In Cesan Street,Luozhuang District,Linyi City,Shandong Province,there is a grassroots art troupe quietly adhering to its original aspirations.

"Director Ming,are we still going to perform in Fangshagou Village on Children's Day?"

"Yes."

Ming Guangyi,director of the Moonlight Art Troupe in Cesan Street,formerly served as the Party branch secretary of Weizi Village.After leaving office,he organized the nonprofit"Moonlight Art Troupe,"which started with just over20members and gradually grew into a"People's Grand Stage"with over140participants.

"At first,we had fewer people,but as more audiences came,many retired and like-minded individuals joined us,and our team continued to grow."For any team,finances are a major concern.Whether it's musical instruments,sound equipment,costumes,or even meals and team building for the actors,money is needed.Ming Guangyi quietly tackled these issues alone,solely to pass down the old folk art.He hopes that team members can fully focus on performing and serving the public,leaving all other matters to him to handle.

Every"March8th,""April9th,"and"May10th"of the lunar calendar,the art troupe performs at fixed locations,a tacit agreement long established with nearby audiences.On June1,2024,International Children's Day,in Fangshagou Village,Cesan Street,the eagerly awaited performance won cheers from the audience.The song"Grandmother's Penghu Bay"brought back memories of childhood for the"old children"present,their eyes shimmering with nostalgic tears.

Like the audience,the average age of the art troupe members is over60.Each elderly gentleman,robust in health and spirit despite their age,plays an important role in their respective positions.The actors not only sing beautifully but also perform traditional operas such as Peking Opera,Huangmei Opera,and Yu Opera according to audience demand.In the accompaniment area,over20elders play instruments such as the erhu in seamless harmony with the performers.

Since both the art troupe and performances are nonprofit,they extend their services wherever possible.Besides artistic performances,a steadfast"volunteer hair-cutting zone"is also set up at the performance venues.Volunteers like Li Jinhua,Shao Chang'e,and Zhang Chengyun wear red vests and provide free haircuts for the elderly.Despite offers of payment from some,76-year-old Li Jinhua smiles and shakes his head,"If you insist on paying,I won't come next time!"That morning,the volunteers provided haircuts for49people.When the crowd is larger,the three hairstylists can serve over a hundred people in a day.

"It must be tough,why do you insist on doing this at your age?"Facing the reporter's question,the volunteers smiled,"Many elderly people stay at home and have difficulty going out.They look forward to our performances to get a haircut..."

"The more audience there are,the more energetic the performers are."Ming Guangyi not only cherishes the performers but also values the audience's appreciation at all times.At Nantou Village performance venue without shade,Ming Guangyi personally spent over2,000yuan to purchase a sunshade net,providing shade for the audience who only needs to bring small stools to enjoy half a day of free artistic performances.

Besides Cesan,the art troupe members'performances are also seen in surrounding streets and towns such as Gaodu,Huangshan,and Chudun.Running in different villages,participating in various cultural activities,and leading various art performances have received full recognition and appreciation from the public.

To better inherit intangible cultural heritage and make modern people fond of old folk art,Ming Guangyi and his art troupe have made many efforts.They have incorporated rural revitalization into their performances,participated in district-level preaching contests,and performed in various places.On stage,their tireless efforts with local dialects for creating compositions lit up the"village night"treasure.

"The singing and dancing are so good,and I don't have to watch it on TV.I'm happy to see our own performance."In the streets,the people of Cesan rejoiced.

This year,Ming Guangyi has a wish.He hopes to acquire a mobile stage truck for the performers'instruments to help bring the performance to every village.Enrich the cultural life of various villages and meet the spiritual and cultural needs of the public,then let more people focus on inheriting non-heritage opera culture.(Wang Qinglong,Yang Fan）