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“金华昆曲在武义，武义昆曲在陶村。”
武义昆曲是昆腔流传在金华一带、并辐射浙中其他地区的支派，因常年演出于农村草台、庙会、祠堂，以农民为主要观众，语言较为通俗，故又称之为“草昆”（这只是与魏良辅、梁辰鱼改良后的昆腔水磨调、即“正昆”相区别而言）。武义昆曲能够传唱百余年，离不开世代陶村人对它的文化自觉与自信，10年前，被列入浙江省非物质文化遗产名录。2016年7月，笔者参加“千年桃溪·百年绝唱”武义昆曲调研活动，以省级传承人何苏生，县级传承人胡奇之、何育美以及陶村其他村民为访谈对象，对“陶村班”进行了田野调查，认为，武义昆曲的传承与发展状况，可看作研究当下非遗保护的一个缩影和实例——寻求积极的小众，谋求大众的关注。
笔者首先探尋“陶村班”起源的生态环境，回顾它百余年的沧桑岁月与文化记忆。
人类的文化活动，以自然环境为物质基础、社会环境为人文空间，两者共同构成了生态环境。陶村地处武义县西南部，背山临水，历史上，相对远离纷扰战事，村民安居乐业，闲暇之时喜欢吹拉弹唱，从而为“草昆”的形成和发展提供了先决条件。
陶村是陶渊明后裔最大的聚居村，俗称“江南桃花源胜地”。陶村人历代以耕读为本，十分重视教育，这为陶村昆曲的形成奠定了极其重要的人才基础，民国续修《宣平县志》记载：清乾隆时期，武义“一时谈文艺者以桃溪为最”。
金华一带自明嘉靖以来相当流行昆曲，至清道光间，影响大盛，出现了28个职业大班和众多业余班社。民国年间，金华昆剧奄奄一息，各班于新中国成立之初解散，但武义昆剧团一度犹存，剧目数多达70多本，冠全国专业昆剧团之首。改革开放后，金华民间或有成立业余昆剧团的，武义昆曲则以“陶村昆曲传艺社”为代表。
陶村昆曲传承有序，经历了初创期（1909—1933），陶村昆曲爱好者徐凤鳌、陶云芳等创立民间曲社儒琴堂，后改翕如堂；成长期（1934—1954），翕如堂改为民生乐社；辉煌期（1955—1968），民生乐社被批准成为县级专业剧团宣平昆剧团，后改武义昆剧团；空白期（1969—1977），武义昆剧团与武义婺剧团合并为武义文工团；复兴期（1978—1986），陶村昆曲老艺人徐五连、何增土、陶振通等继续传授“草昆”，成立桃溪昆剧团，又改陶村乡昆剧团，后解散。
现实审视
2001年5月，昆曲被联合国教科文组织列为“人类口头和非物质文化遗产”。它是中国第一个世界级非物质文化遗产。喜讯传来，给具有高度延续性的武义昆曲的传承与发展提供了新机会。
武义昆曲起初完全是依照昆腔华丽婉转、念白儒雅、表演细腻、舞蹈飘逸的特点进行表演，而后因武义昆曲长期根植农村，为适应当地农民的审美倾向，一代代艺人在唱腔、动作、剧目等方面化雅为俗，逐步形成了不同于“正昆”的独具草根力量的艺术特色。
武义昆曲在音乐上吸收了民间音乐和婺剧中一些粗犷通俗的元素。在唱腔上，在原昆腔水磨调柔曼和缓的基础上，减少装饰性的花腔，再加上武义本地的语言声腔，不拘泥于四声格腔，因此节奏变快、气势增强。在念白中，由原来的中洲韵的腔韵，除丑角要求念苏白外，其他角色的韵白转接“地方官话”。在表演动作上，糅合当地民间舞蹈的身形步法，从而使昆曲逐步演变成具有浓郁武义地方特色、深受武义老百姓喜爱的民间艺术。
武义昆曲的剧目大都出自当地底层文人与艺人共同创作的演出台本，讲究情节诱人、通俗简明。以前的曲本大体可分为两种，即有工尺谱的和仅在唱词旁标有板眼符号的。老艺人凭借这两种古老的曲本向学艺者传授技法，可惜仅有部分曲本流传下来。
武义昆曲原多为文戏，表演以柔性动作为主，后受乱弹、徽班戏的影响，艺人编排了一些神话剧、传统剧来招揽观众，强调神似意深，不苟求细腻柔情，形成了以演出武戏、大戏、做工戏为主的特色。化妆上，除花脸外，其他与京剧类似。表演形式上，唱、做、念、打相结合。
“草昆”戏中多牛、鬼、蛇、神等另类角色，因此有丰富多彩的面具或头具，后来样式全部被销毁。1985年，《武义县戏曲志》编辑部在戏曲普查中，邀请何苏生根据回忆重新画出。
武义昆曲的主要演员、乐师分后堂、男堂、女堂，其中，后堂中有乐队6人，男堂中有“三花脸”“四白脸”，女堂中有“七色头”。
各类角色的台步都有规定，一般角色以五步为准，武打以二步半为一阵，刀枪对打与婺剧相似。伴奏乐器大都使用大锣大鼓、大小锁呐，以笛子为主，笙、三弦为副，锣用苏锣。
文化自救
非物质文化遗产保护是经济发展到一定程度后，民族文化面对外来文化的一次自省。2006年5月，浙江昆曲被国务院列入第一批国家级非物质文化遗产名录。2007年6月，武义昆曲被浙江省政府列入第二批浙江省非物质文化遗产名录。在国家和政府的重视和支持下，陶村昆曲爱好者们也认识到“草昆”价值，开展了许多文化自救活动。
2002年，在季贵平、何育美等人的推动下，村民们成立了业余的陶村昆曲传艺社，现有成员30多人，平均年龄近50岁。何苏生和胡奇之两位老艺人经常到场指点，从而使武义昆曲再次绽放异彩。多年来，传艺社经常演出，并参加各类比赛，获得许多奖项。每年除夕夜巡游村中大街小巷的《浪街曲》，是传艺社的必备节目，但只留存《文路》《插花饮酒》和《小令》三支乐曲。
