Who is the granddaddy of the cotton-playing gardener?

it's lei haiqing. It's what the folks call Marshal Tian Gong.

Let me tell you in detail:

According to legend, Lei Haiqing was a folk artist during the reign of Emperor Ming of Tang Dynasty. He was proficient in melody and played a good lute. He was a famous musician in Tang Yuefu, and he often attended the side of Emperor Ming of Tang Dynasty and Princess Jiang Mei. Once, when Tang Minghuang and Mei Fei watched "Children of Liyuan" perform a variety of dramas in the palace, he saw that Mei Fei was in a trance. After thoughtful inquiry, he knew that she was looking forward to watching the drama in Putian's hometown. Tang Minghuang sent Lei Haiqing to Xinghua to bring back a group of Liyuan operas to sing in the palace.

The stage music features of Liyuan Opera are different from other operas in that they are big drums and big blows. At the beginning of the play, Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty heard the sound of drums, like Ma Benteng shaking the world, with great royal verve. But after listening to it, I felt the drums rolling, and I was uneasy. I quickly said, Keep the drums down, or my heart will jump out. When Lei Haiqing saw a small stone lion on the edge of the stage, he moved it conveniently and pressed it on the corner of the drum surface. The drum sound was really smaller, and Tang Minghuang was happy. Next, he listened to the musician's "big blow", and at that time he felt high and melodious, and he also had the style of an emperor's house. After a while, I felt harsh again, and said that if this continued, my ears would be deafened. Lei Haiqing changed a "small blow" overnight, which was smaller than that of other operas. The sound quality was clear and pleasant, and Tang Minghuang repeatedly said "Good!" He happily changed the name of "Liyuan Opera" to "Liyuan Opera", which later became Puxian Opera. Up to now, there is a small stone lion on the big drum used by the drum master in Puxian Opera, and there are no other operas. Suona can be divided into big blowing and small blowing, which is the characteristic of Puxian opera music, and its origin lies here.

Lei Haiqing is upright and resolute, and always resents An Lushan's arrogance. An Lushan repeatedly asked Lei Haiqing to play the pipa for him, but his politely refuse refused. When An Lushan defected to Chang 'an, he threatened Lei Haiqing to play the lute for him. Lei Haiqing did not yield to his arrogance, raised the lute and slammed it on his head. An Lushan "dismembered it and showed it to the public, which was very miserable."

Knowing that Lei Haiqing died, Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty appointed him as "the head of all pear orchards in the world". Since then, since Chang 'an City, it has gradually spread among the people, and the vast number of troupe artists have worshipped Lei Haiqing as the ancestor of the opera, honoring him as the "master of music", and the people have also set up shrines to worship him.

The troupe of Puxian Opera and Liyuan Opera in Putian City both offer sacrifices to the statue of Lei Haiqing. Its statue is about a foot high. He has a red face, a black crab painted on his mouth, and two pigtails. He is wearing a red embroidered robe, barefoot, with one foot hanging and one foot on hot wheels. According to the legend of the troupe, he is Lei Haiqing.

There is also a legend that Lei Haiqing appeared in the air after being sealed, and the word "Lei" on the flag was obscured by the cloud, only the word "Tian" was seen, so the people called him "Marshal Tian Gong". The Feiyun Temple next to Pukou Palace (Mei Fei Palace) in Zhenjiang East Village, Huangshi, Putian is dedicated to Lei Haiqing, the "Marshal Tian Gong".