China has a vast territory and a vast territory, and the forms of opera are also diverse. According to relevant statistics, there are more than 360 kinds of opera in China, and the number of employees is nearly 80,000.
In this huge and complex theater world, the five categories of "Peking Opera, Huangmei Opera, Commentary, Yue Opera, and Yu Opera" have the largest audience and the most widely circulated, which is recognized by us as the "five major types of Chinese opera." ”
The story we want to tell today is related to the Yu opera in these five major dramas.
As we all know, today's Yu opera is divided into six major schools of "Chang, Chen, Cui, Ma, Yan, and Sang", which have their own strengths and advantages.
However, if you say that the most famous and legendary Danjiao among them is Chang Xiangyu, the founder of the Chang Sect. This is not only because of her super high artistic attainments and opera skills, but also because of her outstanding contributions to the country and her strong sense of innocence.
Now that this Master of Yu Opera has been an ancient artist for many years, how are her children doing, and has anyone inherited her mantle?
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="5" >01 The original intention of learning to sing: not to be a child bride</h1>
Chang Xiangyu was born in a poor peasant family in Gong County, Henan Province, and his father was a traditional folk opera artist who made a living by walking around the caves and making a living.
In such a turbulent era of war, the people could not even eat enough, let alone go to the stage to listen to the drama. Therefore, Chang Xiangyu's father earned less and less money, often unable to make ends meet, cutting off rice and grain.
The most serious one, Chang Xiangyu once went out with his mother for half a year's meal, and only barely saved his life.
Faced with such a situation, some people proposed that Chang Xiangyu be a child bride, which not only reduced the burden on the family, but also gave Chang Xiangyu a future, which was a good way to kill two birds with one stone.
But Chang Xiangyu's father was very opposed. Because Chang Xiangyu's four aunts are all child brides-in-law, they work as cattle and horses in the in-laws' house, working hard every day, but they are still abused and harshly criticized by the in-laws' family, and they are not looked at by others, and even two aunts are directly killed because of the excessive scolding and harsh treatment of the in-laws' family.
Such a tragic experience left a huge shadow on Chang Xiangyu's father, who did not want his daughter to become a child bride, and was eventually scolded to death, with nowhere to seek justice.
Therefore, he gave Chang Xiangyu two choices, one was to be a child bride, and the other was to sing with him.
Although they were all hard work and had to be beaten and suffered, Chang Xiangyu did not want to give up her life in vain like her aunts, she would rather be "beaten to death by him than killed by others" as her father said.
In this way, Chang Xiangyu, who was only 9 years old, began her theatrical journey.
However, in the old society, the drama was the "lower nine streams", which was a plaything that could not be put on the table, and the elders in the family were opposed to Chang Xiangyu learning drama. In desperation, she could only be forced to give up her real name Zhang Miaoling and change her name to Chang Xiangyu with her father's surname.
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="10" >02 Women sing with husbands, loyal to the country</h1>
The time when I first started learning drama was very hard, I had to get up early to hang my throat, train my body form, and polish my singing voice repeatedly. If you don't do well or don't do it well, you will be beaten and punished by your father, often after a day of training, Chang Xiangyu already has no strength to move.
But her father told her that "the drama is a bitter worm, and it cannot be done without fighting", and if she suffers today, she will be able to enjoy the scenery tomorrow.
In this way, under the strict teaching of her father, Chang Xiangyu gritted her teeth and survived day after day, and her dramatic talent gradually became prominent.
Later, her father led her to worship Zhai Yanshen, Ge Yanting, Zhou Haishui, Wang Jinzhi, Xu Shuanghuai and others as teachers, and embarked on the road of Hua Dan.
In 1935, Chang Xiangyu entered the then famous Taiyi class, but within two months, he became one of the main actors of the Taiyi class with his excellent skills.
As the saying goes, "one trick, one hundred tricks", after several years of groping on the stage, Chang Xiangyu's demeanor has become more and more revealed, and he has become a popular Yu opera actor.