位于陶村的桃溪小学和桃溪中学，近年来分别开设昆曲兴趣班，每周90分钟。不少小学生表示，通过兴趣班才知道本地有“草昆”，一接触才发现“草昆”很有意思。中学生说，我们感受到了“草昆”的文化厚度，也借以提高艺术和文化素养。
已到古稀之年的何苏生和胡奇之两位老搭档，年轻时忙于剧团工作，退休后依然热心昆曲事业，受聘武义兰香艺校，参与多场抢救性专场演出。前些年，何苏生耗时5年编著的《武义昆曲》一书正式出版。目前，他俩正致力于搜集整理旧剧本、曲谱、脸谱，以期出版武义昆曲合集。 “正昆”多演出于富贵人家的高墙之内，而“草昆”演出于市井乡村的草台之上；“正昆”的受众多是达官贵人、文人墨客，而“草昆”的受众是寻常百姓、工匠杂役；“正昆”扮演的多是繁难、文雅的折子戏，而“草昆”扮演的是删繁就简、化雅为俗的全本戏。经历过历史的洗礼，“草昆”已根植于老一辈陶村人的心中。诚如当年金华地区流传的佳话：“陶村人人会唱昆曲，连挑盐的都唱得一绝。”在今天，这种技能也并未完全消亡，它渗透在部分陶村老人生活的方方面面，在田里耕作、在河里捕鱼、在家里洗衣做饭、在树荫下乘凉……这些简单淳朴的场景中都能听到他们哼唱昆曲。
未来思考
即使武义昆曲已经成为“省遗”，并在向“国遗”申报中，也并没有改变其日渐凋落的境况。传承是生存特点，进化是发展规律，要想使非遗本真的、整体的、“以人為本”的、活态的、可持续发展的保护下来，武义昆曲则面临诸多困境。
非物质文化遗产的审美价值和社会价值，归根结底是由参与其事的人所创造、传播并最终得以实现的。所谓武义昆曲的传承，归根结底是人的传承。武义昆曲在传承中遭遇的根本问题就是人才的缺失，传承只能靠“草昆”的学术化研究和以“陶村昆曲传艺社”为代表的民间曲社。
曲社活动具有自发性、周期性等特点，往往是曲友出于兴趣而自发组织的，因而在具体传承内容上缺失宏观和长远规划。最致命的是，曲社没有吸纳年轻血液，随着人们的淡忘或老艺人死亡，武义昆曲将面临逐渐消亡。
受众的培养是关乎武义昆曲可持续发展的关键。然而，在现代，老一辈的“草昆”受众因老龄化而慢慢衰退，中年受众群出现了断层，青少年群体又受到流行音乐等娱乐方式的冲击而缺乏认同感，武义昆曲前景渺茫。
武义昆曲因其采用大量的地方方言或许会成为它推向全国的一大难题，但是与外国人欣赏中国传统戏曲相比，国人听武义方言又有何妨？这恰是符合了非遗保护中提到的维护民族文化创造，促进世界文化的多样性，我们有责任把武义昆曲活态地保护好，传于后世。
“熟知未必真知”，文化意识产生于对文化体系的独到和整体的认识。我们是否可以尝试让年轻人体验“桃花源”中寻常百姓的日常生活和民俗活动，使他们期待在生活中出现“草昆”来获得轻松和快乐，满足在快节奏环境下的都市人对田园牧歌式生活的心理诉求。
武义昆曲的起源和演进是人对一定目的的表达，它反映当时社会群体的价值取向和审美取向，而它发展到行将消失的今天，实质是情感或动机的表达出了问题。武义昆曲要想实现复兴，就必须放弃旧表达，寻找新表达，重新定位，寻求积极的小众，并谋求大众的关注。
（本文照片由作者拍摄）
Grassroots Kunqu Opera in Wuyi
By Jiang Huiting
Jinhua in central Zhejiang used to be a stronghold of Kunqu Opera， one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity inscribed by UNESCO in 2001. Toward the last decades of the Ming （1368-1644）， Kunqu Opera went southward from Suzhou and Hangzhou into central Zhejiang and found its audiences. The Kunqu opera troupes put their roots down in this part of the province and flourished. Through the Qing （1644-1911）， the opera enjoyed popularity in Jinhua. Though the opera’s general appeal has long since waned in the region， what’s known as Grassroots Kunqu Opera is alive in Tao Village， Wuyi， a county in Jinhua.
