For Wu Zhenqiang, suona is the most romantic thing in the world. "I have liked suona since I was a child, and I still like it very much now." Many years later, recalling the experience of learning suona when he was young and running around and taking care of things, Wu Zhenqiang used two "likes". From then on, he felt that the suona was a magical thing. "As soon as it was blown, all the troubles in my heart disappeared."

Wu Zhenqiang is a well-known suona artist in Xifeng District, Qingyang City. People in the seven counties and one district of Qingyang invite Wu Zhenqiang to come out whenever there is a happy event. His suona not only went out of Qingyang, but also out of the country. On April 10, 2017, Wu Zhenqiang was invited to perform at the Central Conservatory of Music; on June 24, 2018, he went to Mongolia to perform "Homeland New Song" at the Ulaanbaatar Chinese Cultural Center.

"The inferiority in the eyes of others, I blow it for 40 years"

"When I first learned suona, this profession was looked down upon by others. In their eyes, blowing suona and shaving hair belonged to the lower class. Many people advised me not to do this profession, but I just like suona very much." When he was a child, there were often opera troupes singing in the village. He liked to listen to suona.

Wu Zhenqiang's reading career ended after graduating from junior high school. "Actually, I was already admitted to high school at that time, and there was really no money for me to study at home, so I thought about learning suona. It is always good to have a skill."

When he was 15 years old, he followed his master to learn suona, and he took care of things around. He earned a few cents a day, all of which was used to help his grandmother to support her family. At that time, the clothes that could be worn were the same. In winter, lining was sewn into the clothes, and some cotton was stuffed to make cotton clothes. In summer, the lining was removed, and the cotton was taken out and used in the next year.

Wu Zhenqiang's winter shoes are "cotton nests" made of cloth by his grandmother, and he wears them when he goes out to do business. At that time, due to the inconvenience of transportation, a group of people often had to stay at the main house. One night, the master in the team accidentally threw a cigarette butt into one of his shoes, and the shoe was on fire. Wu Zhenqiang had no shoes to replace, so he had to take turns wearing the remaining cotton shoes. The biting cold Wu Zhenqiang still remembers to this day.

In 2006, Qingyang Suona was rated as a national intangible cultural heritage, and Wu Zhenqiang also became the inheritor of Qingyang Suona. From the beginning of learning suona to today, 40 spring and summer have alternated, and suona is still the cause he is willing to devote all his efforts to.

"Now the conditions are getting better, people recognize Qingyang Suona, and they recognize me, but I can't help my family." Wu Zhenqiang always feels guilty when talking about his family. Going out to take care of business needs to run around, sometimes there are performances in the morning, and there are performances in the afternoon. In the past, Wu Zhenqiang had to go to the master's house to take care of things on time. Most of the farm work in the family depended on his wife and the elderly. Now that the land is transferred out, the family still mainly relies on his wife for large and small matters.

"The pitch is unified, and the sound of Qingyang suona can be transmitted farther."

In the beginning, the masters didn't understand music theory, and there was no musical score for suona teaching, and they all relied on "Zhazi", which was taught by word of mouth. This teaching method has high requirements on the students' own musical talent. Wu Zhenqiang is a gifted student. He can play a complete piece of music in just seven days when he is just exposed to suona. At that time, when learning suona, it was necessary to hear the corresponding notes from the key in the master's mouth. When playing wrong, the master only corrected the hole position of the finger. The apprentice's learning of suona music belongs to proficient memory, and he did not master the music theory.

A suona team usually consists of seven or eight people. The length of the suona rods in a team is basically the same, and the size of the reeds is also the same. In the beginning, there was no standard tone. The suona reeds of different groups were different in size, and the tones they blew were not uniform. The master's voice was louder, and the apprentice's voice was louder. The master's voice was low, and the apprentice's voice was correspondingly lower. When several groups played together, the pitches were inconsistent, each one played a trumpet, and each played a different key. "My two senior brothers and I spontaneously normalized the reeds and used the B-flat key for the same pitch. No matter how many groups play together, the Qingyang suona sounds more harmonious."

Wu Zhenqiang, Ma Zigang and Li Haicheng, two senior brothers, once worshipped at the door of Teacher Liang Pingzheng together. "Mr. Liang understands music theory, and his suona is very professional. We have learned more professional playing skills from Mr. Liang, and also learned a lot of traditional music." Wu Zhenqiang now performs about 260 times a year, and the most is one year. It was 283 times, "I want to spread the sound of Qingyang Suona to a farther place." Wu Zhenqiang said.

"The banner of Qingyang Suona must be handed over to the next generation"

Wu Zhenqiang's son liked to listen to suona since he was a child. After graduating from junior high school, he studied at Qiming Art School in Qingyang City. He mastered the suona performance skills and many playing cards through Mr. Liang Pingzheng's class. Later, I followed Wu Zhenqiang to take care of things, and gradually learned to play traditional music.

In 2018, Wu Zhenqiang accepted 12 apprentices in one go, and he and his fellow apprentices have their own training centers. In 2020, Wu Zhenqiang's training institute officially opened, and now there are 16 apprentices. In fact, he had accepted several apprentices earlier, and now they have each taken the lead, and they have all become masters who teach suona skills.

"Everyone trusts us, and many people are willing to let us teach their children to learn Qingyang Suona." Wu Zhenqiang's training center teaches suona skills with great emphasis on the basics, starting from theory, and first teaching students to learn genealogy. In his opinion, only when the music theory is mastered can it be more accurate and quicker when it is actually practiced.

The suona industry should pay attention to one specialty and multiple abilities. Wu Zhenqiang is not only proficient in suona, but also has great achievements in erhu, percussion, Qin Opera and other aspects.

Among the apprentices recruited in 2018, two children already included suona in their life plans early. "I want to be a soldier in the future, so I will be a literary soldier, and I can continue to play suona in the army." The tall, thin boy has just graduated from junior high school and has been learning suona for three years by August this year. Another female apprentice has also studied suona for more than three years, and has passed the erhu test.

"Qingyang Suona is a national intangible cultural heritage, and I want to pass this banner to the next generation." When it comes to the future, Wu Zhenqiang is full of confidence.