Zhang Ying, an intern reporter at China Culture Daily
On April 17, 2021, Du Jinfang, a famous Peking Opera performing artist and one of the founders of the artistic style of the National Peking Opera Theatre, passed away. The Scythians are gone, and the souls are eternal. Recently, the National Peking Opera House held a memorial service for Mr. Du Jinfang to commemorate this outstanding Peking Opera artist.
She sowed the seeds of the national essence of Peking Opera and scattered into the galaxy of art. Through the narration of opera colleagues, former relatives and friends, and disciples, from the details of life to the bits and pieces of preaching, Du Jinfang's beautiful life and the brilliant character of virtue and art twinkle.
Du Jinfang as She Saihua set makeup photo
Pursue beauty, create beauty, and persist in beauty
Born in 1932, Du Jinfang was fascinated by Peking Opera since childhood, and began to perform on stage at the age of 10, teaching Peking Opera masters Mei Lanfang and Wang Yaoqing. In more than 80 years of artistic career, the word "beauty" runs through Du Jinfang's artistic life. Wang Yong, president of the National Peking Theatre, recalled that the word that people remember and remember Du Jinfang most frequently in the past month is "too beautiful".
The gentle and kind Bai Suzhen in "The Legend of the White Snake", Xie Yaohuan in "Xie Yaohuan" who asked for the people's life, Li Xiangjun who was loyal and fierce in "Peach Blossom Fan", Chen Miaochang who pursued freedom in "The Book of Jade Hairpins", and lin niangzi who was unyielding in "Wild Boar Forest"... Du Jinfang starred in a series of classic plays, creating a large number of unique personality, beautiful and moving, and popular stage images.
Li Jide, president of the China Opera Performance Society, said that Du Jinfang is not only the main descendant of Wang Pai art and the excellent successor of Mei Pai art, but also formed his own performance aesthetic style of classical beauty, female beauty, temperament beauty and fashion beauty.
Du Jinfang looks handsome, sings sweet and crisp, since her debut in the early years, there is a small Mei Lanfang, which has played the feminine characteristics that are different from male Danjiao to the extreme. The vivid and vivid artistic images she has created are like brilliant stars shining on the artistic galaxy. In addition to her innate artistic talent, behind her artistic achievements is her lifelong obsession with pursuing the beauty of art and creating the beauty of art.
Du Jinfang often said: "We can't lie in the merit book of our predecessors and perform old plays and old plays, we must echo the requirements of the times, strive to create, and repay the people with high-quality plays." ”
Du Jinfang jokingly called himself a "drama maniac". When rehearsing "Xie Yaohuan", Du Jinfang pasted the script on several walls, from morning to night, and did not leave the room for more than ten days. In order to perform the modern drama "The Red Detachment of Women", she went down to the company to experience the life of the barracks, learn to shoot guns, and "show the stuffing without living on the stage." Wu Qinghua, played by Du Jinfang, is a bitter child daughter-in-law living on Hainan Island, sleeping in a cowshed and building a straw mat. After discharging "Red Detachment of Women", Du Jinfang went to Hainan Island to experience life. She once recalled: "After I went to Hainan Island, I didn't know what it meant to sleep in a cowshed and build a straw mat. As soon as I looked at the environment on the scene, my inner emotions were much deeper. Acting in this play, if you think I am beautiful and charming, then you will not be able to perform this play. So when I sang later, I felt that the more I sang, the more interesting it became. From real-life experiences, she found character feelings.
Wang Yong admired Du Jinfang's sincere dedication to the art of Peking Opera, "Every time she creates and performs a play, she often has to do a lot of desk homework, understand the background, age, identity, and personality of the role she plays, and must be thoroughly eaten." Every action design, she must understand the behavior logic, and on this basis to create art, the character image she interprets always has a different taste and style, attracting generations of audiences to obsess and praise. ”
There is no "horn" shelf in life
Peking Opera performance artist Wang Jinghua and Du Jinfang have known each other for more than 30 years. In her eyes, Du Jinfang's elder sister is a very straightforward person, speaking straight, being generous, and treating people around her with special enthusiasm.
Wang Jinghua still remembers watching Du Jinfang's performance of "The White-Haired Girl" on the 2nd floor of the People's Theater many years ago: "She is beautiful, very beautiful on the stage, singing well, singing clearly, although she did not bring a microphone, but her voice is loud and penetrating." ”
Du Jinfang is informal, and there is no "horn" shelf in life, which also left a deep impression on Wang Jinghua. "Once in Guangzhou, because the rehearsal time was particularly tight, she couldn't take care of eating, in order to ensure the evening performance, she went to the canteen to make some leftover fish soup on the rice, and took it back to the house to eat, without any complaints."
