On April 23, at the memorial service of teacher Du Jinfang, the author met Mr. Mei Lanfang's youngest disciple, a national first-class actor and a 78-year-old teacher Li Guozhi this year. Li Guozhi and Du Jinfang, two teachers, are the same teacher Meimen and are very familiar with each other. During Ding Xiaojun's studies at the drama school, Li Guozhi has been her bishop teacher until she graduated. At that time, through the introduction of Huang Xiaoci, Ding Xiaojun baidu Jinfang was a teacher, and teacher Li Guopu was very supportive. Since then, Ding Xiaojun has been sublimated higher in art and has become an outstanding actor on the Peking Opera stage today.
Front row: Du Jinfang, Li Guozhi, Mei Baojiu
Teacher Li Guopu can be described as peach and plum all over the world, in addition to Ding Xiaojun, the popular characters Chi Xiaoqiu, Xiao Di, Tian Hui, etc., have all been carefully taught by her.
Li Guozhi worshiped Master Mei Lanfang, and here is a good story:
At that time, Comrade Song Renqiang was presiding over the work of the Northeast Bureau, and he attached great importance to the growth of young actors. Once, after watching Li Guozhi's "Cosmic Front", he asked: "Who did you learn this play from?" And said, "I'll write you a letter when I go to Beijing and meet Mr. Mei Lanfang." Therefore, the leader of Fuxin City took her to see Mr. Mei, who learned that Li Guopu's talent and character were very good, and gladly accepted: "Well, I will accept a primary school student at the end!" Later, the worship meeting was very solemn, and comrades such as Qi Yanming, Tian Han, and Xia Yan came to celebrate.
Li Guocui's original name was Li Guocui, and Mr. Mei Lanfang changed her name to "Guopu". According to Teacher Li's recollection:
"Once I was chatting at Mr. Mei's house, I wanted to send me a photo with a signature. When I signed it, I wrote this pure word, and then said to me: Don't use this Cui in the future, use this pure, this pure is the pure of the country. Our Peking Opera is also the essence of the country. I reported this matter to the director of the Cultural Bureau, and Director Zhao said: We will do as Mr. Mei said, and we will change it to this in the future. ”
Li Guozhi has both large and small voices, a crisp and melodious voice, and a strong charm. Her performances are delicate and real, layered, and especially good at portraying characters.
In the performance, Li Guopu divided the psychological activities of the characters into three stages: hating the imperial court for fainting, the small groups competing for progress, and refusing to accept the seal; receiving the seal by feeling and having many worries; and resolutely holding the seal for the country and the people.
In the second stage, she performed many beautiful figures with the "Nine Hammers and a Half" Gong and Drum Sutra, and vividly expressed the subtext of Mu Guiying's ideological struggle after receiving the seal. Finally, she wrapped two water sleeves around a large flower, popped out sharply, and made a mighty appearance, showing the determination of the general to go out again.
In the third stage, she held the handsome seal high, her eyes were shining, ran the big round field, and then a high-pitched and loud loose board - "holding the handsome seal to the school field to command the three armies", it seems that the audience saw Mu Guiying's cool and heroic posture in the Great Heavenly Gate Formation.
When asked why Li Guozhi was able to portray the characters so meticulously, she smiled and said, "'The drama is fine.'" Be sure to portray the characters in detail. Mr. Mei asked us to have a basis for life in every action and every look on the stage. ”
Of course, here should also be added Li Guopu's own efforts. Before a show in Fuxin City in 1978, the leader gave her a 10-day deadline to restore "Noble Concubine Drunk", which had not been staged for nearly 15 years. In order to complete tasks beyond the level, she often wakes up in the middle of the night and practices hard in the mirror. According to Yang Guifei's personality and identity, she made appropriate performances in each dance body, such as the turning over of the cup and the lying fish when sniffing flowers in the front court, which fully expressed Yang Guifei's emotional changes at this time.
Li Guopu, a disciple of Mr. Mei Lanfang, a master of Peking Opera. Originally from Beijing, born in February 1943, hui.
At the age of six, he went to Fuxin City, Liaoning Province with his parents and graduated from Fuxin Opera School. During his studies, due to the attention and cultivation of the successors of Peking Opera by leaders at all levels in Fuxin City, from January 1959 to 1966, Li Guozhi was sent to Beijing Meilanfang Peking Opera Troupe and China Peking Opera House for nearly half a year for further study, and studied under Li Huifang, Zhang Diefen, Jiang Fengshan, Jia Shizhen and other artists, and was introduced by Song Renqian, the first secretary of the Northeast Bureau at that time, and Mr. Mei Lanfang was a teacher. After Mr. Mei was his teacher, Li Guopu often went to the Mei family to study, and under Mr. Mei's words and deeds, he had a deeper understanding and understanding of Mei Pai art.
Li Guochu is good at acting in plays such as "Cosmic Front", "Phoenix Returns to the Nest", "Noble Concubine Drunk", "Life and Death Hate", "Overlord Farewell", "Mu Guiying Hangs Commander", "Butterfly Cup", "Shilang Visiting Mother", "Red Mane Horse", "Yutang Spring", "Young Phoenix Volley" and so on. Her performance is solemn and generous, with clear white words, round and sweet singing, good at portraying characters with different personalities, deeply impressed by Meipai art, and has participated in Meipai art performances and commemoration and seminar activities for many times.
In 1987, Li Guozhi was transferred to the Liaoning Provincial Drama School to teach. She has learned scientific vocal methods from artists such as Zheng Sulan of Shenyang Conservatory of Music, Lu Wenqin of Shanghai Opera School, He Minjuan of China Opera Academy, Wang Sufen of Central Conservatory of Music, etc., and combined with the characteristics of Peking Opera to use in teaching, it has achieved very good results.
After his retirement, Li Guozhi taught at the Beijing Opera School. Her students include Chi Xiaoqiu (Beijing Peking Opera House), Ding Xiaojun (Beijing Comrades-in-Arms Peking Opera Troupe), Xiao Di (Liaoning Academy of Arts), Tian Hui (Shanghai Peking Opera House), Chen Chen (Beijing Opera Arts Vocational College), Zhang Xuan (Hunan Provincial Peking Opera Troupe), etc. For her excellent teaching achievements, she has been awarded the title of outstanding teacher for many consecutive years, and was the first prize winner of the first Liaoning Provincial Art Academy in 1993-1997.
When attending the memorial service of teacher Du Jinfang on April 23, teacher Li Guozhi (third from left) and the author (first from right)