Grassroots Kunqu Opera is a rural version of the elegant opera genre. The troupe in Tao Village has existed on and off for over one hundred years. Village historians and scholars have traced the roots of the village tradition to 1909 when a village troupe was set up. From 1934 to 1954， the troupe matured. The most glorious time for the village troupe went from 1955 to 1968. The county government sponsored the troupe and renamed it as Wuyi Kunqu Opera Troupe. Then the troupe didn’t survive the cultural tumult raging in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It merged with another troupe in Wuyi and stayed low. In 1978， some Kunqu Opera artists in the village organized a village troupe again. They coached younger artists and performed. The troupe disbanded in 1986. The classical Kunqu Opera troupes in big cities such as Hangzhou and Suzhou entertain an elite audience. Their repertoire contains long plays such as and A complete performance of such a classic play can go on for many evenings. Characters speak poetically， sing lyrically， and dance elegantly. The traditional set tunes of the urban version of Kunqu Opera are melodious and soul-touching.
The grassroots Kunqu in Wuyi is very different. It is so different that if you didn’t know， you wouldn’t recognize it as Kunqu Opera. Without its urban restraints and elite audience， the opera has gone wild in the rural Wuyi. It has absorbed elements from other regional opera genres. Romances are largely dismissed from the repertoire. Written and perfected by local playwrights and actors， the grassroots repertoire of Kunqu Opera in Wuyi is nothing like its more gracious and poetic urban cousin. There are no highlights performances. A complete story always starts and ends in one evening. A big part of the repertoire developed in Wuyi includes myths featuring gods and monsters. Performances are full of weighty noise made by big-sized drums and gongs and loud pipes such as the bamboo flute and the Suona trumpet. Kungfu is a huge allure that pulls audience in. Folk dance is fused into performance. Only the clown still speaks the dialect of Suzhou where Kunqu Opera originated and matured. All other characters in the grassroots Kunqu Opera plays have long since switched to the dialect of Wuyi.
