"Huangfengling, 800 miles away, was once a fertile land outside the Pass. Once the rat plague arose out of thin air, the atmosphere was filled with smoke and no trace of human presence..." In the recently popular "Black Myth: Wukong", the story is told by the provincial intangibl

"Huangfengling, 800 miles away, was once a fertile land outside the Pass. Once the rat plague arose out of thin air, the air was filled with smoke and no human traces..." In the recently popular "Black Myth: Wukong", it was inherited by Shaanxi Province Hengshan Storytelling Provincial Intangible Cultural Heritage The Northern Shaanxi storyteller "The Yellow Wind Rises" performed by Xiong Zhuying for the headless monk has been popular among netizens and is sung by everyone. This tune, which netizens call "Chinese rap", is a traditional folk tune popular in northern Shaanxi, my country. It is also one of the most dazzling skills in northern Shaanxi folk art.

"I love it so much, I listened to it all day long, it's so awesome" "I never tire of listening to it! It matches the desert style perfectly, it's a stroke of genius" "I was amazed by the Northern Shaanxi storyteller in Black Myth Wukong"... Rich China The wind, the simple flavor of northern Shaanxi, combined with the desolate desert and the sad headless monk, makes people feel more "advanced" as they listen to it. Netizens flocked to Xiong Zhuying's video account to leave messages. In just a few days, his number of fans increased by 190,000. Xiong Zhuying also became very busy, going to Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen...

In fact, early Before the game became popular, Xiong Zhuying was already a well-known figure in the folk art world. In the past 32 years, he has not only gone abroad with one person, one board and three strings, but also won the highest award in the folk art world, the "Peony Award". After experiencing a "traffic star", Xiong Zhuying felt that she should calm down, be a storyteller down to earth, and do her best to pass on storytelling in northern Shaanxi. "If there are young people who are interested in our storytelling in northern Shaanxi, or want to join this industry, I am willing to teach for free."

spent two months repeatedly polishing the lyrics. Only if the lyrics are catchy can it sing into people's hearts.

Since the game "Black Myth: Wukong" became popular, Northern Shaanxi Storytelling has become a phenomenon-level IP this year. As the voice of the headless monk in the game, Xiong Zhuying, the provincial intangible cultural inheritor of Hengshan Storytelling in Shaanxi Province, has a mobile calendar full of schedules. He will follow the game team to tour more than 20 times across the country, and has also been invited to various columns. Accept interviews or video recordings, and also go to various places to perform Northern Shaanxi storytelling. He is so busy that he keeps spinning like a top. From time to time, he leaves his hometown in Yulin, Shaanxi, and goes to Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Inner Mongolia, and Shanxi... Maybe the busyness after the explosion will last until the end of November before it gradually subsides. Come down.

Xiong Zhuying's unexpected popularity is not accidental. In 2017, Xiong Zhuying accepted the invitation of producer Zhang Xiaoming to cross-border fusion of Northern Shaanxi storytelling and the domestic animation "Xuanmen: All Living Beings Have No Forms". Unexpectedly, the integration effect of the two was very good. Animation The work has also won several international awards. Two years ago, the "Black Myth: Wukong" team found Xiong Zhuying through Zhang Xiaoming, hoping that he could combine northern Shaanxi storytelling with games. Xiong Zhuying found it unbelievable at first, but he happily agreed. He has been trying to innovate and integrate to find a new way out for storytelling in northern Shaanxi, which has been declining for a long time.

Xiong Zhuying remembers that when he received the first version of the lyrics created by the game production team, he found that the length and sentence fragments of some of the lyrics were not suitable for the singing style of Northern Shaanxi storytelling. He promptly fed back his ideas to the production team. Fortunately, the production team respected his revision opinions very much. The two sides spent two months repeatedly communicating and polishing, and finally presented the now popular "Yellow Wind Rises", with the desolate desert and the sad headless monk in the game scene. The lyrics of Northern Shaanxi storytellers are vividly expressed. "The final version of the libretto has been greatly adjusted from the first version in terms of length and rhyme. Because this is the language of the people in northern Shaanxi, it must be down-to-earth, and only by being catchy can it sing into people's hearts."