"I went from an artist of the old society to an artist of the people, which is a drastic change." Du Jinfang said this more than once before his death.
Wu Yuhui, Du Jinfang's nephew, said that the sentence that Teacher Du mentioned the most before she died was that without the state, without the party, without the National Peking Theater and the audience's love for her, there would be no her today.
Wu Yuhui was relieved to see that Du Jinfang's artistic life had been extended. "The artistic image she created has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, the repertoire she has performed has been widely circulated, her life course and artistic experience have been recorded and preserved, and the personalized Peking Opera performing art style she founded has been inherited and carried forward by the students." Wu Yuhui said.
Preaching and teaching is passed on from generation to generation
In the early years, Du Jinfang, who had a bumpy life, worked harder than others, and every move and style of her youth was permeated with her serious hard work. After becoming famous, she guided her juniors to spare no effort and strict requirements. In his later years, Du Jinfang passed on what he had learned throughout his life to his disciples without reservation. During her hospitalization, as long as she was in good spirits, she would talk to her disciples on the phone and video on the hospital bed.
After Du Jinfang became seriously ill, he personally instructed his disciple Chen Shufang to do a good job in inheritance and train more outstanding young actors in the future. Chen Shufang recalled the bits and pieces of learning and getting along with Master, and the scenes of the past were vividly remembered.
Chen Shufang recalled that on the day of August 18, 1988, she asked Du Jinfang to be her teacher. Master became a leader in her artistic path. The days of eating with Master, rehearsing plays together, chatting together, and performing on the same stage together seemed to be still in front of her eyes. Chen Shufang and Du Jinfang shared the same room, and Master worked tirelessly to teach her art.
Chen Shufang had just visited the master, and the master gave her the opportunity to perform "Farewell to the Overlord" and gave her a trick to check. In the cold winter, Chen Shufang went to Master's house to study. At first, Master did not let her learn the movements with her, but only let her sit and watch carefully, and Du Jinfang personally demonstrated the recitation, singing and performance, and spoke for more than two hours as soon as she spoke. The cold wind outside the house whistled, but the master inside the house was sweating, so hot that he took off his thick cotton coat. After learning the play, Master was so hot that she couldn't eat, Chen Shufang was very anxious, at this time Master just saw the two watermelons she bought when she came, Master said to her: "You eat, I will rest for a while, just eat watermelon!" At this time, Chen Shufang's heart was slightly calm.
In the process of learning drama, Chen Shufang personally experienced Master's seriousness, rigor and sparing no effort in art. The experience of the performance to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Plum Blossom Awards also made Chen Shufang unforgettable. Master knew that she would star in "The Legend of the White Snake", so he called Chen Shufang to come to her home to talk about the play. Chen Shufang was worried that Master was recuperating at home and wanted the old man to rest first and go again in two days, but Master asked her to come over immediately. Therefore, Master took the illness and said "The Legend of the White Snake" for Chen Shufang.
Chen Shufang remembers that in the early 1990s, Master went into the studio to record, and each sentence was repeatedly recorded until he was satisfied. Chen Shufang kept Master's words and words in mind. Master told her that "the Red Detachment of Women" "a word weighs a thousand pounds", two words can not be sung the same, the second word should be aggravated, 'thousand pounds' singing should be forceful, and then the line cavity, can not be forced, use the strength to the back, so as to have a taste.
The past of learning drama with master was piled up piece by piece, and Chen Shufang said that it was not exhaustive. Master often hangs on his lips like this: "Don't learn the bad behavior of some actors in society, use your heart on the stage, this is real kung fu." "Chen Shufang remembered it in her heart." Master is sincere and selfless, and devotes all his energy to the pursuit of art. Master not only gave me a lot of help in art, but also set an example for us in terms of being a person. Chen Shufang said.
Disciple Ding Xiaojun also received Mr. Du's tireless teachings and selfless teachings. "Master is also a teacher and a mother to me, and I have deep feelings and righteousness. After following Master for sixteen years, he has gained both virtue and virtue. Master I miss you, I will inherit and carry forward your artistic personality and style, and you will always be in my heart. Ding Xiaojun said in a choked voice.
At the memorial service, Wang Yong said that the National Peking Theatre plans to hold the "Fanghua Absolute Generation - Du Jinfang's 90th Birthday Commemorative Performance" in 2022, rearranging Du Jinfang's representative plays, and performed by outstanding actors from the National Peking Opera And Du Jinfang's personal disciples from all over the country.
"From the memories to remember and feel her beautiful life, from the wonderful stage presentation of the young generation, to appreciate and appreciate her glorious and beautiful artistic image, I hope to pass on her art and artistic spirit, and constantly carry forward and expand." Wang Yong said.
Mr. Du Jinfang's memorial service was held