The "one-man troupe", also known as the "one-man band" or "Ayao troupe", was founded by 85-year-old Ruan Deyao from Xiaocao'e Town after 1951. It is made of wooden sticks, lead wires and other materials into an instrument stand, on which are hung five kinds of percussion instruments, including Beijing drums, Du drums, big gongs, small gongs and cymbals, and three kinds of musical instruments, including erhu, banhu and suona, are placed next to the stand. These eight instruments are all played by one person, who uses his hands, feet and mouth to coordinate and sing a play or a drama by himself. He can also use his true and false voices to play characters according to the needs of men and women or roles, hence the name. In the 1950s and 1960s, his singing footprints covered many places in eastern Zhejiang. He could sing many types of operas, including Yue Opera, Yao Opera, Shao Opera, etc. The repertoires include "Hou Zhusha", "Battle of Changsha", "Beheading Li Guang", "Returning to the Kiln", "Double Jade Cicadas", etc. He stopped singing until the "Cultural Revolution". After 1977, his singing became active again, and he was constantly invited to perform in nearby places. Once, he performed 45 shows in Jiantang, Cixi, and every show was sold out. An old man once wrote a couplet for him: One person beats gongs and drums to fill the venue, and the stand-up singing and opera are noisy. Later, due to his aging and poor voice, he stopped singing and became a one-man band, commonly known as "eight-piece head", "eight music racks" and "one-man national drum band", etc., to accompany some small folk opera troupes. But with the diversification of people's cultural and entertainment methods, his "one-man band" soon lost its market. It was not until November 2003, when Yuyao City held the first Village Culture and Art Festival, he was recommended by the local cultural station to perform at the closing ceremony, and then he became popular again. Since 2006, CCTV-7, Sichuan Satellite TV, Ningbo TV and other channels have interviewed and broadcast his performances. Local authorities are also taking necessary measures, such as allocating relevant protection funds, establishing inheritance bases, selecting successors for him to learn from, etc., so that this flower of folk music can keep its fragrance forever. Information source: Ningbo Cultural Center (Ningbo Exhibition Hall Ningbo Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center) (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.) Information source: Ningbo Cultural Center (Ningbo Exhibition Hall Ningbo Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center) (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.)