Nanping playing and singing is a unique folk playing and singing art spread in Jiuzhaigou (formerly Nanping County). It was first popular in the northwest region of my country and was brought to Jiuzhaigou County by immigrants from Shaanxi and Gansu during the Yongzheng and Jiaqing years of the Qing Dynasty. Due to the special geographical location of Jiuzhaigou and the deep integration with local culture for two hundred years, the unique Nanping playing and singing art has finally been formed, which is widely spread in Jiuzhaigou County. And in June 2008, it was approved by the State Council and included in the second batch of national intangible cultural heritage list. Nanping Pipa is connected with Nanping playing and singing. The production of Nanping Pipa can be regarded as a living fossil in the intangible cultural heritage of Aba Prefecture.

The Nanping pipa has a simple and simple shape, very similar to the pipa in the Dunhuang fresco "Flying Dance". "Sui Shu·Music Zhi" said: "The pipa and the vertical konghou are from Xicheng, and they are not old Chinese utensils." If the common pipa is the mainstream, then the Nanping pipa is a branch outside the mainstream. Liu Xi of the Eastern Han Dynasty said in "Release Names and Musical Instruments": "The pipa originally came out of Huzhong, and it was immediately drummed." From this, it can be seen that the early pipa was played horizontally, and the Nanping pipa still retains this style. A thousand-year-old way of playing.

Liu Yuping, 63 years old this year, is an ordinary farmer in Heping Village, Nanping Town, Jiuzhaigou County. He is also the seventh-generation descendant of Nanping Pipa making. "Nanping Pipa is the most important accompaniment instrument in Nanping playing and singing. Without Nanping Pipa, there would be no soul of Nanping playing and singing." Liu Yuping said.

Liu Yuping said that the Nanping pipa looks like a liuyeqin, but it is actually made from the shape of a woman. The curved design at the top of the Nanping pipa symbolizes a woman's hair bun; the drilled peg means inserting the hairpin; the pin symbolizes the seven buttons of a woman's cheongsam; the string seat symbolizes the navel, and the two symmetrical sound holes Symbolizes the female breast. Therefore, the overall appearance of Nanping Pipa is very soft and not clumsy. He said: "It is precisely because the Nanping pipa symbolizes women that whether it is playing or making the pipa, it must be treated with a respectful attitude towards women."

Nanping Pipa has been endowed with a lively artistic atmosphere by Jiuzhaigou people, and its shape has been entrusted with a better life wish. Every Nanping pipa is a gentle and open-minded woman, carrying an elegant, tolerant and optimistic attitude towards life. And all this comes from the transparent heart and dexterous hands of the pipa maker.

Nanping pipa is generally made of basswood, walnut, catalpa, tulip and so on. The production length is generally 93 cm long and 23 cm wide. Such materials and length determine the compactness and portability of Nanping Pipa, making it easier to play. The design of the three strings and seven frets determines that the Nanping pipa does not need to have a wide range, as long as it can meet the adjustment of singing and tune changes. Therefore, simplicity is naturally the main style of Nanping Pipa, and it is more relaxed and lively to play.

"The longer the pipa, the deeper and deeper the sound; the shorter the pipa, the sharper and clearer the sound. Regardless of the length, the tone must be clean," Liu Yuping said. There are many people who can make Nanping pipa in Jiuzhaigou, but there are not many people who can guarantee that every piece they make is clean and beautiful. Liu Yuping is undoubtedly the best among Nanping pipa producers. His superb skills benefit from the continuation of his family's stunts, but also from his deep understanding of life and life.

"Ink and ink make art, and knives and knives are fine." This was a phrase that Liu Yuping's father used to say. This means that in making a pipa, every ink line must be in the best mental state, and every stroke must be precise and meticulous. Only by treating the pipa with respect and the craftsmanship of the pipa can we make a pipa that we are satisfied with. Under his father's words and deeds, the clever Liu Yuping learned to make pipa very early. However, when he was young, he hoped to go out and explore his own world. Because in his impression, the pipa can only be made to exchange for some food, and cannot be turned into cash to subsidize the family.

The outside world is very exciting, but unfortunately there are too many unexpected helpless things in the outside world. A sudden car accident turned all Liu Yuping's dreams into empty talk. The pain left by the car accident prevented him from engaging in heavy manual labor. If he wanted to change the situation of his life, he could only rely on himself. But he still doesn't have a clear direction and goal on what kind of road he needs to take to make the family have a stable and stable life.

It is said that a person is born with a path, and this is not true at all. People in Jiuzhaigou like to play and sing in Nanping. They need to play and sing at weddings and funerals, and when they build houses and build houses, they need to play and sing. In short, whenever there is a chance to get together, they always play and sing. Liu Yuping, who lives at home and can play and sing, is often invited by friends to play and sing. When he encounters such an opportunity, Liu Yuping is also willing to go there. Unfortunately, every time he goes out, he can only borrow someone else's pipa.

Although my family is a professional making Nanping pipa, the pipa my father made back then has long been replaced with food, filling the family's stomach. The only pipa hanging on the wall was missing three hairpins, so it couldn't be considered a finished product at all. He thought about finishing this old pipa by himself, but when he thought that he hadn't touched those tools for many years, he immediately backed off. So he thought of asking other pipa masters to help him complete the production, but unfortunately others always put it off for various reasons, and no one was willing to help him complete the old pipa.

In a fit of rage, Liu Yuping picked up his father's tool for making pipa and made a brand new pipa out of hemp willow wood.

When he took this pipa out to play and sing, the friends who played and sang with him were stunned. They all agreed that this pipa had reached a very high level in both appearance and tone. After a while, a friend came to his house with a person and asked to buy his lute. Thinking that I would do it anyway, and my family was short of money, I happily sold it.

Immediately after that, he made a second one, a third one... The final fate of these newly made pipa was the same as the first one - they were bought by others. It was not until this time that he knew that making pipa could also support his family.

The identification of Nanping's intangible cultural heritage of playing and singing has brought more opportunities to Liu Yuping. He said: "No matter how great your personal ability is, you must rely on good policies. Without good policies as a platform, Nanping Pipa is still an ordinary pastime. The leisure thing.” According to him, several colleges and universities have customized different numbers of Nanping Pipa in him, some for performances, some for exhibitions, and some for research. What's more, some schools specially invited him to give lectures on the history and production of Nanping Pipa.

From the first pipa sold 30 years ago to now, Liu Yuping has made more than 2,000 Nanping pipas. These pipas have not only entered the local family in Jiuzhaigou, but also went to all parts of the country, and the name "Liu Yuping" has become An iconic symbol of Nanping Pipa.

Open-minded, he not only passed on the stunt of Nanping Pipa to his son, but also to other young people who came to learn the craft. He said, "No matter how good the craft is, someone should do it Whether it is Zhang San or Li Si, as long as he is willing to learn, I am willing to teach. What I do is a family art, but I also hope that Nanping Pipa production can best become Sichuan art, Chinese art, if possible, can become World Art is better."