On the eve of liberation, there were only 2 or 3 artists specializing in walking books. In 195, Ningbo established the Opera Improvement Association, which studied tunes, bibliographies and performances, and organized artists to participate in political and cultural studies to improve their quality and level. In 1958, a group of new forces were specially trained in the city's traditional opera training class, and Ningbo Zoushu took on a brand-new look. At that time, famous artists were Ranfan Ou, Xu Binzhang and Zhu Guiying, and Qiu Boyang and Fan Xiuying, etc. Musician Liu Renfu was good at erhu and was known as the "living huqin". In 1958, "Siming Hongxia-Li Min", written by Ying Yi, sung by Xu Binzhang and Zhu Guiying, participated in the provincial capital book and won the prize; Later, a number of new long bibliographies were created and adapted, such as "Three Fighting and Six Tigers" written by Chen Baifeng and sung by Zhu Guiying, "White Crane Map" compiled by Tang Xiaomao and sung by Xu Binzhang.

Although she is a city dweller, Shen Jianli, who is in her early forties, always likes to go to the countryside. She and her husband have been singing "Walking in Ningbo" for more than 2 years, and they have become quite famous in Ningbo and even Zhoushan.

"We make a living by singing books, just like folk artists!" Shen Jianli said that at the age of 12, she could sing Yue Opera. At the age of 18, she followed the master who went to the village to sing books for more than two months and learned to walk books. In the following years, the couple personally felt a dazzling page in Ningbo.

"At that time, there were many places to listen to books in the city. At that time, there was a bookstore near Rainbow North Road. The seats of more than 2 people were full, and many people crowded outside the door to watch. There is also a food market next to it. When the vegetable farmers come to sell vegetables in the morning, they all bring lunch boxes. When the vegetables are sold out, they have to wait until the afternoon, and then go back after listening to the books. In the countryside, almost every village has set up a stage to sing books, and we also rushed to the scene, singing in this village in the afternoon and going to that village in the evening. People listened with interest and we sang vigorously. "

In the mind of Chen Bingyao, a researcher at the City Group Art Museum, there were many books at that time: there were many bookstores, not counting the countryside, there were more than 2 in the city alone; There are many people who sing books. There are more than 5 groups of actors in Yinxian alone, and even more people like to listen. During this period, Zou Shu went out of Ningbo, spanning Qiantang in the north, Yandang in the south and Zhoushan Island in the east. In Yinxian County, more than 2 groups of book-walking artists performed in towns and villages. Some people described it as "the sound of books walking in the countryside, and the people listening to books in every village".

The income comparison may also reflect the degree of reading craze at that time. During the Spring Festival, Shen Jianli and his wife could earn more than 4 yuan, while the average person's monthly salary was only 4 yuan. A few years ago, the couple bought a house and their children were in college.

There have been two small climaxes in Ningbo's book-walking development. In the early days of liberation, the Quyi Improvement Association was established and a large number of works were created. In 1964, the traditional books were changed to modern books, and Zou Shu was sung on the radio.

At the end of 198s, under the impact of new culture, Ningbo Zoushu gradually declined.

"People are busy, and they are attracted by wonderful TV programs in their spare time. Bookstores have been converted into shops, restaurants, etc., and many book-walking actors have also gone to the sea to do business. Ningbo's book-walking seems to have fallen into the ice hole. " Wang Jiangang, chairman of Yinzhou Music Association, was very helpless when talking about this. There is only one fixed bookstore in Yinzhou Wuxiang Cultural Center in Ningbo, and only some elderly activity rooms in rural areas are also used as performance venues. Another grim reality is that there are only more than 2 book-walking artists in folk performances.

"Most of these 2-odd people are old artists, and the youngest is over 4 years old, and there are few successors. There are few young people who are talented and willing to learn. This most distinctive local folk art in Ningbo is carried on more than 2 people, which really makes people feel heavy! " Chen Bingyao, a researcher at the City Group Art Museum, said anxiously.

"In the past, people were asking us to sing. In the future, we have to find places to sing." This is Shen Jianli's most intuitive feeling about the decline of reading. Because she likes singing away books, she and her husband persisted when other artists changed jobs one after another. They went out with their bags on their backs for a few months. They have been to remote mountain villages in Taizhou and the islands in Zhoushan. As long as someone listens, they are willing to sing for less money.

people who love this kind of music have a feeling of weakness and loneliness. Teacher Chen Shaokang, an old screenwriter of Yinzhou District Music Association, once wrote a lyric and lamented:

Talking about the past and the present, telling the truth about the past and the present, the book sang heroes to kill rats, and the house was filled with cheers. Weng Duqing, Weng Duqing, shook hands with no successor after sorrow, and shed tears.

