After spending two joyful interactive classes with the children, the volunteer group visited Pei Tiwen, the inheritor of the Sichuan intangible cultural heritage “Lushan Flower Lantern.” He unveiled the mysteries of this theatrical form with over 2,000 years of history.
Lushan Flower Lantern Opera
“Lushan Flower Lantern” is a local lantern opera from Lushan, Sichuan. Most folk artists pass down performances of Lushan Flower Lantern through oral tradition. Its earliest known origin can be traced to the “August Colored Tower Gathering” during the Northern Song Dynasty, where Lushan Flower Lantern was one of the performance acts. It is also a product of the cultural integration between the ancient Qiang culture of the Qingyi Kingdom and the Han culture of Lushan.
In addition to the orchestra and chorus, the main roles in Lushan Flower Lantern consist of only two: the clown (commonly called the “Flower Nose” or “Three-Face”) who wears a straw hat without a top, a reversed sheepskin jacket, holds a palm-leaf fan, sports a clipped mustache, walks with the “Nine Palaces Step,” moves in an exaggerated and rugged manner, speaks in a witty and lively tone. The female lead (commonly called the “Youngest Sister”) is dressed as a village girl, wears a blue hair scarf, applies makeup, decorates with cloud-shaped and sun-shaped patches, pins floral ornaments, ties a blue cloth apron around her chest, holds a flowered folding fan in one hand and a colorful silk scarf in the other. Her movements are subtle and shy, her lyrics tender, and she walks in the “Cross Step.” Behind them is a group of people holding lanterns. Most of the content is improvised.
The people of Lushan often say they are going to see the “? flower lantern,” as if without the “?”, it’s not truly a flower lantern. In fact, the character “?” captures the unique skill of Lushan Flower Lantern — besides learning, speaking, teasing, and singing, there is also the “?” — twisting the “duck step” and singing the flower lantern tune.
Beyond basic skills, flower lantern opera places greater emphasis on on-stage expressiveness and the tacit coordination between the clown and female lead roles. There are many improvisational segments, and actors who react slowly or deliver uninteresting lines are not considered good performers.
Inheritor of Lushan Flower Lantern
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 during the quake,” the elderly man said with a smile, pointing to the collapsed wall. The modest brick-and-wood house, ravaged by the 4.20 earthquake, had become even more dilapidated. But his mood was unaffected; instead, he appeared quite excited. “This is the kitchen — it was almost completely destroyed. I only suffered minor injuries at the time, no big deal (it’s fine).”
This elderly man is Pei Tiwen, the inheritor of Lushan Flower Lantern Opera
As he spoke, the old man invited everyone to come inside. Aside from a single open window letting in some light, the room was dim, but one could still clearly see the packed bookshelves and various materials and scripts. It was hard to associate all of this with the talkative and energetic man before them.
“I started learning flower lantern when I was very young. Even as a toddler walking and talking, I moved like I was performing in a flower lantern show,” Pei Liwen expressed the pride of someone born to be an artist. “Ever since I can remember, anything I saw or heard could turn into a play.” As he spoke, he swayed his head and sang a line or two — the tunes flowing as naturally as his speech.
Initially, to systematically study flower lantern, Pei Tiwen studied under Yang Shixian and the flower lantern master Zhang Fengren. When the art form was briefly banned after he first became a disciple, he cautiously continued to learn in private. His second attempt to become a disciple was rejected, but his persistence paid off after repeatedly visiting the master’s home, eventually leading to his acceptance.
“The master I officially apprenticed under was Zhang Fengren. I studied nothing but this lantern opera for over ten years,” Pei Tiwen said. After joining Master Zhang, aside from the essential daily farm work, he dedicated all his remaining time to learning and practicing the flower lantern.
To help us better understand flower lantern opera, he performed a short segment with his new disciple. First, he applied simple makeup to play the Flower Nose role, put on a straw hat without a top, folded it once, tucked the back brim in and flipped the front brim out, creating a quirky and amusing look. He opened the fan and gestured for the Youngest Sister to start the performance. This entire sequence flowed as naturally as eating, talking, or walking.
“Youngest Sister, come up and pat my head, and say ‘What are you saying?’” Pei Tiwen instructed his new disciple on the movements. His eyes darted around, clever and nimble, and he played the role as naturally as an 18- or 19-year-old girl.
“Before the reform and opening up, I wrote over 300 plays, but back then they weren’t considered formal writing — they were simple ideas that came to me as I saw or heard things. Later, after the art form was revived, my truly renowned 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 flower lantern — where scripts and performance cannot be separated. Only someone capable of excelling in both can truly perform this art well.
After witnessing Master Pei’s brilliant performance of Lushan Flower Lantern, the “Smiling Ya’an” volunteers all expressed deep respect for him. The group then drove to the next destination on their itinerary — Shuangshi Town in Lushan County. The volunteers immersed themselves in the life of the locals in Shuangshi, experiencing, feeling, discovering, and documenting the “Smiling Ya’an” presented by the most rustic and natural villages.
The third day of the Lonely Planet magazine “Smiling Ya’an” public welfare campaign continued with our responsible attitude of discovery and exploration, bringing to everyone a vibrant and colorful Ya’an. We saw towering ridges and cliffs, picturesque scenery; we witnessed children whose hopes shone brightly despite hardships; we recorded the splendid flower 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 rich and diverse culture of Ya’an continue to shine brilliantly. In the coming days, we will continue to uncover the rich local customs of the Ya’an region, so that we not only know the suffering Ya’an has endured, but also see and remember a three-dimensional, diverse, genuine, and smiling Ya’an.
Text by Sun Guangjie | Photos by Cai Shi and He Xiaoxi