Maoqiang, a local opera, has been created, spread and developed for hundreds of years, but its name was determined relatively late. In 1954, when the East China region organized a drama performance, it was officially named "Maoqiang" by the organizing committee. Before that, people mostly called it "Zhou Guzi Tune" or "Elbow Drum Opera" or "Maoqiang". The "East China Region Drama Performance Commemorative Bulletin" at that time mentioned: There was a superstitious activity in Shandong that used dog-skin drums to open locks and fulfill wishes for farmers in rural areas who had disasters and diseases. The singing style was called Zhou Guzi Tune. Later, it evolved into a drama in Gaomi and surrounding areas. Because the obvious feature of the tune is the ending sound "Da Mao", "Mao" and "Mao" sound the same, and "Mao" was chosen to wish the drama to flourish. Therefore, it was named "Maoqiang". The prototype of Maoqiang was the "Girl's Tune" that was popular among the people as early as the Ming Dynasty. The earliest written record of "Girl's Tune" was found in the copy of "Lotus in the Bowl" during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. In the "Bamboo Poems of Baixi" written by Li Shengzhen during the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, it is said that "singing girls is a Qi opera, also known as girls' voice." Later historical materials explained that "girls' voice" is also called daughter's voice and witch's voice. "Girls' voice" has a relationship of inheritance with "Zhou Gu Zi Diao". "Zhou Gu Zi Diao" has changed and developed on the basis of inheriting "Girls' Voice". In the "Embroidered White Fur Coat" drama collection engraved during the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, there is a piece called "Thinking of the World" (i.e. "Nun Thinking of the World"), at that time, singing "Nun Thinking of the World" in "Girls' Voice" was popular all over Shandong. "Zhou Gu Zi Diao" also emerged at the right time. According to legend, there was a nun named Zhou who was smart, good at writing and singing, and her singing of "Nun Thinking of the World" was unique and touching. She also often used folk tunes to lash out at the injustice of the world, which resonated with the people. After being spread and processed by people, it became a popular song. These popular songs were named "Zhou Gu Zi Diao" by people. Elbow drum is a dog-skin drum in the shape of a fan (a round fan made of fine silk) with an iron ring on the handle, also known as Duan drum. In the early days, "Girl's Tune" was accompanied by elbow drums. The initial stage of "Zhou Gu Zi Diao" was also accompanied by elbow drums. This form of singing has a strong religious color. The artists beat the dog-skin drum to summon gods and exorcise evil spirits for their employers, and to summon souls and worship ghosts. The content of the song is based on the "axis" (family hall) enshrined in the employer's home. Pu Songling's "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio" records: "According to the custom, if there are sick people in the folk, they will ask the gods for divination in the boudoir. Ask the old witch to beat the iron ring single-sided drum, and dance gracefully, which is called "dancing gods". This performance method of beating the dog-skin drum while singing "Zhou Gu Zi Diao" gradually formed the "elbow drum opera" after absorbing the music and performance program of Huagu Yangge. "Elbow drum opera" was renamed "original elbow drum" in Gaomi, Jiaozhou, Zhucheng and other places. The main characteristics of "Ben Elbow Drum" are simple melody, steady rhythm, and the three words "Oh Ho Han" at the end of the upper and lower sentences, which is as rough, powerful, passionate and unrestrained as a labor song. "Ben Elbow Drum" is sung dry, and only music is played at intervals to create an atmosphere. The makeup is simple, usually some powder, rouge, and a towel are applied before singing. It is called "stepping on thin soil" and "stool". "Zhou Gu Zi Diao" and "Elbow Drum Opera" are both closely related to "Girl Tune". In fact, it is a performance form, two titles, the only difference is that "Zhou Gu Zi Diao" refers to the tune sung by the performer, and "Elbow Drum Opera" refers to the dog-skin drum played by the performer. After long-term performances and artistic exchanges, artists have incorporated some characteristics of "Lahun Tune", "Bangzi", and "Beijing Opera" into "Ben Elbow Drum", which has made a big leap for "Ben Elbow Drum" and entered the "Mao Elbow Drum" stage. The main feature of "Mao'ougu" is that the ending tone of the second sentence of the female role singing turns up an octave. This singing method was absorbed from "Lahunqiang", and people called it "Da Mao", and "Mao'ougu" got its name from this. "Zhou Guzi Diao" and "Elbow Drum Opera" are deeply loved by the people in Gaomi. Many villages have had opera troupes for generations. Singing "Elbow Drum Opera" became the main form of entertainment for the masses at that time. The opera troupes in each village would perform several times a year and perform in conjunction with each other. "Elbow Drum Opera" is also called "Tie the Wife's Peg". In order to watch "Elbow Drum Opera", women "tie their children to the window frame, paste the cakes on the stove, and forget their belts on the wall." Gaomi Maoqiang Opera Troupe was established in 1954. The troupe brings together top figures from various private troupes and has a good foundation of actors. So far, it has staged hundreds of costume dramas and modern dramas, and has participated in provincial and municipal drama rehearsals many times, winning awards every time. Among them, "The Call of the Roots" won the "Excellent Project" Award for the Construction of Spiritual Civilization in Shandong Province, and was nominated for the 1994 Cao Yu Drama Literature Award. In March 1990, at the invitation of the Ministry of Culture, the Gaomi Maoqiang Troupe went to Beijing to perform the modern drama "The Story of Waiting for My Child", which was a great success. After the CCTV broadcast, many newspapers and magazines reported on it, causing a sensation across the country. "Maoqiang", a rare local opera, has since attracted people's attention, and the performance market has continued to expand and prosper. Gaomi Maoqiang has a long history, and its novel singing method and unique folk color are deeply rooted in the masses, becoming a wonderful flower of local drama. Its outstanding features are: first, due to different dialects, the singing is different. Gaomi people have a peaceful and soft voice, and the same lyrics, Gaomi Maoqiang is more melodious and melodious; second, there are many transplanted repertoires. Gaomi Maoqiang Opera Troupe has created many dramas such as "The Mystery of Lantern Festival", "The Story of Pan'er", "The Call of Roots", etc., and transplanted Huangmei Opera "The Female Prince Consort" and Peking Opera Modern Model Opera, thus innovating a lot of content, and introducing some advantages suitable for Maoqiang from other operas, being inclusive, and making great improvements and developments from instrument performance, stage design to performance; third, Gaomi Maoqiang Opera Troupe has always maintained a large cast and crew. Since the establishment of the troupe, it has experienced hardships and twists and turns, depression and neglect, and of course prosperity, but the troupe's on-the-job cast and crew has always remained at around fifty or sixty people. Features are advantages. With its own advantages, Gaomi Maoqiang Opera Troupe has established its brand and won a reputation in the tide of market competition. It often performs, with an average of hundreds of performances each year, and has made 26 Maoqiang operas into VCD discs for distribution nationwide, which are very popular among the masses and have achieved good social and economic benefits. Information source: Shandong Provincial Information Network Information source: Shandong Provincial Information Network