"At that time, they Just follow me Said that this game will be very popular in the future. I thought, how can a game become popular?" The dubbing for the game "Black Myth: Wukong" was completed in just two hours. Xiong Zhuying didn't take it seriously. I thought this was just an ordinary cross-border innovation in storytelling in northern Shaanxi. However, it was Xiong Zhuying’s turn to get the most traffic. The globally popular domestic 3A game “Black Myth: Wukong” brought him and Northern Shaanxi Storytelling to an instant fame, and this classic libretto has become a song sung by everyone on the Internet. "Chinese rap".

Overnight, Xiong Zhuying quickly became the focus of traffic on all major platforms on the Internet. When you open any video, you can hear his rough singing voice. Perhaps he was the only one who didn't realize that he had become "popular" at that time. "I am an art person. I have never thought about what I can do in the future. I just want to try to integrate it (with games). Regardless of whether it is popular or not, I just want to do my best to make it good."

insists on Only when everyone agrees on timely and appropriate innovation in inheritance can Northern Shaanxi storytelling be truly recognized.

After singing Northern Shaanxi Storytelling for 32 years, Xiong Zhuying has never been so busy as now. Over the past two months, Xiong Zhuying's phone has been ringing continuously. He is either being invited to perform or being interviewed by the media. His time at home has become shorter and shorter.

became popular so quickly and violently that Xiong Zhuying still has not adapted to such star-level treatment - when he heard the deafening cheers from the audience during the performance, he would still be in a daze subconsciously; when he saw the audience People lined up to take photos with him, but he was afraid that his performance would be poor and his enthusiastic fans would be left out. "In the past, people who heard about books were mostly people in their 50s and 60s, or older women and men, and there were very few young people. Now it is completely different. I go to perform all over the country, and the venues are full, and the audience is mobbed. There are almost no empty seats among the audience. Fans who didn’t get tickets will leave messages on my account, asking me to help buy tickets, but I don’t know how to buy tickets,” Xiong Zhuying said with a helpless smile.

Xiong Zhuying was very calm about her sudden popularity. "First of all, it is certain that the popularity of the game drove the story telling in northern Shaanxi. However, many people indeed said that after seeing the sad scene of the headless monk playing and singing, it made them like the game even more. So the game is closely related to Storytelling in northern Shaanxi is complementary in the process of dissemination. On the other hand, it is also due to the country's emphasis on traditional culture and strong support for traditional craftsmen in recent years. Nowadays, the domestic traditional cultural atmosphere is very strong, and our cultural confidence is even stronger. Chinese traditional culture is gradually going abroad and going to the world, so as a inheritor of traditional culture, we are very confident. "Many fans left messages asking me to stick to the traditional culture of northern Shaanxi storytelling and not go astray." Xiong Zhuying was deeply moved by the heartfelt messages from fans, which was exactly the same as his original intention. What he wants to do most in his life is to pass on traditional folk art and become a positive folk artist. "Only when everyone agrees, can storytelling in northern Shaanxi be truly recognized."

That's in "Black Myth" Before it became popular, what was the living conditions like for storytellers in northern Shaanxi? Xiong Zhuying said frankly that fortunately she has a guaranteed salary, but now there are fewer and fewer letters from temple fairs and family letters, and there are fewer opportunities to perform. Many folk artists go their own ways, and their income is not optimistic. Moreover, the existing storytellers are all older, and future inheritance is also a problem. In 2006, storytelling in northern Shaanxi was selected into the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage lists. In order to pass on this folk art, Xiong Zhuying has been constantly exploring and trying to open up a new track for storytelling in northern Shaanxi. In 2016, Xiong Zhuying appeared on CCTV's cultural heritage variety show "Dingluo Dongdongchang", singing rap with "Northeast Comedian" Song Xiaobao; singing the northern Shaanxi folk song "Driving the Animal Spirit" with singer Yun Duo; and in 2018 , co-performed with Suzhou Pingtan at the Spring Festival group visit held by the Party Central Committee and the State Council... Over the years, Xiong Zhuying has made great efforts to innovate and spread the form of storytelling in northern Shaanxi. He has always insisted on making timely and appropriate innovations in the inheritance.

