△ Yao Shuijuan
Yue opera performance artist Yao Shuijuan
△ Documentary "Zhejiang Drama Master - Yao Shuijuan"
Yao Shuijuan was born on September 12, 1916 (the fifth year of the Republic of China), a native of Houshan Village, Jinting Town, Shengzhou. At the age of 15, he entered the "Qunying Stage" in this village to learn art, and due to the strict teaching of the two masters of literature and martial arts, coupled with his own diligent study and hard practice, he learned the real basic skills of both culture and martial arts. Less than two years later, he and his classmate Zhu Su'e were hired as guest teachers of the "Yuexin Stage", and often performed in Shao, Yong, Jin, Wen and other places, and their reputation was soaring.
In 1936, she entered the Hangzhou Great World to perform, and she immersed herself in the study of the famous masters of various dramas such as Peking Opera, Kun Opera, Shao Opera, drama, etc., and integrated them and improved their skills. Playing the role of Li Xiuying in "Jade Hairpin", when she played the role of "Three Covers", she trembled and took the shirt in her hand, and carefully covered the body of the "wrongdoer" Wang Yulin to keep out the cold, and the delicate and realistic, simple and unpretentious performance made Zhang Zaiyang (Xinchang, who was the former chairman of Zhejiang Province) who was watching the drama shoot the chair and exclaimed: Sanhua (Shi Yinhua, Zhao Ruihua, Wang Xinghua) is not as good as Yijuan (Yao Shuijuan), which shocked the audience and quickly spread throughout Hangzhou.
△ In the 1940s, from left, Yuan Jinxian, Li Yanfang, Yao Shuijuan and Shang Fangchen.
Beginning in 1938, Yao Shuijuan was invited to Shanghai and performed with Zhu Su'e (known as the Emperor of Yue Opera) in theaters such as "Trade and Commerce", "Greater China", "Tianxiang", "Kade", and "Empress", all of which hung their top cards and were well-known on the beach. However, she did not smug herself, but a kind of worry arose in her heart, because the small song class often performed clichéd old dramas such as "the princess who fell into distress, privately booked a lifelong back garden", and it was inevitable that one day she would be disgusted by the audience. She was determined to reform women's Yue opera, and the top priority was to create a screenplay and rehearse new plays to adapt to the trend of the times.
In the autumn of the same year, Yao Shuijuan hired Fan Dimin, a former reporter of the Ta Kung Pao, as a choreographer, creating a precedent for a full-time choreographer of a female Shaoxing literary drama. In order to cooperate with the propaganda of the anti-Japanese war and national salvation, the first new drama "Mulan" was finally staged after arduous rehearsals. She played the role of Mulan, who dressed as a woman and dressed as a man to serve in the army for her father, acted heroically and mightily, with a realistic demeanor, performing 27 consecutive performances, the audience was crowded with people, and sensationalized Shanghai, which was a deafening and vibrating "island" surrounded by the Japanese army at that time, and played a role in awakening the broad masses of the people to rise up against Japan. Some Chinese and foreign newspapers have highly praised the performance of "Mulan", praising it as "Yue Opera Advance" and "Artistic Backbone"! Even the English-language "Continental" also published a special article still, comparing Hua Mulan to the French heroine - Joan of Arc.
△ Stills of 1938 'Scarf Hero Mulan'
Yao Shuijuan as Mulan
Subsequently, Yao Shuijuan starred in more new plays such as "Lying Down and Tasting Guts", "Peacock Southeast Flying", "Laughing Marriage", etc., and also tried soft film sets and lighting, improved stage decoration, and improved the performance effect, which was well received by the audience. In September 1939, she tried to reform the troupe system, abolished the boss system, and established the "Shuiyun Yue Opera Troupe" (the female Shaoxing literary opera was renamed Yue opera), implementing independent management and democratic management. This freed the sisters from the exploitation and bullying of their bosses, and made the troupe a big family of unity and democracy. Yao Shuijuan's series of reforms of Yue opera, especially the change of Xiaogeban Road Head Play to a script play, laid the foundation for the establishment of a comprehensive artistic development of yue opera, such as choreography, directing, music, dance and beauty, and she is worthy of being a pioneer in the reform of Yue opera.