Grassroots Kunqu Opera actors speak faster and louder. Some characters wear masks looking like animals and ghosts. In these performances that target rural theatergoers， poetry， lyrical music， courtly dance are pushed aside into corners， so to speak. The grassroots performance follows its own stereotypes and rules. The six-man band includes percussionists who beat drums and gongs. The bamboo flute player is the lead musician.
The Kunqu Opera troupes struggled in Jinhua for decades in the 20th century. Some troupes simply vanished. But some artists have persisted， keeping the grassroots tradition alive and entertaining rural theatergoers. After learning that Kunqu Opera was inscribed as a world heritage in 2001， the grassroots Kunqu artists in Tao Village set up a troupe in 2002. At present， the troupe has 30 plus amateur artists whose ages average nearly 50. Over years， the troupe has taken part in various rural events， including an annual village-wide parade on the eve of Spring Festival. In 2007， the grassroots Kunqu Opera was inscribed as a cultural heritage in Zhejiang. He Susheng， a native of Tao Village， is a grassroots Kunqu Opera master designated by the provincial government. Hu Qizhi and He Yumei are grassroots Kunqu Opera masters named by the county government. These masters are entrusted to carry on the Wuyi-style Kunqu Opera.
About the future of the grassroots Kunqu Opera， the Kunqu Opera artists in Wuyi and those concerned with the opera including scholars and government officials have put forward this idea： the ancient Kunqu Opera in Wuyi will always remain a cause for only a core of people. There is not much they can do， however. At present， young people are not very much interested to take part in the grassroots tradition. In a primary school and a middle school in Tao Village， students are exposed to the grassroots Kunqu Opera 90 minutes a week. They show some lukewarm interest.
Some rescue works have been done. The old-time masks were first restored in the 1980s. He Susheng has published a book titled . Right now He Susheng and Hu Qizhi are working together to collect and sort out scripts， music and masks， in the hope that a book on the music of Kunqu Opera in Wuyi style can be published in the future. But the two artists are already in their 70s.
