Home » Guide » Culture » Chinese Operas » Pingju Opera » Famous Pingju Opera Artists

Famous Pingju Opera Artists

"One minute on the stage needs ten years of practice off the stage." The charm of Pingju Opera lies not only in its gorgeous and exquisite appearance, but also in the efforts and persistence behind the Pingju Opera actors. Pingju Opera actors practice day after day, allowing people to see the charm of Pingju Opera on stage.

These Pingju Opera actors have made many contributions to Pingju Opera, which are reflected in their innovations in Pingju Opera performance techniques and singing.

Famous Pingju Opera Artists

Yue Mingzhu | 月明珠 yuè míng zhū | 月明珠 Yuet Ming Chu

Yue Mingzhu (1899-1922) was one of the earliest male dan actors who became popular in Jidong and Northeast China during the Tangshan Luozi period. His singing style was novel and had a strong sense of life. He boldly absorbed the tunes of Errenzhuan and combined them with Lianhualuo, thus laying the foundation for the unique style of Pingju Opera singing. In his 17 years of performing arts, he premiered more than 60 plays compiled by Cheng Zhaocai, making great contributions to the formation and development of Pingju Opera. Cheng Zhaocai's early Pingju Operas were mostly starred by him. Through artistic practice, he greatly enriched the [slow tune], [two six], [sharp tune] and other styles of Pingju female roles, and created the reverse tune singing style based on the low tone of Luozi, referring to the reverse tune of Peking Opera and Hebei Bangzi. He is good at portraying characters, paying attention to understanding the psychology of women, and his performance is deep and moving.

Xi Cailian | 喜彩莲 xǐ cǎi lián | 喜彩蓮 Hei Choi Lin

Xi Cailian (1916-1997) was one of the founders of the five early dan schools of Pingju Opera (the other four are Li Jinshun, Liu Cuixia, Bai Yushuang, and Ai Lianjun). Her original name was Zhang Hanxiang. Her singing was fresh and sweet. At the same time, she absorbed elements of Peking Opera, bangzi, drum, shadow puppetry, etc., which enhanced her artistic expression and formed her unique style of novelty, generosity, gorgeousness and lyricism, known as the Xi School. Xi Cailian reformed Pingju Opera in many aspects, including singing, accompaniment, makeup, and stage design. In the early years, Pingju Opera was performed with the solid jujube bangzi of Hebei Bangzi. In 1937, Xi Cailian changed to a hollow elm clapper when performing in Shanghai. Since it was brought back from the south by Xi Cailian, it was called Nanbangzi. Due to these innovations and reforms, dramatists Ouyang Yuqian, Tian Han, Hong Shen and others wrote articles praising her as an "artist of the times".

Han Shaoyun | 韩少云 hán shào yún | 韓少雲 Hon Siu Wan

Han Shaoyun staged nearly 200 plays in her half-century artistic career. The typical women in various historical periods since the May Fourth Movement that she played were vivid and lifelike. The "Xiao Gu Xian" starring her was made into a movie at the "Eastern Film" in 1953. It was the tenth opera film and the first Pingju Opera art film after the founding of the People's Republic of China. "Human Face Peach Blossom" was recorded into a movie and a TV film and broadcast in China. More than 10 opera excerpts, selected scenes or full plays were recorded into records and cassettes. Some excerpts were included in the textbooks of several colleges such as Shenyang Conservatory of Music, and some excerpts were selected into the "Selected Chinese Opera Artists' Singing·Han Shaoyun Album".

Xin Fengxia | 新凤霞 xīn fèng xiá | 新鳳霞 San Fung Ha

Xin Fengxia (1927-1998) was the founder of the Xin School of Pingju Opera. Originally named Yang Shumin, she was from Tianjin. She learned Peking Opera at the age of 6, Pingju Opera at the age of 12, and became the leading actor at the age of 14. After 1949, she served as the head of the Beijing Experimental Pingju Opera Troupe, the deputy head of the Pingju Opera Troupe of the General Political Department of the People's Liberation Army, and an actor of the China Pingju Opera Theater. Writer. Member of the Seventh National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. She began to publish works in the mid-1960s.

Xin Fengxia has achieved remarkable artistic achievements. The Xin School of art is innovative and unique among many Pingju Opera schools, and has become a representative of Pingju Opera innovation. With her proficient singing skills and meticulous character portrayal, she created the artistic image of Zhang Wuke, a young, beautiful and individual girl, and thus pushed the new school of art to a peak. After this play was made into a movie and screened across China, as well as in Hong Kong and Southeast Asian countries, the Xin School of art once again swept across China and Southeast Asia.

Zhang Defu | 张德福 zhāng dé fú | 張德福 Cheung Tak Fook

The founder of the Zhang School of Pingju Xiaosheng. Zhang Defu has a wide range of acting skills. He is not only good at playing the roles of Zhengsheng, Guansheng, Qiongsheng, Shanzisheng, and Shusheng in traditional operas, but also good at playing various types of Xiaosheng images in modern operas. He can control the breath, timbre and speed of singing freely. He can combine the singing style of the Zhengdiao Xiaosheng with the Yuediao singing style, which can not only sing out the passionate, upright and masculine voice, but also express the lyrical and graceful style. In addition, the glissando of the Beijing dialect has formed a unique singing style. Zhang Defu is a Pingju Xiaosheng actor who is good at singing, reciting and acting. He has profound artistic skills and rich stage practice experience. The many artistic images he has created have deeply touched people's hearts.

By Mia Li
Web Editor

Have a question?
OR
Are you eager to begin your Chinese cultural journey?
Drop us a line and we will promptly connect you with our leading China expert!