"After so many years of storytelling, no matter who comes to me for cooperation, I will never refuse. No matter what I incorporate Northern Shaanxi storytelling into, I am willing to try it." Xiong Zhuying said.

Become a teacher and learn storytelling to make a living. Born with a good voice but shy to go on stage

Northern Shaanxi storytelling is a folk art storytelling form popular in Yan'an and Yulin in northern Shaanxi and other places. It mainly consists of family letters, village letters and temple fair letters. In the past, it was The blind man holds a three-stringed string instrument and plays and sings in northern Shaanxi dialect with two swing boards tied to his calf. Its tunes are exciting and rough, beautiful and full of variety, and are known as the "nine tunes and eighteen tunes".

In 1975, Xiong Zhuying was born in Hengshan, Yulin, known as the "Storytelling Nest". This is the main birthplace of storytelling in northern Shaanxi. The rich artistic atmosphere made him interested in the traditional folk art of storytelling in northern Shaanxi since he was a child. He loves to listen to it most. An audio tape of Zhang Jungong, a storyteller at that time. More than 40 years ago, life in northern Shaanxi was difficult. As a teenager, Xiong Zhuying looked thinner and thinner than his peers due to long-term malnutrition. His parents were always worried that he would not have the energy to work in the mountains, so they sent him to study. Craftsmanship makes a living. When Xiong Zhuying was 17 years old, a storyteller artist came to the village to perform at a temple fair. Seeing the artist's wonderful performance on stage, Xiong Zhuying, who was obsessed with storytelling, came up with the idea of ​​​​apprenticing to a teacher to learn skills. At that time, storytelling in northern Shaanxi was mostly a profession chosen by blind people. However, considering that the child was too thin to do farm work and had no other way out, his parents finally agreed to allow him to become a teacher.

"One meal and one shot of shochu is considered a disciple." Xiong Zhuying's thoughts were drawn back to 30 years ago. When you become an apprentice, you have to pay a tuition fee of 300 yuan, which was a lot of money back then, and their family really couldn't afford that much money. My father got up early the next morning and traveled throughout most of the village to collect enough tuition. After a simple apprenticeship ceremony, Xiong Zhuying left with the master He Lianshan whom he had only met once or twice. He and several other senior brothers lived and ate at the master's house. During the day, they went up to the mountains to help the master work in the fields. At night, the senior brothers They would get together to learn how to play and sing, and when there was a performance, they would go to the show with the master.

Looking back on the process of learning skills from his master, Xiong Zhuying lamented that it was much harder than he expected. There were very few performance opportunities that required him to attend temple fairs. Most of the time he spent farming at his master's house. He was thin and often tired. Lack of physical strength. The most tiring time Xiong Zhuying remembers was when the master took his apprentices to help his father-in-law's house hoop the kiln. From digging the ground and laying the foundation to the completion of the cave dwelling, the children worked hard for more than 50 days, during which time they did not receive a single performance invitation. "At that time, I almost gave up. I fell down exhausted after a day's work. I told my senior brother that I wanted to go back and didn't want to study anymore. He comforted me and said, 'Master will take us back in three or two days.' "Persevere."

What have you learned after following the master for two years? Xiong Zhuying pondered for a moment and said: "The master rarely spares time to teach us. Most of the time, the master performs on the stage. We sit under the stage and watch. When we are free, we take a notebook and copy the passages. At first, I played the gong, and later Gradually I learned to play the flute and the erhu. "In his impression, the master did not specifically teach them how to play or how to sing. The brothers all relied on self-taught. Over time, they gradually learned this skill. . Nowadays, when Xiong Zhuying teaches apprentices as a master, he is more willing to teach them the secret of storytelling sentence by sentence.

