’ve had the demeanor of a Lantern performer since I could speak and walk,” Pei Liwen said with the pride of someone born to be an artist. “Ever since I can remember, anything I saw or heard could inspire an opera.” As he spoke, he swayed his head and sang a line or two—the melody as natural and spontaneous as his speech.
To systematically learn Lantern Opera, Pei Tiwen studied under Yang Shixian and the Lantern master Zhang Fengren. When he first apprenticed, Lantern performances were temporarily banned, so he cautiously practiced in private. His second attempt to apprentice was rejected, but after persistently visiting Zhang’s home time and again, he was finally accepted as a disciple.
“I officially apprenticed under Master Zhang Fengren. I studied this Lantern Opera for over ten years,” Pei Tiwen said. After joining Master Zhang, aside from the essential daily farm work, all his remaining time was devoted to learning and practicing Lantern Opera.
To give us a deeper understanding of Lantern Opera, he performed a short segment with his new apprentice. First, he applied simple Flower Nose makeup, put on a straw hat without a top, folded it once, tucked the back brim in, and flipped the front brim outward, creating a quirky and amusing look. He opened his fan and signaled the Youngest Sister to begin the performance. This whole set of actions flowed as naturally as eating, talking, or walking for him.
“Youngest Sister, come up and pat my head, and say ‘What are you saying?’” Pei Tiwen guided his new apprentice through the movements, his eyes darting about, clever and nimble, performing as if he were an 18- or 19-year-old girl.
“Before the reform and opening up, I wrote over 300 plays, but back then none were considered formal writing—they were simple ideas that came to me when I saw or heard something. Later, after the revival of the opera, my truly iconic work was ‘Chance Encounter.’ From then on, I’d say I’ve written about 50 really good plays.” Pei Liwen is a true inheritor who understands Lantern Opera—the script and performance are inseparable. Only someone capable of excelling independently can truly perform this opera well.
After witnessing Master Pei’s brilliant performance of Lushan Lantern Opera, the “Smiling Ya’an” volunteers expressed their sincere respect for him. The volunteers then drove to the next destination on their itinerary—Shuangshi Town in Lushan County. There, they immersed themselves in the lives of the local villagers, experiencing, discovering, and documenting the “Smiling Ya’an” spirit embodied in the most rustic and natural villages.
On the third day of the Lonely Planet magazine’s “Smiling Ya’an” public welfare activity, we continued with a responsible attitude to discover and explore, presenting a rich and colorful Ya’an to everyone. We saw towering peaks and dramatic cliffs, picturesque scenery; we witnessed children whose hopes shone brightly despite hardships; we recorded the splendid lantern culture with its long history...
Let us all join together in blessing the people of Ya’an. May kind-hearted people be spared from disaster, and may the diverse and vibrant culture of Ya’an continue to shine brilliantly. In the days to come, we will continue to uncover the rich local customs of the Ya’an region, not only learning about the suffering Ya’an has endured, but also seeing and remembering a three-dimensional, diverse, authentic, and rich Smiling Ya’an.
Text by Sun Guangjie | Photos by Cai Shi and He Xiaoxi