Recently, the Longju opera "The Great River Flows East" created and arranged by Gansu Provincial Longju Theater was performed in Beijing. The drama is set against the backdrop of the history of the Anti Japanese War and the culture of the Yellow River, depicting the historical scene of the people of Lanzhou using sheepskin rafts to transport anti Japanese supplies, and deeply portraying the heroic spirit and patriotism of the Yellow River people. The drama is still on tour in universities in Gansu, becoming a vivid carrier of aesthetic and ideological education for college students. Longju, originally named "Longdong Daoqing", originated from shadow puppetry in the Huan County area of Gansu Province. It is a unique type of opera in Gansu Province, formed by absorbing local folk music and combining elements of traditional Chinese opera such as Daoqing shadow puppetry singing. It is known as the "unique flower of Longshang". In 1959, the compilation and performance of "Fengluo Pool" gave Longdong Daoqing a relatively complete stage art scale in practice, and Longju was officially named and became a representative genre of local opera in Gansu. In 2006, with the approval of the State Council, Longju was included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list. Afterwards, the "Official Goose Love Song," "Bitter Village Official," and "Western Narrow Long Song," known as the "trilogy of Longju," were successively released and performed in Jin and Beijing, attracting attention nationwide for their unique artistic charm and rich local characteristics. The Yellow River Flows East "is the second part of the" Yellow River Trilogy "series launched by Gansu Longju Theater. This drama innovates on the basis of retaining the traditional style of Longju, especially in terms of music creation, and makes beneficial explorations for the inheritance and development of Longju. The music of 'The River Flows East' is rich and colorful. In terms of singing style, singing the strong "madong" with a strong sense of unity and Longyun is one of the most distinctive symbols of Longju. The play is based on the traditional "madong" singing style and has created a new multi part "madong" singing technique, which has a strong artistic appeal. At the performance venue, a singing team consisting of over 40 people divided the parts to sing "Ma Huang". While increasing the thickness of the music in the play, it also raised the emotional expression level of the characters and enhanced the expressive power of the work, thus strengthening the dissemination and resonance of the story's emotions. In terms of musical structure, the play is based on the basic plate structure of traditional Longju opera, such as the "danban", "feiban", "sanban" that run through the entire play, and cleverly combines plate structures from other excellent and mature opera genres, such as borrowing from the plate structures of modern Beijing opera, such as the "shangban" and "diaoban". The diverse styles constantly change with the progression of the story plot, character personalities, and emotions, and are seamlessly integrated with the singing style and accompaniment. In terms of performance program, the actors use performance forms such as Longdong Yangge and Diyouzi as their body posture and techniques during the singing process, and also incorporate elements of Huanxian Daoqing Shadow Play. With superb acting skills and beautiful singing style, the characters in the play are portrayed vividly. Gansu has a profound historical and cultural heritage, and abundant red cultural resources. The Longju opera 'The Great River Flows East' is an in-depth exploration of Gansu's red culture. According to historical records, during the entire Anti Japanese War, Gansu, located in the strategic rear area, was bombed and bombed by the Japanese army a total of 71 times, killing and injuring 1426 civilians and destroying more than 24000 houses. The raft passengers on the Yellow River in Jincheng Lanzhou, using primitive and rudimentary sheepskin rafts and their own flesh and blood, transported countless strategic materials to the front line of the Anti Japanese War, writing an immortal legend of "sheepskin rafts racing against warships". The creative team of the drama delved deeply into the historical materials of the Lanzhou War of Resistance Against Japan, focusing on the group of Lanzhou raft passengers on the banks of the Yellow River. Through their love, hate, and hatred during the national crisis, they portrayed the patriotism of the people in the rear of Lanzhou through their small eyes, interpreting the spirit of "the rise and fall of the world, the responsibility of every man". The characters in the play are full, the plot is compact, and the dramatic conflicts progress layer by layer, presenting the main theme naturally. The interpretation of "the rise and fall of the world is the responsibility of every individual" in the drama is naturally carried out through the ideological changes of main characters such as Zhu Huaihua, Wang Baoshan, and mother-in-law Liu Yang. As the husband of Zhu Huaihua, the female owner of Liu Ji's raft stack, died in a source of goods dispute, she formed a grudge with Wang Ji's raft stack owner and single handedly took control of Liu Ji's raft stack. She was astute and capable, able to see through the conspiracies and schemes of warlords and unscrupulous merchants to seize the dock. However, when her son Liu Jincheng persuaded her to put aside personal grievances and join forces with Wang Ji's raft stack to build a large raft to transport anti Japanese supplies, she still felt that "the fight against Japan is the responsibility of the government" and "we just need to live our own lives well". Just as they were arguing, the bad news came that their own goods, sheepskin rafts, and raft passengers were brutally attacked by Japanese planes during transportation, which made Zhu Huaihua have to start thinking about her choice. Subsequently, her son Jincheng lost his life in the Japanese air raid, and she completely realized. Faced with the pain of their homes being destroyed and their loved ones being lost, the raft passengers stood united against the enemy, and their patriotism was elevated through the layers of dramatic conflicts. Whether it's the opposing scenes between Zhu Huaihua and Jincheng during their argument, or the crying scenes when Zhu Huaihua lost her son, they deeply touched the audience. The Longju drama 'The Great River Flows East' focuses on promoting the Yellow River culture and regional culture, and the entire work can be said to be a concentrated display of the rich Yellow River flavor. The Zhongshan Bridge, waterwheel, sheepskin raft, and Taiping drum that appear on stage fully showcase the ancient charm of Lanzhou; Beef noodles, grey beans, and sweet fermented grains showcase the unique cuisine of Lanzhou. The lines use a lot of Lanzhou dialect, and the actors incorporate local dialects and slang of Lanzhou into their dialogues, making them full of energy. It is worth mentioning that the drama inserted the highly distinctive "flower" of Gansu region, which is the first time in Longju. Flower "is a primitive folk song created by multiple ethnic groups in the northwest region of China, named after the lyrics that compare women to flowers. Flower "is originally a heartfelt expression, a way for farmers to express their emotions and aspirations for a better life during their leisure time, using scenery as a backdrop. The drama kicked off with the resounding and penetrating sound of "flowers" that touched people's hearts, captivating and captivating. In the drama, the use of "flowers" in the wedding scene is a stroke of genius, perfectly interpreting the joy and excitement of young people getting married. While showcasing local customs and characteristics, it enriches the musical language of the work. In the scene of "Sacrificing to the River God", the use of Lanzhou Taiping Drum played a finishing touch. The actors on stage danced to the rumbling sound of the drum, reflecting the respect and reverence of the raft guests for the Yellow River, and highlighting the national righteousness and responsibility of the Chinese people in times of national crisis. The integration of these elements is an inheritance and innovation of the traditional regional music of Gansu. The vivid stage presentation of 'The Great River Flows East' closely combines the regional characteristics, historical culture, and spirit of the times of Gansu. The theme is profound, the plot is exquisite, and the actors' performances are superb. It not only touches the hearts of the audience, but also brings new opportunities for the local opera form of Longju to go national. (New Society)