1. The cause of the struggle between Mei Baojiu and Li Yugang to lead the times
Our Peking Opera art has a long history and has experienced several historical ups and downs, but it has always been able to shine under the tempering of time and shine with unparalleled brilliance.
Today, there are undoubtedly two outstanding artists in the field of contemporary Peking Opera: Mr. Mei Baojiu and Mr. Li Yugang, both of whom are like the top of a high mountain, attracting the attention of the world, and the performance of one on the stage is full of the profound charm of family blood, which has been passed down from generation to generation; The other has a dissolute personality, dares to challenge tradition, and pursues a new and unique artistic atmosphere, and the two of them have opposite artistic concepts and are destined to set off a fierce storm on the opera stage.
Mr. Mei Baojiu has inherited the artistic essence of his father, Master Mei Lanfang, since he was a child, and has undertaken the important mission of defending and inheriting the art of Peking Opera. He pursues the ultimate perfection in the interpretation of the repertoire, and gives full play to the artistic essence of a generation of grandmasters.
At a young age, Mr. Mui Baojiu showed extraordinary artistic talent, and invested a lot of effort in basic training, he studied every movement and every lyric in depth, and was determined to carry forward the family's artistic tradition.
However, Mr. Li Yugang is a representative of another style. Although he has a solid foundation, he is always eager to break through tradition and make bold innovations on the basis of tradition.
Mr. Li Yugang is a champion of free thinking, keen to experiment on stage, and integrate modern elements into traditional arts, and his performance style is unique, which is warmly welcomed by young audiences.
There is a fundamental difference in their understanding of art. Mr. Mei Baojiu is a staunch guardian of traditional culture, while Mr. Li Yugang is more inclined to the avant-garde spirit of rock music.
Mr. Mei Baojiu firmly believes that the art of Peking Opera is not easy to come by and must be cherished with awe; Mr. Li Yugang, on the other hand, advocates keeping pace with the times and making bold innovations on the basis of tradition.
This disagreement eventually led to a complete break between the two of them on their artistic path. At first, Mr. Mei Baojiu once praised Mr. Li Yugang's talent and hoped that he could inject new vitality into the ancient art of Peking Opera.
However, as Mr. Li Yugang's behavior became more and more excessive, Mr. Mei Baojiu finally couldn't bear it anymore and resolutely drew a line with him.
Since then, Mr. Mei Baojiu and Mr. Li Yugang have formed a huge contradiction in the Peking Opera art world, thus giving birth to two opposing art schools.
As a result, the Peking Opera world has split between the traditional and the bold, and there has been a protracted debate over whether the art should be "transformed" or "kept as it is."
2. The starting point of Li Yugang's legendary life
Li Yugang's life course is magnificent, although it is full of ups and downs and challenges, it is also full of tenacity and perseverance and hard work and vitality! He was born in a poor family, grew up under the nourishment of art since he was a child, and had an incomparably obsessive yearning for the dazzling stage.
However, his family's financial situation forced him to be unable to successfully pursue higher education, and after graduating from high school, he had to choose to leave his hometown and embark on the difficult road of the metropolis to fight for life.
When Li Yugang was a teenager, his life situation can be described as difficult. In order to maintain basic survival needs, he used to sing for a living in a dance hall in the center of the city.
The dark and damp backstage, the noisy and noisy environment, and the repeated frustrations and blows almost completely crushed this young dreamer.
However, the god of fate does not seem to have abandoned him completely. Just when Li Yugang felt confused and confused and fell into a low point in his life, an unexpected turning point quietly came. By chance, he met a generous restaurateur who was able to work steadily there.
It was this precious experience that made Li Yugang regain his love and confidence in music, and also made him deeply realize that as long as he perseveres and never gives up, he will always find the dawn of hope.
During the years of singing in the restaurant, Li Yugang did not stand still, but worked harder to hone his singing skills and performance skills. He gradually developed a unique performance style, especially the wonderful technique of switching between male and female voices freely, which made him shine on the stage and shocked everyone in the audience.
Li Yugang is not satisfied with this, he is eager to appear on a broader stage and let more people listen to his singing. After countless hard work and hard work, he finally got the precious opportunity to participate in the "Avenue of Stars" competition.
In this fierce competition, he skillfully used the stunt of free switching between male and female voices, and chose the classic Peking Opera repertoire "The Drunken Concubine" as the entry, with his superb singing skills and unique performance style, shocked the audience, and finally won the third place.
Overnight, he went from an obscure street performer to a household name. From a street beggar to a superstar stage, Li Yugang has written a touching and legendary chapter of his life with his hard work and outstanding talent, showing the world a magnificent picture of endless possibilities for chasing dreams.
