Peking Opera performance artists Yu Kuizhi and Li Shengsu: Excellent traditional culture should be inherited from generation to generation

Beijing, February 21, China News Service Title: Peking Opera Performing Artists Yu Kuizhi and Li Shengsu: Excellent Traditional Culture Should Be Inherited from Generation to Generation

China News Service reporter Wu Kan

"The art of Peking Opera should be passed on from generation to generation, and the overseas dissemination of Peking Opera should also be relayed from generation to generation." Yu Kuizhi, a well-known Peking Opera performance artist, said in an interview with a reporter from China News Agency recently.

Yu Kuizhi and Li Shengsu, head of a troupe of the National Peking Theatre, were recently invited to participate in the production of the 2021 Global Overseas Chinese New Year Cloud Gala program, and cooperated in the performance of the symphonic Peking Opera "Shenzhou Tribute", which will meet the audience on February 26, Beijing time.

Data chart: Yu Kuizhi (right), a famous Peking Opera performance artist, and Li Shengsu , a famous Peking Opera performance artist and head of a troupe at the National Peking Opera House (left).

Yu Kuizhi and Li Shengsu are old friends of the "Four Seas and One Spring" condolence performance, and have performed with the "Four Seas and One Spring" art troupe around the world many times in the past ten years. Recalling the experience of the performance of the consolation overseas Chinese, Yu Kuizhi was deeply impressed by the love of overseas Chinese for the art of Peking Opera. "Although they have lived overseas for many years, the accompaniment of Peking Opera is always thunderous, and everyone can still sing some familiar singing segments."

"For us, each overseas visit is not only to complete the performance, but also to spread Chinese culture, transmit Chinese voice, and transmit the spiritual outlook of Chinese." Yu Kuizhi said that mr. Mei Lanfang, a senior, had already brought Peking Opera to the world, and he wanted to follow the path of his predecessors to promote Chinese culture to the world.

He said that in the past, he always felt that foreigners could not understand Peking Opera, and in the early years, they all went out to perform martial arts dramas such as "Haunting Heavenly Palace", "Three Forks", and "Yandang Mountain", and the audience mostly watched the liveliness, and now such literary dramas as "Phoenix Return to the Nest", "Xianghe" and "Taizhen Waichuan" have also gone out.

Li Shengsu is also deeply touched by this, "In recent years, when I perform overseas, I am full of people in the audience, I remember a performance of "The Legend of the White Snake", at the end of which foreign audiences threw a lot of roses on the stage in order to express their love, in their opinion, Chinese opera is very magical, fun and good to watch. ”

How to make Peking Opera go out better? Yu Kuizhi suggested that more efforts should be made in the translation of texts. "The translation of the lyrics should be as accurate as possible, and the plot introduction in the brochure should also be translated, so that the audience can have a preliminary understanding of the content before entering."

He said that in recent years, the National Peking Opera House has carried more full plays to perform overseas, so that foreign audiences can understand through full pre-publicity, meticulous subtitle production, inviting well-known local artists to assist in guiding the tour, and appropriately increasing the expression and action range in the performance.

The art of Peking Opera is broad and profound, and after nearly 50 years of art, Yu Kuizhi is still deeply attracted by the charm of Peking Opera. "I began to learn drama at the age of 10, from the unknown generation step by step through the stage practice, now every play will still be with excitement, full of creative passion, Peking Opera has become a very important part of life, integrated into the blood." 」

"We put all our energy into opera, no other hobbies, no time to think about other issues." Li Shengsu said that she and Yu Kuizhi now perform no less than 100 times a year, and will go deep into the rehearsal hall before each performance, and give young actors one move at a time.

Li Shengsu said that learning the art of opera is a long and arduous process, from a young age to practice the basic skills, without 10 years of time, an opera actor can not stand on the stage. "Peking Opera has a fine tradition of 'passing on the help and leading the way', and we shoulder the responsibility of carrying on the work from top to bottom, and we must pass on the valuable experience and artwork left by the previous generations of art masters to the young actors."

"Nowadays, the audience of Peking Opera is showing a trend of rejuvenation, and there are more and more young people who are 'chasing opera'." Yu Kuizhi said that when performing in Xi'an last year, he met many young people backstage and could feel their enthusiasm for peking opera art.

In Yu Kuizhi's view, the art of Peking Opera needs to be inherited, and the audience of Peking Opera also needs to be cultivated. "In the future, I hope to attract more young people at home and abroad to love and spread the art of Peking Opera through performances." (End)

Source: China News Network