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Wu Wencai¡¯s LifeWu Wencai £¨1798¡ª1845£©was born at Ladong Dong village of Maogong town to an ethnic Dong peasant family.He is the originator of Dong ethnic Opera.During his childhood, he displayed great cleverness and was eager to learn. After his studies at an old-style private school, he had a great knowledge of Chinese characters, and was called a ¡°folk scholar¡±.When he was 12 years old, he was invited to attend the local elders¡¯ parliament as a young member. It¡¯s said that Wencai had the gift of gab and was especially good at singing and creating songs. When he was 20 years old, he had become a master at song writing and was honored as the ¡°King of Song¡±. When Wencai was 30 years old, he withdrew from the elders¡¯ parliament to focus single mindedly on studying and writing opera. First he translated the two Chinese dramas ¡°Xugang Resists the Tang Government¡± and ¡°Double Plum Blossom¡± into Dong language and adapted them as Dong dramas ¡°Lidan and Fengjiao¡± and ¡°Mei Liangyu¡±. After writing the dramas, he designed the vocal music and actions and taught young girls and boys to perform it.From its first performance the ethnic opera was warmly welcomed.From that time on Dong people continued to have their own ethnic opera, and ethnic dramas spread throughout the whole southern Dong dialect area. |
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