Although this bold attempt has won the enthusiastic pursuit of many young audiences, it has aroused extreme disgust among the traditional people of Peking Opera. Among them, the most angry and resolute opponent is Mr. Mei Baojiu.
The Peking Opera virtuoso mercilessly attacked Li Yugang's adaptation, accusing it of not only lacking basic respect for the Peking Opera tradition, but even maliciously abusing the reputation of Maestro Mei Lanfang to hype up himself.
However, Li Yugang retorted with a firm attitude, insisting that this adaptation was precisely to promote the innovative development of traditional Peking Opera, so that the ancient art form could be perfectly combined with modern elements.
He even arrogantly declared that he was the orthodox descendant of the "Mei School" in the true sense
The differences of opinion between the two sides are like a bombshell, causing an uproar in the Peking Opera industry. Li Yugang's supporters have cheered for him, praising him for his outstanding contributions to inheriting and innovating traditional arts. Mei Baojiu's supporters were outraged, accusing Li Yugang of wantonly desecrating ancient artistic traditions and showing serious disrespect for traditional opera.
The older generation of artists in the pear orchard world also expressed their opinions in this heated debate. They bitterly pointed out that Li Yugang's behavior had completely violated the rules of opera, tampering with the classics at will, and completely disregarding the dignity of traditional arts.
Opera is by no means a child's play, it requires solid basic skills as support, and more importantly, a deep reverence for art.
"He usually looks empty-eyed and thinks he is superior."
The reunion of the two parties at the recording site of a certain program should have been an opportunity to eliminate misunderstandings and enhance understanding, but Li Yugang once again spoke wildly, openly declaring that he "represents the spirit of the Mei School" in front of all the audience and senior artists.
This move was undoubtedly a blatant challenge and rude neglect of Mr. Mei Baojiu, who was immediately furious and angrily threw down the sentence "Incorrigible!" Then he turned away without looking back.
There was an uproar at the scene, and the audience and senior artists condemned Li Yugang's ignorance and fearlessness. Someone sighed bitterly: "This young man is completely out of control!" Yesterday it was a little subtle, but today it has become so presumptuous.
Others believe that he has "lost his basic work ethic" and has been "blinded by excessive self-aggrandizement."
Since that moment, the contradiction between Mei Baojiu and Li Yugang has been irresolvable, and the differences between the two on the road of Peking Opera art have finally been placed in front of everyone. However, this controversy was like a storm, and the entire Peking Opera industry was instantly divided in two: the old school adhered to the traditional principles and severely condemned Li Yugang's actions; On the other hand, the forces that advocate innovation applaud and shout for their bold attempts.
As a result, Liyuan was divided into two camps, and the two sides had a clear banner and debated fiercely on the choice of artistic path. Fourth, Mei Baojiu: The tradition of the successor of the mantle of the master of Peking Opera adheres to it
In the midst of this magnificent controversy, Mei Baojiu was revered as a staunch guardian and source of strength for the traditional Peking Opera school.
Mei Baojiu has been burdened with the responsibility of inheriting the mantle of her father Mei Lanfang since she was a child. He received rigorous training in the opera system, gradually honing his performance skills, and striving to explore and appreciate the essence of the Mei family's art.
As an orthodox disciple of the Mei School, Mei Baojiu has an extremely devout heart for the art of Peking Opera, and he knows that this traditional art with a long history has extremely high requirements for basic skills and artistic virtues.
In his eyes, Li Yugang's behavior is undoubtedly blasphemy and disrespect for the Mei family's art. As a successor, Mei Baojiu is duty-bound to fight for the reputation of her ancestor and resolutely resist any wanton behavior.
In the past, Master Mei Lanfang worked hard to promote the art of Peking Opera. He not only pushed this quintessence of the country to the world stage, but also cultivated generations of outstanding successors for future generations.
Today, Mei Baojiu is one of the leaders, shouldering the important mission of passing on the family education from generation to generation.
Over the years, Mei Baojiu has always worked diligently on the stage and pursued diligently. He not only carried forward the art of the Mei family, but also pushed the traditional culture of Peking Opera to a broader world.
The audience was amazed by his wonderful performance and praised him for his vivid interpretation of the art of the Mei School.
Faced with such a situation, Mei Baojiu suddenly became angry, angrily threw down the sentence "hopeless", and left without looking back. His gaze was firm and full of anger, as if he was defending the dignity of his ancestor and the honor of his family history.