It was also at this time that she met the most important man in her life, Chen Charter.
Chang Xiang Yu Chen Charter
At that time, Chang Xiangyu had many suitors around her, and Chen Charter, who was already married and had a son, was not her first choice.
However, Chen Charter was humorous and knowledgeable, and often helped her write plays and change plays, and put forward some constructive suggestions, which benefited Chang Xiangyu a lot.
When Chang Xiangyu understood the feelings between the two, he took the initiative to find Chen Charter and put forward three criteria for choosing a spouse: not looking for an official, not being a little wife, and having to follow her to act.
After hearing Chang Xiangyu's request, Chen Charter did not have any delay, and resolutely decided to give up everything to become Chen Xiangyu's "man behind it".
After marriage, the two women sang and followed, and they were very affectionate. At the outbreak of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea in 1951, the couple responded to the call of the state and donated a fighter jet to the army through touring, the Xiangyu Opera Company.
Xiangyu Drama Club number
In order to make up enough money to buy an airplane, the couple sold their family jewelry and cars, and took the lead in donating forty million (old coins) to the country, and the rest was used for tour funds to buy equipment and machinery.
Since August 1951, they have toured more than 170 charity performances in 6 provinces including Henan, Shaanxi, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong and Jiangxi, raising 1.52 billion yuan (old currency), and exceeding the task of purchasing aircraft.
To this day, when everyone talks about this history, they will give a thumbs up to Chang Xiangyu and his wife from the bottom of their hearts, which is the real people's artist.
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="22" >03 Three women and one man and two surnames</h1>
Soon after marrying Chen Charter, Chang Xiangyu gave birth to their eldest daughter. At that time, seeing her newborn daughter, Chen Charter was very happy to tell Chang Xiangyu that she had a successor.
So this daughter did not follow Chen Charter's surname Chen, but followed Chang Xiangyu and took Chang Xiaoyu's name.
Immediately afterward, Chang Xiangyu gave birth to a son and a daughter, the son is an incense inheritance, naturally surnamed Chen, named Chen Jiakang. The daughter looked well-behaved and quiet like a father, so she named chen Xiaoxiang.
When their youngest daughter was born, both husband and wife thought that she would also be a good seedling for singing in the future, so they gave her the name Chang Ruyu.
In this way, it led to a very interesting phenomenon, chang Xiangyu and his wife gave birth to three daughters and a son have two surnames.
However, no matter what their surname is, all they shed is the blood of Chang Xiangyu, the blood of the master of Yu opera, and in terms of drama talent, it is naturally higher than ordinary people.
As the eldest daughter of Chang Xiangyu, Chang Xiaoyu has followed her mother on stage since she was a child, and at the age of 13, she was sent to the Beijing Opera Academy School by a group of Yu Theater.
At the age of 17, she also worshiped the famous Yu opera wusheng Cao Yanzhang as a teacher, inheriting his "three skills and one masterpiece" (three gong refers to leg gong, eye gong, and ling gong; one absolute finger to the chair).
Since then, Chang Xiaoyu has been active on the Stage of Yu Opera, leaving us with many classic plays.
Chang Xiaoyu
In 1986, Chang Xiaoyu, who had just passed the age of confusion, was invited by the School of Music of The Ohio State University in the United States to teach the knowledge of Yu opera to Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania and other state universities, and conducted a two-year literary and artistic exchange visit.
In June of the same year, Chang Xiaoyu appeared on the stage of Chicago, USA, becoming the first person of the Yu opera Changpai to appear on the international stage, creating a historical precedent.
Although she is now more than 70 years old, she is still intoxicated with Yu opera and sends talents for the development of Chinese opera.
Compared with the full blossoming of her sister in Yu opera, the second sister Chen Xiaoxiang is more focused on inheriting her mother's mantle. For decades, she has been committed to the research and development of Changpai singing, and has carried out related teaching work.