Two years passed quickly. When Xiong Zhuying was about to leave his master, he had memorized many passages from the book, such as "The Story of Flowers and Willows", "The Legend of the Five Tigers", "Warm Liangzhan", "Horse Treading the Mountains and Rivers", etc. He could easily pick up traditional storytelling passages, but he still I have always been shy about speaking on stage. Once they were invited to the employer's house to tell stories, and the master specified that he must go on stage. He kept denying that he couldn't do it, and the master sternly reprimanded him, "You must go on stage to speak today! You will be alone soon. If you don't rap now, what will you do in the future?" Go tell stories to people? Don’t be shy. There are not many people listening today, so just go on stage and practice.” Xiong Zhuying still vividly remembers the scene of

’s first stage story telling. He remembered that the first storytelling piece he performed on stage was "Five Sons Buried Their Father". He rapped for more than ten minutes from the beginning to the end. He didn't know where his eyes should be looking, and he didn't even raise his head to look at the audience in front of him from beginning to end. Then he ran off the stage. "But the audience has always said that I will be a good storyteller in the future. I am born with a good voice, but I am too timid and have never dared to speak. Even if I left the master later, I still can't let go."

was once teased. "Decent Beggar" became the only folk artist to win the Peony Award

Two years later, Xiong Zhuying returned from her studies. He thought he could show off his talents, but he never expected that his future path would be as winding and undulating as the ravines and ridges of the Loess Plateau.

In June 1994, four months after leaving her master, Xiong Zhuying followed her senior brother and walked around the streets, looking for performance opportunities from door to door. In the winter of this year, he and his senior brother were invited to tell stories at an employer's house in Yanchuan County, northern Shaanxi. After a few days, the endless performances made the senior brother so tired that he could not speak. Xiong Zhuying had no choice but to come on stage to save the situation. Unexpectedly, the response was extremely good. Some audience members praised him and said, "This young man can speak (book) very well. I will continue to let him speak tomorrow." "Xiong Zhuying's self-confidence was suddenly restored, and it was only from then on that he really dared to go on stage to tell stories.

The winter in northern Shaanxi is biting. Many storytellers are reluctant to go out and suffer hardship, but Xiong Zhuying is happy to go out. It didn't matter whether he made money or not, but he couldn't be idle at home and waste the skills he had just learned. He braved the cold to go to his employer's house to perform family letters. When there is no performance, Xiong Zhuying runs into the ravines early every morning to practice her voice. Even when she is working, she does not forget to hum a few lyrics. After a cold winter's experience, Xiong Zhuying grew up rapidly and gradually became famous. She came up with classic jokes such as "Paintings on the White Jade Tower", "Strong Wind" and "Five Sons Burying Their Father" at their fingertips. "But I really endured a lot of hardships at that time. I saw all the people with high eyebrows and low eyesight, and I wanted to give up countless times. But when it was time to change careers, I felt reluctant to give up."

After Xiong Zhuying got married and had a child, she was struggling to make ends meet. The days have added a lot of bitterness. Xiong Zhuying recalled that there was no market for storytellers in northern Shaanxi at that time, and the income from performances throughout the year was simply not enough to support his family. Many people suggested that he change careers. People in the village believed that being a storyteller was not a decent job, and some people joked, "You are the only decent beggars." Even his father suggested that he change careers to learn welding or oil work. But Xiong Zhuying couldn't let go, couldn't let go, and couldn't leave. "This has been my hobby since childhood, and I have invested so much energy in learning storytelling. How could I give up so easily?" It is this inseparable feeling that has supported Xiong Zhuying to persevere and get to where he is today step by step.