5. The Eternal Rivalry between Innovation and Tradition -- Reflections Triggered by the Li Yugang Incident
There is no doubt that Mr. Li Yugang's reforms have played a positive role in promoting the development of Peking Opera art to a certain extent, and at the same time, it has also successfully attracted the attention of many young audiences.
With extraordinary courage, he integrated modern elements and showed us the infinite possibilities of Peking Opera art on the road of innovation.
However, it is a pity that Mr. Li Yugang has not been able to maintain his awe of art all the time, but has gradually fallen into a frenzy of blind self-confidence. He not only openly challenged the authoritative position of Master Mei Baojiu, but even claimed to be the orthodox heir of the "Mei School", and even proudly declared that he "represented the spirit of the Mei School" in a public event, which undoubtedly seriously exceeded the boundaries of innovation, degenerated into a disregard for traditional culture and a contempt for duty, and became an out-and-out "clown jumping off the beam".
In fact, traditional art is not a static and rigid dogma, it needs to be constantly updated and developed with the changes of the times. However, innovators must have a deep sense of reverence for art itself, strictly abide by the basic principles of art, and gradually promote innovation on the basis of inheritance, rather than blindly pursuing unconventionality.
The root cause of Mr. Li Yugang's predicament is that he lacks the respect and modesty he deserves towards art. He was too impetuous, regarded Peking Opera as a child's play, and did not pay enough attention to the connotation and basic skills of art, and only pursued superficial "innovation".
In contrast, Mr. Mei Baojiu represents a purer artistic concept. He has been influenced by art since he was a child, and has deeply honed his basic skills, and has made great efforts for the cause of art.
He is full of respect for traditional culture, but he is not resting on his laurels, but persistently exploring the path of innovation on the basis of inheritance.
Therefore, the contradiction between Mr. Mei Baojiu and Mr. Li Yugang is not only a collision of traditional and innovative concepts, but also a profound examination of the spirit of art. Mr. Mei Baojiu adheres to the ancestral teachings, devotes himself wholeheartedly to artistic creation, and has endless devotion to art; Mr. Li Yugang, on the other hand, seems to be shallow and cynical, and regards art as child's play.
This is precisely the irreconcilable contradiction between the two of them.
This divergence is also reflected in their respective practices. Mr. Mei Baojiu's interpretation of the repertoire continues to innovate and carry forward the essence of a generation of grandmasters; Mr. Li Yugang, on the other hand, made crude adaptations and plagiarism of classic works to gain public attention.
One is an unwavering pursuer of art, the other is a commercial speculator eager for quick success.
Our generation of Peking Opera master, Mr. Mei Lanfang, with his endless wisdom and hard work, has pushed our great Peking Opera art to an incomparable peak. However, the behavior of another performance artist, Li Yugang, seems to be contemptuous of the uniqueness of this profound art, which is simply an insult to this precious heritage! So, who is really responsible for inheriting and carrying forward the spirit of Liyuan? The answer is undoubtedly revealed directly.
Mei Baojiu and Li Yugang, as two heavyweights in the field of Peking Opera today, the conflict between them reflects the fierce competition between the two eternal themes of tradition and innovation.
On the one hand, there are steadfast inheritors of traditional teachings, and on the other hand, they are innovative explorers who have the courage to break through the conventions, and their parting of ways on the road of art also indicates two possible directions for the development of the world of Liyuan in the future.
On the one hand, we cannot completely deny the innovative exploration represented by Li Yugang. After all, art needs to continue to improve over time, and any kind of cultural tradition that sticks to stereotypes and stagnates will inevitably be drowned by the rolling torrent of the times.
The reason why Li Yugang was able to become popular all over the country for a period of time is precisely because he skillfully integrated modern elements into the art of Peking Opera, making the ancient Peking Opera glow with a vigorous new look.
However, on the other hand, we are also determined not to abandon the traditional ideas that Mei Baojiu adheres to. Because any kind of innovation, if it deviates from the fundamentals and abandons the foundation, it can only be reduced to a superficial, superficial and empty existence.
The reason why Li Yugang finally fell into the predicament of wanton behavior was precisely because he lacked the reverence he deserved for art.
Therefore, tradition and innovation are not black and white, but complement and promote each other. Only on the basis of incomparable reverence and piety for art can we truly achieve innovation and make the flower of art bloom forever and for a long time.
Finding a balance between tradition and modernity and finding a path to sustainable development is undoubtedly a major challenge facing today's society. Whether it is sticking to tradition like Mei Baojiu or boldly innovating like Li Yugang, it has the rationality of its existence.
The key is to learn from each other's strengths, inherit the essence, and keep up with the pace of the times, only in this way can the art of Liyuan retain the charm of the classics, and at the same time glow with new vitality.