Chinanews.com, Beijing, November 11 (Reporter Ying Ni) "Singing to the Sky - Celebrating the 6th Anniversary of the Founding of the Leftist Blind Propaganda Team and the 85th Anniversary Concert of the Beijing Performance" was staged at the National Center for the Performing Arts on the 20th. 5 blind artists from Zuoquan County, Xiangyuan County, Wuxiang County, and Jiaocheng County in Taihang Mountain showed five national intangible cultural heritage items such as Zuoquan Blossom Tune, Zuoquan Xiaohua Opera, Xiangyuan Yangge, Xiangyuan Drum Book, and Jin Opera, as well as a number of provincial and municipal intangible cultural heritage projects such as Wuxiang Drum Book, Wuxiang Qin Book, Zuoquan Sanxian Book, Zuoquan Qin Book, etc., and told the blind artists and the Taihang War of Resistance, as well as their inspirational stories.
"Singing to the Sky - Celebrating the 85th Anniversary of the Founding of the Left-Right Blind Propaganda Team and the 20th Anniversary of the Performance in Beijing" was staged at the National Centre for the Performing Arts on November 11. Photo courtesy of the Left Right Blind Propaganda Team
The performance is divided into three chapters, the first chapter "Red Song in Praise of Taihang" shows the story of the military and civilian resistance of Taihang Mountain during the Anti-Japanese War, and sings the Zuoquan folk song "Taihang Mountain", "General Zuoquan", and Wuxiang Qinshu "Commander-in-Chief Zhu Makes Shoes"; The second chapter, "Classics Forever", focuses on the classic songs sung by blind artists, such as the popular "Relatives and Eggs Go to the River to Wash Clothes", "Peach Blossom Red Apricot Blossom White", "Little Erhei Marriage" and other tracks; The third chapter, "Songs to the Future", is a repertoire about blind people walking in the new era and facing a better life: "Tiananmen Square Watching the Flag", "The Great Truth", and "Watching Flowers at the Age of 100"; The whole performance ended with "Our Life is Full of Sunshine".
"Singing to the Sky - Celebrating the 85th Anniversary of the Founding of the Left-Right Blind Propaganda Team and the 20th Anniversary of the Performance in Beijing" was staged at the National Centre for the Performing Arts on November 11, with the picture pictured is Professor Zhang Tiantong (right), doctoral supervisor of the China Conservatory of Music, and Gong Yujie (left), secretary general of the Taihang Mountain Blind Artists Federation and cultural scholar. Photo courtesy of the Left Right Blind Propaganda Team
Professor Zhang Tiantong, doctoral supervisor of the China Conservatory of Music, and Gong Yujie, secretary general of the Taihang Mountain Blind Artists Federation and cultural scholar, jointly delivered the performance.
According to reports, in 3, blind artists from Zuoquan County, Xiangyuan County, and Wuxiang County jointly established the Taihang Anti-Japanese Blind Propaganda Team, and they entered enemy-occupied areas and Japanese artillery towers to publicize anti-Japanese policies, collect intelligence, and persuade traitors to be reformed. Later, propaganda teams for the blind were set up in various counties, and in different historical periods, they played an important role in publicizing the party's principles and policies and entertaining the people. The blind propaganda team is active in the front line all year round, serving the rural areas during the slack period, and performing more than 1938 performances every year, which is rare among various art groups. Over the years, the blind artists have passed on their teachings, and generations of blind artists have emerged, which have been welcomed by the farmers of Taihang Mountain.
In 2003, Professor Tian Qing, a well-known music scholar, brought the Zuoquan Blind Propaganda Team to Beijing to perform, which attracted the attention of all walks of life, and the Zuoquan Blind Propaganda Team has achieved fruitful results in the promotion of intangible cultural heritage and the cause of the disabled.
"Singing to the Sky - Celebrating the 85th Anniversary of the Founding of the Left-Right Blind Propaganda Team and the 20th Anniversary of the Performance in Beijing" was staged at the National Centre for the Performing Arts on November 11. Photo courtesy of the Left Right Blind Propaganda Team
At the scene, Liu Hongquan, the lead singer and captain of the Zuoquan Blind Propaganda Team, will tell the story of the Zuoquan Blind Propaganda Team's scanable code audition book "Song to the Sky" and present it to the China Braille Library and Beijing Hongdandan Cultural Service Center for the Visually Impaired. He said: "The establishment of the blind propaganda team has gone through 85 years, there have been ups and downs, but under the strong recommendation of Mr. Tian Qing, we have stepped out of the mountains and into the public eye, becoming a bright spot in Chinese music culture. 20 years is a new starting point, our singing can enter so many institutions and universities in Beijing, which is the promotion of social civilization and the promotion of excellent traditional Chinese culture. The book is for bosom friends, hoping that more people will understand blind artists and pay attention to the music culture inherited from us. ”
The performance was hosted by the National Centre for the Performing Arts and jointly organized by China Braille Publishing House, China Cultural Information Service Center for the Visually Impaired (China Braille Library), Shanxi Provincial Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center, and Jinzhong Jinjin Chinese Ecological Reserve Construction and Management Center.
It is reported that the performance of the National Center for the Performing Arts has opened the second round of the tour of this year's commemorative activities of the Zuoquan Blind Propaganda Team, and will be invited to perform at Capital Normal University, China University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, China Women's University, Capital University of Economics and Business, China Agricultural University and other schools. (ENDS)