Xiong Zhuying’s life turned around in 2006. That year, storytelling in northern Shaanxi was selected into the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage, and folk storytellers including Xiong Zhuying were constantly discovered. In 2007, Xiong Zhuying won the title of "Top Ten Storytelling Artists in Northern Shaanxi" in the second Northern Shaanxi Storytelling Competition. In 2009, Hengshan County organized the recruitment of special artistic talents, and Xiong Zhuying, who has profound storytelling skills in northern Shaanxi, was admitted to the Hengshan County Cultural Center. Since then, his artistic path has gradually broadened. Not only has he been invited to participate in the recording and performance of various CCTV programs many times, he has also been invited abroad to participate in the 9th Chinese Folk Art Festival in Paris and the first "Bakhshi International Art Festival" and folk music festival in Uzbekistan. Spoken Rap Festival. Over the years, Xiong Zhuying’s home has been filled with trophies and certificates of all sizes. In September 2020, he won the Performance Award of the 11th China Peony Award for Folk Art, which is a national professional award for folk art and the highest award in the folk art world. And he is also the only award-winning folk storyteller in northern Shaanxi.

practiced Kung Fu hard and became famous in one day. Different from the young kid who just entered the industry, Xiong Zhuying is now a well-known figure in the folk art world. As the only provincial inheritor of Hengshan Storytelling, Xiong Zhuying shoulders the mission of inheriting and promoting this intangible cultural heritage. Under his words and deeds, a pair of children also became good storytellers in northern Shaanxi. The siblings even won the New Seedling Award in the third Shaanxi Province Storytelling Competition in northern Shaanxi.

The "Xiong Zhuying Effect" has led to the explosion of storytellers. It is hoped that more young people will be willing to join the storytelling industry.

This summer, when storytelling in northern Shaanxi became a global phenomenon, storytellers in Yulin were invited even before the National Day holiday. And the booking is over. They are invited to perform all over the country and will continue until after the National Day holiday. A storyteller in northern Shaanxi said that this is the "Xiong Zhuying effect."

"What do you think of the 'Xiong Zhuying Effect'?" Xiong Zhuying said with a smile that she definitely wouldn't think so, but from the perspective of others, it might be the same thing.After it became popular, fellow storytellers kept coming to him and asking if he could perform the lyrics of "The Yellow Wind Rises". Xiong Zhuying smiled heartily and said, "Absolutely, you can just sing." Sometimes she has too many invitations and is too busy, so Xiong Zhuying will take the initiative. Recommend storytellers you know well to perform. He feels that as long as everyone has a job and food to eat, this folk art can go out and be truly passed down. This is the result he wants to see most. "The sudden explosion of popularity is also good, so that more people will like storytelling, and more young people will be willing to join this ranks."

has been busy for two or three months, and Xiong Zhuying called her too Tired. Before the explosion, his life was calm and orderly. In addition to going to work and performing regularly, he not only went to Hengshan Middle School to teach students every week, but also took time to go to the University for the Elderly to teach students. In his spare time, he did not forget to give some advice. My two "post-90s" apprentices. Now that he has a tight schedule every day, Xiong Zhuying either wakes up in the middle of the night to catch a flight, or arrives at his destination late at night. The continuous interviews and performances make his throat sore until he smokes. From time to time, he thinks of the peaceful days before, "I just want to be a quiet person and tell stories in peace. But at this point, I can't refuse anyone's invitation or interview. Even if it is postponed for a few days, I will take it seriously." "There is always a balance in Xiong Zhuying's heart. He feels that no matter how popular he is now, he must stick to the bottom line and uphold his artistic ethics.

Xiong Zhuying has always understood that the overwhelming traffic that "Black Myth: Wukong" brought to Shaanbei Storytelling and him was just a temporary excitement. After the heat is over, he still has to calm down, be down-to-earth and be his own storyteller, and do his best to pass on storytelling in northern Shaanxi. "If there are young people who are interested in our storytelling in northern Shaanxi or want to join this industry, I am willing to teach for free," he said.

text/photo provided by our reporter Wang Jing/Xiong Zhuying