“金华昆曲在武义，武义昆曲在陶村。”
武义昆曲是昆腔流传在金华一带、并辐射浙中其他地区的支派，因常年演出于农村草台、庙会、祠堂，以农民为主要观众，语言较为通俗，故又称之为“草昆”（这只是与魏良辅、梁辰鱼改良后的昆腔水磨调、即“正昆”相区别而言）。武义昆曲能够传唱百余年，离不开世代陶村人对它的文化自觉与自信，10年前，被列入浙江省非物质文化遗产名录。2016年7月，笔者参加“千年桃溪·百年绝唱”武义昆曲调研活动，以省级传承人何苏生，县级传承人胡奇之、何育美以及陶村其他村民为访谈对象，对“陶村班”进行了田野调查，认为，武义昆曲的传承与发展状况，可看作研究当下非遗保护的一个缩影和实例——寻求积极的小众，谋求大众的关注。
笔者首先探尋“陶村班”起源的生态环境，回顾它百余年的沧桑岁月与文化记忆。
人类的文化活动，以自然环境为物质基础、社会环境为人文空间，两者共同构成了生态环境。陶村地处武义县西南部，背山临水，历史上，相对远离纷扰战事，村民安居乐业，闲暇之时喜欢吹拉弹唱，从而为“草昆”的形成和发展提供了先决条件。
陶村是陶渊明后裔最大的聚居村，俗称“江南桃花源胜地”。陶村人历代以耕读为本，十分重视教育，这为陶村昆曲的形成奠定了极其重要的人才基础，民国续修《宣平县志》记载：清乾隆时期，武义“一时谈文艺者以桃溪为最”。
金华一带自明嘉靖以来相当流行昆曲，至清道光间，影响大盛，出现了28个职业大班和众多业余班社。民国年间，金华昆剧奄奄一息，各班于新中国成立之初解散，但武义昆剧团一度犹存，剧目数多达70多本，冠全国专业昆剧团之首。改革开放后，金华民间或有成立业余昆剧团的，武义昆曲则以“陶村昆曲传艺社”为代表。
陶村昆曲传承有序，经历了初创期（1909—1933），陶村昆曲爱好者徐凤鳌、陶云芳等创立民间曲社儒琴堂，后改翕如堂；成长期（1934—1954），翕如堂改为民生乐社；辉煌期（1955—1968），民生乐社被批准成为县级专业剧团宣平昆剧团，后改武义昆剧团；空白期（1969—1977），武义昆剧团与武义婺剧团合并为武义文工团；复兴期（1978—1986），陶村昆曲老艺人徐五连、何增土、陶振通等继续传授“草昆”，成立桃溪昆剧团，又改陶村乡昆剧团，后解散。
现实审视
2001年5月，昆曲被联合国教科文组织列为“人类口头和非物质文化遗产”。它是中国第一个世界级非物质文化遗产。喜讯传来，给具有高度延续性的武义昆曲的传承与发展提供了新机会。
武义昆曲起初完全是依照昆腔华丽婉转、念白儒雅、表演细腻、舞蹈飘逸的特点进行表演，而后因武义昆曲长期根植农村，为适应当地农民的审美倾向，一代代艺人在唱腔、动作、剧目等方面化雅为俗，逐步形成了不同于“正昆”的独具草根力量的艺术特色。
武义昆曲在音乐上吸收了民间音乐和婺剧中一些粗犷通俗的元素。在唱腔上，在原昆腔水磨调柔曼和缓的基础上，减少装饰性的花腔，再加上武义本地的语言声腔，不拘泥于四声格腔，因此节奏变快、气势增强。在念白中，由原来的中洲韵的腔韵，除丑角要求念苏白外，其他角色的韵白转接“地方官话”。在表演动作上，糅合当地民间舞蹈的身形步法，从而使昆曲逐步演变成具有浓郁武义地方特色、深受武义老百姓喜爱的民间艺术。
武义昆曲的剧目大都出自当地底层文人与艺人共同创作的演出台本，讲究情节诱人、通俗简明。以前的曲本大体可分为两种，即有工尺谱的和仅在唱词旁标有板眼符号的。老艺人凭借这两种古老的曲本向学艺者传授技法，可惜仅有部分曲本流传下来。
武义昆曲原多为文戏，表演以柔性动作为主，后受乱弹、徽班戏的影响，艺人编排了一些神话剧、传统剧来招揽观众，强调神似意深，不苟求细腻柔情，形成了以演出武戏、大戏、做工戏为主的特色。化妆上，除花脸外，其他与京剧类似。表演形式上，唱、做、念、打相结合。
“草昆”戏中多牛、鬼、蛇、神等另类角色，因此有丰富多彩的面具或头具，后来样式全部被销毁。1985年，《武义县戏曲志》编辑部在戏曲普查中，邀请何苏生根据回忆重新画出。
武义昆曲的主要演员、乐师分后堂、男堂、女堂，其中，后堂中有乐队6人，男堂中有“三花脸”“四白脸”，女堂中有“七色头”。
各类角色的台步都有规定，一般角色以五步为准，武打以二步半为一阵，刀枪对打与婺剧相似。伴奏乐器大都使用大锣大鼓、大小锁呐，以笛子为主，笙、三弦为副，锣用苏锣。
文化自救
非物质文化遗产保护是经济发展到一定程度后，民族文化面对外来文化的一次自省。2006年5月，浙江昆曲被国务院列入第一批国家级非物质文化遗产名录。2007年6月，武义昆曲被浙江省政府列入第二批浙江省非物质文化遗产名录。在国家和政府的重视和支持下，陶村昆曲爱好者们也认识到“草昆”价值，开展了许多文化自救活动。