Yao Shuijuan has a broad play path, has both literature and martial arts, has a good life and dan, and is good at playing sad dan. The voice is slightly sandy, but the bite is clear, the singing voice is depressed and frustrated, the charm is strong, and there is some innovation in the "four work tones" singing voice. The performance is delicate and fascinating, and the steps are unique. These characteristic skills are derived from the creation of life. She observed the sparrow jumping, learned to "move steps", "broken steps", and reached "moving skirts".
Sun Yujiaona in "Picking Jade Bracelet" in the sole of the shoe wears a needle lead, opens the bow left and right, skillful and flexible, and is usually learned by watching her sister-in-law na sole.
△ Yao Shuijuan took a group photo with the students of the art performance class
She is also good at speculating to portray the character of the character. As the role of "Mulan", she first performed Mulan's shy and quiet skirt face with Dan Horn, and then after Yi Chao changed into men's clothes, she performed Mulan's heroic and majestic and elegant temperament with a raw horn, creating the image of a hero of the towel and leaving a deep impression on the audience. In "Panfu", she played Yan Lanzhen, who played this Xiangfu Ganjin who had both a status and a personality as a darling, and after being a traitor, she could clearly distinguish the loyal and adulterous bridesmaids to play a wonderful portrait, known as "Living Lanzhen". Her role as Panfu has become a model for teaching in today's drama schools.
At that time, there were many Shanghai opera troupes, and she was the head of the group. In September 1938, Shanghai Opera News, Drama World and other three newspapers jointly initiated the selection of "Queen of Yue Opera", and after the vote of the majority of readers, Yao Shuijuan was elected as the "Queen of Yue Opera" by an overwhelming majority. In order to celebrate her 10th anniversary of her career in the literary and art circles, some people in the literary and art circles also edited and published the "Yao Shuijuan Art Album".
After the founding of New China, Yao Shuijuan became a glorious literary and art worker from a "dramatist". In 1951, he joined the Zhejiang Yue Opera Experimental Theater Troupe and participated in the reform experiment of male and female co-performances. In 1954, Yao Shuijuan successively participated in the East China Opera Conference in Zhejiang Province, and won the first prize for actors. After 1955, Yao Shuijuan served as the deputy director of the preparatory committee of the "Yue Opera Home" in Shengxian County, actively planned and raised funds, and made contributions to the creation of the Yue Opera Home.
△ In 1961, Yao Shuijuan took a photo in the office of Zhejiang Art School
In 1959, he was transferred to Zhejiang Provincial Art School and served as a teacher of Bishop Danjiao. She advocated that the focus of teaching should be on singing, and that only by using the old tunes and the "four tunes" of singing can we bite the words clearly, have the right tone, and have a plan for the cavity; the performance should be based on typical plays such as "Panfu" and "Liang Zhu" as teaching materials, so that the foundation of skills is solid and the typhoon is upright. These valuable comments are included in the teaching plan and are a good way to cultivate new Yue opera talents. In 1962, in cooperation with the Shanghai Yue Theatre, she filmed the color opera film "Jade Hairpin" for the Hong Kong Film Studio, and Yao Shuijuan successfully played the role of Mrs. Li, which was well received by all parties.
Yao Shuijuan was elected as a deputy to the Zhejiang Provincial People's Congress, a member of the Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and the vice chairman of the Zhejiang Branch of the Chinese Dramatists Association. It was misclassified as rightist in 1957 and corrected in 1960. Persecuted during the Cultural Revolution (rehabilitated at the National Congress of Literature in 1980). Yao Shuijuan was hospitalized due to illness, carefully treated by doctors, but the cancer worsened, and she lacked surgery, and unfortunately died in Hangzhou on December 10, 1976, at the age of 61, how not to be sorry!
△ Group photo of Zhejiang Yue Opera Troupe in 1957
(From left: Yao Shuijuan, the ninth in the second row)
She has been engaged in stage art for 46 years, experienced a difficult and tortuous journey, and made outstanding contributions to the development and improvement of Yue opera. The glorious achievements of her life have been recorded in the annals of history, so that future generations can learn and praise!
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-The end-
Written by | Tong Xuande
Edited | Han Hua, Qing Yi
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