Tang Xiaoxian: Blind Man A Bing’s News Rap

Tang Xiaoxian: Blind Man A Bing’s News Rap Phoenix City Tang Xiaoxian Wuxi celebrity Hua Yanjun (Blind Man A Bing) has long been famous as a folk music composer and performer...

Tang Xiaoxian: Blind Man A Bing's News Rap Phoenix City Tang Xiaoxian Wuxi celebrity Hua Yanjun (Blind Man A Bing) has long been famous at home and abroad as a folk music composer and performer; his erhu piece "The Moon Reflected in Two Springs" and pipa piece "Big Waves Tasting the Sand" also won the 20th Century Chinese Classic Music Award. After Abing lost his sight in middle age, he became impoverished and relied on performing arts to make a living for a long time. Among them, news and rap programs are rarely known to the younger generation. When I was a child, I often heard my parents tell the story of the blind man Bing. Precisely because my father and I are both "fans" of Blind Abing, my father said to me in his later years: "Listen to "Er Quan Ying Yue", which is to commemorate me." ’ My aunt Shi Yiming, who now lives in New York, USA, whose natal family was a nun in Chong’an Temple in Wuxi, told me on the phone that at three o’clock in the afternoon, the blind man A Bing came to Chong’an Temple to tell the news, and she was going to listen. I have also read written materials written by people from Wuxi who have visited Blind A Bing’s performance many times. When the blind man A Bing appears on the street, he wears an old gown and a pair of round sunglasses. He always holds an erhu and plays it while walking. There is a cloth bag on the shoulder of my wife Dong Caidi, and other musical instruments are hung on the chest and back, including pipa, suona, sheng, flute and so on. Seeing such a scene, some people will say: "Blind Man Bing has sinned against others." ("Sinned against others", in Wuxi dialect, means "so pitiful".) Blind Man Bing's performing arts started by "telling news". He could compile a four-character recitation of the news that happened that day, and rhyme it in Wuxi dialect. The opening line is: "Talking about the news, talking about the news, news out, Wuxi North Gate (or east, west, south gate)... Sometimes it is 'singing news', sung to the tune of Tanhuang (Xi Opera), it is also a four-character sentence: 'Speaking of the news, singing news, news news, everyone listens true..." He did not Being able to read newspapers, radios were a rarity at that time, and poor people like the blind Abing would definitely not have them. I think he must have hid in a shop with a radio on in the morning and listened to the news, or maybe a kind person read him the news from the newspaper of the day. He memorized it, reprocessed it, and sang in the streets in the afternoon. Some of the jokes were about current affairs, and he would rap them continuously for many days, such as "The End of Sha Kezi". "Sha Kezi" is the Japanese and puppet detective captain. He speaks with a hoarse voice, so he is nicknamed "Sha Kezi", but his real name has been forgotten. He ran rampant in the countryside and committed many evil deeds. This type of traitor would not dare to go to remote and unfamiliar places. Just at the bustling Chong'an Temple, he was shot dead by the anti-Japanese guerrillas. The people of Wuxi were very happy, and the blind man A Bing talked about it for several days. Another piece written by the blind man A Bing, "The Heroic Resistance of the Nineteenth Route Army," has vivid language and awe-inspiring righteousness. Let’s start with the fact that Shanghai was divided into concessions by foreign invaders: “Shanghai was originally a Chinese farm. I gave you a few foreign hozens. You came to share, and he came to share. Rented fields are treated as self-produced areas.” There is a five-character proverb in Wuxi dialect, “Rented fields are used for self-produced goods”, which means taking other people’s things as your own. The blind man A Bing cleverly changed one sentence of five characters into two sentences of four characters. Talking about the misbehavior of foreigners in the concession, he sang: "Guests bully their hosts. Shoot people, but don't take their lives. Power is in the palm of his hand. Instead of talking about justice, they call it civilization." He enthusiastically praised the 19th Route Army's heroic killing of the enemy: "On the Huangpu River, the 19th Route Army lined up with swords to kill the enemy and show off their heroism." Invading enemy invaders, terrified. The sword flashed, and there was no way to escape. The head fell to the ground, like cutting a melon and vine. ...The whole country vows to support us. Patriotic compatriots, work together as one to drive the enemy out of the country. ’ Blind Abing also has a repertoire that praises the revolutionary martyr Qin Qi, called “Qin Qi’s Blood Splattered in the Grand Palace.” Communist Party member Qin Qi was the leader of the Wuxi workers' movement during the Great Revolution and served as chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions. After April 12, 1927, Chiang Kai-shek massacred the Communists, and Qin Qi was the first to bear the brunt in Wuxi. At that time, the Main Hall of Chong'an Temple was the office of the Federation of Trade Unions. Qin Qi stood firm here. When the military and police came to arrest him, he resisted and was killed in the fight. Blind Abing's "telling news" and "singing news" not only have a strong hometown flavor, but also have a clear sense of right and wrong, a strong patriotic enthusiasm, and a clear love-hate stance. Blind man A Bing once said that when it comes to news, he just sings to himself, singing various folk tunes, adding new words, and accompaniment with the huqin. The most common song is "Wuxi Scene", which almost everyone in Wuxi can sing. Blind man A Bing's Huqin can imitate the crowing of chickens, the barking of dogs, and the speech of Wuxi people. Children were particularly interested, and he was particularly fond of children. The children felt that calling him "Blind Man Bing" was not a big deal, so they asked him: "What should I call you?" He said: "Just call him Blind Man Bing, that's fine." When he sang, Dong Caidi collected the money. At a certain time, blind Abing asked her: "Almost?" Dong Caidi reported a number, and blind Abing said: "Okay, tomorrow's expenses are enough." Then he used his Huqin to imitate a human voice and said a few words in Wuxi dialect: "Thank you, boss, thank you, Xiaokai, thank you, madam, thank you, miss, see you, see you!" The livelihood activities ended and the artistic life began. The blind man A Bing changed into a huqin and was supported by Dong Caidi as he walked and played the huqin on the street, while his close friends followed and listened. At this time, the music played was no longer a minor key. The music later named "Er Quan Ying Yue" was often heard by people.