Introduction of Yi Nationality Pu Taiji:
Putaiji is an ancient theatrical form that only exists in the naked Ga village of Bandi Township, Weining Autonomous County, Guizhou Province. Pu Taiji is the transliteration of Yi language, which means "changing people's play", and the origin of Pu Taiji is not accurately recorded in ancient Yi books. It is an important way for the local people to worship their ancestors and pray for the prosperity of people and animals, and the wind and rain are smooth, which is deeply rooted in the production, life and cultural history of the Yi people.
During the festival, the Yi people performed Taiji. Photo by Wang Chunliang
It is usually performed from the third to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, with the aim of driving away evil spirits, welcoming good fortune and praying for a good harvest. The performance is very unique, usually performed by 10 to 17 people, the performer wraps his head into a pointed cone shape with a white bandana, and wraps his body and limbs tightly with cloth to symbolize the body. Some of them wore masks and dressed as Yi elders, old women, Miao elders, Han elders and children. The mask is usually about a foot long, with a prominent forehead, a straight nose, hollow eyes and mouth, painted black with pot smoke, and various lines on the forehead and face with lime and chalk. Those who do not wear masks in the performance are mountain elders or mountain gods, who are the embodiment of nature and wisdom. The performance is mainly divided into four parts: sacrifice, farming, festivity, and sweeping the village, of which farming is the core of the whole play, which mainly reflects the history of migration, farming, and reproduction of the Yi people. On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the sweeping of the village is the "sweeping of Mars" activity, which pushes the whole performance of the Taiji to a climax, and the performers go to the villages to sweep away disasters and plagues, wishing people and animals prosperity and abundant harvests.
It has the research value of dramatic genealogy and art morphology, and the performance activities related to production and life also have important reference value for the research of anthropology and ethnology.
In 2006, Weining Autonomous County of Guizhou Province declared the Yi Putaiji project and was included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list.
The representative inheritor of the national intangible cultural heritage Taiji: let the descendants take the ancient opera out of the mountains
Walking into Bandi Township, Weining Autonomous County, the Yi ethnic style comes into view. The "black, red, and yellow" colors advocated by the Yi people are highlighted in the building, and the white walls are hand-painted with scenes of life such as pin Taiji and local labor.
The Yi people perform in the park. Photo by Chen Xi
Bandi Township is one of the important inheritance and display areas of Yi culture in Guizhou, Yi compatriots account for 95% of the township's population, and the representative inheritor of the national intangible cultural heritage Pu Taiji is a native of Bandi Township.
"Aouna Juja, pinching Masuo, pinching Nilosuo, glutinous bald...... (Yi transliteration) "Wen Daohua, who is nearly eighty years old, hummed from time to time, and the lines of the ancient play of Pu Taiji seemed to grow in blood, and the translation was to the effect: ancient people, not like people, like beasts, with monkey faces, rat teeth, wild fruits as food, dew drops as water to drink, leaves as clothes, human beings so producing, human beings so raw......
According to Wen Daohua, Pu Taiji is a transliteration of Yi, which can be understood as the drama of human evolution, or the origin of the farming activities of the ancestors. From the third to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month every year, it will be performed in Bandi Township, and the content mainly reflects the production and life process of the Yi people, including sacrificing ancestors, ethnic migration, buying and selling livestock, reproducing offspring, and finally sweeping away the sparks for the whole village from house to house.
During the performance, gongs and drums are beaten, and the actors wear masks made of lacquer trees and wear simple costumes, playing the role of mountain gods and old people, generals, children, etc., "The performance has the meaning of celebrating a good year, praying for peace and auspiciousness, prosperity of people and animals, and good weather and rain." It is a record of the evolution, evolution, life, reproduction and inheritance of human beings by the ancient Yi people. Wen Daohua said. From the age of 12, he began to learn to perform in Taiji, and officially entered the stage at the age of 30, from the role of "child" in the play to the "old man of the mountain god".
The scene of the performance of Yi Nationality Pu Taiji. Photo by Guan Qingwei
"Now, I can't act, and I inherit it from my son Wenbin and grandson Wenchao, I hope they can go out more and let more people see the culture of the Yi people." Wen Daohua told reporters that because of his advanced age, he is no longer responsible for the daily performance of Pin Taiji. Wen Daohua's son and grandson have continuously improved their acting skills, and have been invited to perform at the Guiyang Guanshan Lake International Music Festival, the Xichang Daliangshan International Theater Festival, and the Wuzhen Theater Festival, presenting this ancient drama with regional and ethnic characteristics to more people.
Source: Guizhou Daily