In recent years, walking books in Ningbo has become "warmer" in the countryside. Shen Jianli thinks that this is related to the good life in the countryside and the nostalgia of the elderly.

people in the industry actually see clearly the reason why Ningbo Zoushu has been in a slump. "The reason is nothing more than two points. First, the social conditions in which it is located have changed. Second, it has many shortcomings that it cannot adapt to this change." Chen Bingyao, a researcher at the City Group Art Museum, concluded this way.

under the impact of various entertainment cultures such as TV, Ningbo's reading can't keep up with the times; In the fast-paced life, people have no time to sit down and drink tea and listen to books, and their limited spare time will only be spent on more exciting entertainment; Shops are more valuable, and no one will rent the house to the bookstore cheaply again.

under this condition, taking books shows its own shortcomings. Artists' performances are still mostly traditional dramas. It takes several hours to sing a song, and it takes dozens of days to finish the whole drama. Even if people want to listen, they don't have time to listen. The content is divorced from the times and incompatible with reality. Wang Jiangang remembers a Spring Festival performance one year. Several young people went in and listened for a while and then came out. They asked them what happened. One replied, "I don't understand" and the other said, "Mr. Singing Books is talking nonsense. How can this happen!"

but this feature has also become a reason for its difficulty. Chen Bingyao, a researcher, said that slang and dialect are widely used in the lyrics of Zoushu, and it is also required to have a flat tone, not to mention that foreigners in Ningbo, even younger locals, can't understand it.

if you don't understand, let alone be interested in singing. Shen Jianli told reporters that learning to sing and walk books requires hard work, but also interest and talent. In recent years, several young people have learned to walk books with them, but for various reasons, they quit soon after learning.

The investment in the creation and performance of Zoushu is very limited. To put Zou Shu on the stage, in addition to the creation fee, venues, lighting, props, costumes, etc. should also be invested. For Quyi people, these can not be solved by enthusiasm alone.

"There are lotus drops in Shaoxing and pingtan in Suzhou. We can't watch Ningbo's characteristic quyi decline." Chen Bingyao said: "Reviving the book, Huashan is the only way, only innovation."

Chen Shaokang of Yinzhou District Music Association has long had the idea of "innovation". He proposed that the music of walking books should also learn from the melodies of folk songs and operas, so that it has both a small bridge and a river of no return, so that listeners can sing and learn; Avoid using pure vernacular to describe the plot, without slang, so that outsiders can understand it; The performance should incorporate dramatic actions such as clean, final, dramatic, vivid and ugly, so as to enhance the appreciation.

The book-walking artists have been innovating through groping. Shen Jianli said that a few years ago, she began to learn Hangzhou dialect and Shaoxing dialect, and some old-fashioned Ningbo dialect was no longer needed, and many performances were arranged. According to the introduction of Yinzhou District Music Association, they tried to sing Zoushu in Mandarin, accompanied by a steel pipe band, and consciously combined the performance of Zoushu with tourist attractions to expand the performance space of Zoushu.

At the same time, the excavation and innovation work is also going on. The Municipal Music Association has completed the collection of Selected Works of Ningbo Traditional Quyi, and collected classic calligraphy works. Folk Quyi activities are also rich and colorful. Yinzhou District organized a Quyi exhibition of "Culture Entering Hundred Villages", all of which were performances for Ningbo's book-walking, which made the people addicted to books.

The training of reading talents has also made a good start. Fenghua Music Association set up a training class for Ningbo Zoushu in early 22, and selected more than 5 students from three primary schools for training, which brought hope to the inheritance and revitalization of Ningbo Zoushu.

"One play in the Tenth Five-year Plan saved a kind of drama, and the opening of Shaoxing artist Hu Shanghai saved the lotus flower drop in Shaoxing. As the most distinctive folk art in Ningbo, we must not watch its loss." Chen Shao Kang, Qu Xie of Yinzhou District, firmly said: "Everything depends on human effort. As long as everyone is willing to work hard, I believe it can be done!"