2002年，在季贵平、何育美等人的推动下，村民们成立了业余的陶村昆曲传艺社，现有成员30多人，平均年龄近50岁。何苏生和胡奇之两位老艺人经常到场指点，从而使武义昆曲再次绽放异彩。多年来，传艺社经常演出，并参加各类比赛，获得许多奖项。每年除夕夜巡游村中大街小巷的《浪街曲》，是传艺社的必备节目，但只留存《文路》《插花饮酒》和《小令》三支乐曲。
位于陶村的桃溪小学和桃溪中学，近年来分别开设昆曲兴趣班，每周90分钟。不少小学生表示，通过兴趣班才知道本地有“草昆”，一接触才发现“草昆”很有意思。中学生说，我们感受到了“草昆”的文化厚度，也借以提高艺术和文化素养。
已到古稀之年的何苏生和胡奇之两位老搭档，年轻时忙于剧团工作，退休后依然热心昆曲事业，受聘武义兰香艺校，参与多场抢救性专场演出。前些年，何苏生耗时5年编著的《武义昆曲》一书正式出版。目前，他俩正致力于搜集整理旧剧本、曲谱、脸谱，以期出版武义昆曲合集。 “正昆”多演出于富贵人家的高墙之内，而“草昆”演出于市井乡村的草台之上；“正昆”的受众多是达官贵人、文人墨客，而“草昆”的受众是寻常百姓、工匠杂役；“正昆”扮演的多是繁难、文雅的折子戏，而“草昆”扮演的是删繁就简、化雅为俗的全本戏。经历过历史的洗礼，“草昆”已根植于老一辈陶村人的心中。诚如当年金华地区流传的佳话：“陶村人人会唱昆曲，连挑盐的都唱得一绝。”在今天，这种技能也并未完全消亡，它渗透在部分陶村老人生活的方方面面，在田里耕作、在河里捕鱼、在家里洗衣做饭、在树荫下乘凉……这些简单淳朴的场景中都能听到他们哼唱昆曲。
未来思考
即使武义昆曲已经成为“省遗”，并在向“国遗”申报中，也并没有改变其日渐凋落的境况。传承是生存特点，进化是发展规律，要想使非遗本真的、整体的、“以人為本”的、活态的、可持续发展的保护下来，武义昆曲则面临诸多困境。
非物质文化遗产的审美价值和社会价值，归根结底是由参与其事的人所创造、传播并最终得以实现的。所谓武义昆曲的传承，归根结底是人的传承。武义昆曲在传承中遭遇的根本问题就是人才的缺失，传承只能靠“草昆”的学术化研究和以“陶村昆曲传艺社”为代表的民间曲社。
曲社活动具有自发性、周期性等特点，往往是曲友出于兴趣而自发组织的，因而在具体传承内容上缺失宏观和长远规划。最致命的是，曲社没有吸纳年轻血液，随着人们的淡忘或老艺人死亡，武义昆曲将面临逐渐消亡。
受众的培养是关乎武义昆曲可持续发展的关键。然而，在现代，老一辈的“草昆”受众因老龄化而慢慢衰退，中年受众群出现了断层，青少年群体又受到流行音乐等娱乐方式的冲击而缺乏认同感，武义昆曲前景渺茫。
武义昆曲因其采用大量的地方方言或许会成为它推向全国的一大难题，但是与外国人欣赏中国传统戏曲相比，国人听武义方言又有何妨？这恰是符合了非遗保护中提到的维护民族文化创造，促进世界文化的多样性，我们有责任把武义昆曲活态地保护好，传于后世。
“熟知未必真知”，文化意识产生于对文化体系的独到和整体的认识。我们是否可以尝试让年轻人体验“桃花源”中寻常百姓的日常生活和民俗活动，使他们期待在生活中出现“草昆”来获得轻松和快乐，满足在快节奏环境下的都市人对田园牧歌式生活的心理诉求。
武义昆曲的起源和演进是人对一定目的的表达，它反映当时社会群体的价值取向和审美取向，而它发展到行将消失的今天，实质是情感或动机的表达出了问题。武义昆曲要想实现复兴，就必须放弃旧表达，寻找新表达，重新定位，寻求积极的小众，并谋求大众的关注。
（本文照片由作者拍摄）
Grassroots Kunqu Opera in Wuyi
By Jiang Huiting
Jinhua in central Zhejiang used to be a stronghold of Kunqu Opera， one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity inscribed by UNESCO in 2001. Toward the last decades of the Ming （1368-1644）， Kunqu Opera went southward from Suzhou and Hangzhou into central Zhejiang and found its audiences. The Kunqu opera troupes put their roots down in this part of the province and flourished. Through the Qing （1644-1911）， the opera enjoyed popularity in Jinhua. Though the opera’s general appeal has long since waned in the region， what’s known as Grassroots Kunqu Opera is alive in Tao Village， Wuyi， a county in Jinhua.