She once told reporters: "The essence of Changpai art is the art of the sound cavity, in order to pass on the art of changpai, I have studied my mother's vocal methods and parts for many years. ”
Chen Xiaoxiang
As the daughter of Yu opera master Chang Xiangyu, Chen Xiaoxiang has always adhered to the principle of low-key behavior and high-profile work. Over the decades, she has taught countless outstanding Yu opera actors and contributed a lot to the development of Yu opera in China.
In 2013, she was named by the Department of Culture of Henan Province as the representative inheritor of the provincial intangible cultural heritage project (Yu Opera), and became an important helmsman of the Yu Opera Chang School.
However, Chang Xiaoyu and Chen Xiaoxiang's youngest sister, Chang Ruyu, who was most favored by her parents, embarked on a completely different path from her sisters.
When she was young, she also studied drama with her mother like her sisters and loved Yu opera.
Often like jade
However, as she grew older, her rebellious psychology gradually increased, especially once she accidentally cut her hand and shed a lot of blood. The mother took her hand and said anxiously to the doctor, "You must cure her hand, otherwise she will not be able to act on stage." ”
After hearing this sentence, Chang Ruyu was very sad, she felt that her mother's eyes only had Yu Opera, and perhaps her mother liked her the most just because her talent was the best.
Although her mother had persuaded her more than once, and even pointed a kitchen knife at her because she said a bad word that she did not want to learn Yu opera, she did not waver in the slightest, but became more and more determined to escape from Yu opera and escape from her mother.
From 1985 to 1995, she spent a full decade in the United States before returning to China to visit her mother once.
Even though in the last few years of her mother's life she began to regain Yu opera, after passing the best age, she could only leave endless regrets.
Chang Xiangyu's four children, in addition to his son Chen Jiakang, started another career, and the other three daughters have formed an indissoluble relationship with Yu Opera. But if it is said that the real development of Yu opera, the name of the prominent, but also her step granddaughter "Xiao Xiangyu".
Little Fragrant Jade
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="38" >04 "Xiao Xiangyu" was delisted</h1>
"Xiao Xiangyu", formerly known as Chen Bailing, is the granddaughter of Chen Charter and his ex-wife. However, because he has been influenced and taught by Chen Xiangyu since childhood, he has a great love for Yu opera.
In 1976, Xiao Xiangyu was admitted to Zhengzhou Opera School; in 1982, Xiao Xiangyu won the first prize of Young Opera Actors in Henan Province.
Xiao Xiangyu, who is not yet 30 years old, is already quite popular with everyone.
Since then, she has participated in many major competitions and evenings and achieved remarkable results. Suddenly, everyone knew that the Yuju Changpai had a new successor, Xiao Xiangyu.
Not only that, she was also rated as a first-class actor in China, and successively served as the leader of the Henan Yu Opera Troupe, a director of the Chinese Dramatists Association, and a member of the All-China Youth Federation.
On June 23, 2017, at the 12th Party Congress in Beijing, Xiao Xiangyu was also elected as a deputy to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and became a leader in the field of qu art.
However, no one expected that such an excellent little Xiangyu would be removed by her grandmother when she was dying.
Originally, Chang Xiangyu has always adhered to the traditional genre and the traditional form of Yu opera, hoping not to abandon the tradition at any time.
However, with the development of the times, traditional drama began to decline, Xiao Xiangyu turned to a large number of films and television series, farther and farther away from the traditional Yu opera stage, which violated Chang Xiangyu's original intention and wishes, which made her very disappointed, so there was this "deathbed removal".
Chang Xiangyu and Xiao Xiangyu
From 1923 to 2004, Chang Xiangyu went through 82 spring and autumn years and experienced countless ups and downs. But no matter what, her adherence to Yu opera and her love for the country have not changed in the slightest.
She has trained countless outstanding actors for the field of Yu opera, and told us what is everyone's style in a personal way.
Today, although she has been dead for more than ten years, the classic repertoire and spiritual wealth she left behind still accompany us and inspire us.
I believe that in the days to come, there will always be such a person who can really inherit her, walk into her, and carry forward the Yu opera of the Chang sect!