Grassroots Kunqu Opera is a rural version of the elegant opera genre. The troupe in Tao Village has existed on and off for over one hundred years. Village historians and scholars have traced the roots of the village tradition to 1909 when a village troupe was set up. From 1934 to 1954， the troupe matured. The most glorious time for the village troupe went from 1955 to 1968. The county government sponsored the troupe and renamed it as Wuyi Kunqu Opera Troupe. Then the troupe didn’t survive the cultural tumult raging in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It merged with another troupe in Wuyi and stayed low. In 1978， some Kunqu Opera artists in the village organized a village troupe again. They coached younger artists and performed. The troupe disbanded in 1986. The classical Kunqu Opera troupes in big cities such as Hangzhou and Suzhou entertain an elite audience. Their repertoire contains long plays such as and A complete performance of such a classic play can go on for many evenings. Characters speak poetically， sing lyrically， and dance elegantly. The traditional set tunes of the urban version of Kunqu Opera are melodious and soul-touching.
The grassroots Kunqu in Wuyi is very different. It is so different that if you didn’t know， you wouldn’t recognize it as Kunqu Opera. Without its urban restraints and elite audience， the opera has gone wild in the rural Wuyi. It has absorbed elements from other regional opera genres. Romances are largely dismissed from the repertoire. Written and perfected by local playwrights and actors， the grassroots repertoire of Kunqu Opera in Wuyi is nothing like its more gracious and poetic urban cousin. There are no highlights performances. A complete story always starts and ends in one evening. A big part of the repertoire developed in Wuyi includes myths featuring gods and monsters. Performances are full of weighty noise made by big-sized drums and gongs and loud pipes such as the bamboo flute and the Suona trumpet. Kungfu is a huge allure that pulls audience in. Folk dance is fused into performance. Only the clown still speaks the dialect of Suzhou where Kunqu Opera originated and matured. All other characters in the grassroots Kunqu Opera plays have long since switched to the dialect of Wuyi.
Grassroots Kunqu Opera actors speak faster and louder. Some characters wear masks looking like animals and ghosts. In these performances that target rural theatergoers， poetry， lyrical music， courtly dance are pushed aside into corners， so to speak. The grassroots performance follows its own stereotypes and rules. The six-man band includes percussionists who beat drums and gongs. The bamboo flute player is the lead musician.
The Kunqu Opera troupes struggled in Jinhua for decades in the 20th century. Some troupes simply vanished. But some artists have persisted， keeping the grassroots tradition alive and entertaining rural theatergoers. After learning that Kunqu Opera was inscribed as a world heritage in 2001， the grassroots Kunqu artists in Tao Village set up a troupe in 2002. At present， the troupe has 30 plus amateur artists whose ages average nearly 50. Over years， the troupe has taken part in various rural events， including an annual village-wide parade on the eve of Spring Festival. In 2007， the grassroots Kunqu Opera was inscribed as a cultural heritage in Zhejiang. He Susheng， a native of Tao Village， is a grassroots Kunqu Opera master designated by the provincial government. Hu Qizhi and He Yumei are grassroots Kunqu Opera masters named by the county government. These masters are entrusted to carry on the Wuyi-style Kunqu Opera.
About the future of the grassroots Kunqu Opera， the Kunqu Opera artists in Wuyi and those concerned with the opera including scholars and government officials have put forward this idea： the ancient Kunqu Opera in Wuyi will always remain a cause for only a core of people. There is not much they can do， however. At present， young people are not very much interested to take part in the grassroots tradition. In a primary school and a middle school in Tao Village， students are exposed to the grassroots Kunqu Opera 90 minutes a week. They show some lukewarm interest.
Some rescue works have been done. The old-time masks were first restored in the 1980s. He Susheng has published a book titled . Right now He Susheng and Hu Qizhi are working together to collect and sort out scripts， music and masks， in the hope that a book on the music of Kunqu Opera in Wuyi style can be published in the future. But the two artists are already in their 70s.