Yuan Kuocheng is a well-known master of storytelling at home and abroad, with the saying that "there was Liu Jingting in ancient times, and Yuan Kuocheng in today". Together with Liu Lanfang, Shan Tianfang and Tian Lianyuan, he is known as the "Four Great Commentaries and Performance Artists", and his representative works include "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", "Shui Po Liang Shan", "Agni Kong" and so on.
In the early morning of March 2, 2015, Yuan Kuocheng died of heart failure at the age of 86.
Yuan Kuocheng, born in 1929 in Tianjin into a family of storytellers, his uncles Yuan Jieting, Yuan Jieying and his father Yuan Jiewu, known as the "Three Masters of the Yuan Family", are famous for speaking "Five Daughters and Seven Virgins".
He took the stage at the age of 14 and became famous for "Twelve Money Darts" and "Shi Gong Case" at the age of 18. From the 1950s to the 1980s, he lived in Yingkou, Liaoning.
On the basis of inheriting the traditional book commentary, Yuan Kuocheng has the courage to innovate, absorb the strengths of all, absorb the strengths of art forms such as drama, film, opera, and cross-talk, and form his own style.
After 1949, he took the lead in talking about new books, and his performances of new books such as "Red Rock", "Red Guts And Loyalty", "The Tempest" and "Lin Hai Snow Field" brought wonderful enjoyment to hundreds of millions of listeners.
In 1958, when he participated in the first national quyi performance, the performance of "Tongue War Little Furnace Maker" was vivid and humorous, and the character image was clear, which was well received by the audience.
In 1963, he performed new books such as "Xu Yunfeng Goes to the Banquet", which was a sensation. During this period, he successively broadcast and performed new commentaries on modern themes such as "Agni King Kong", "Lin Hai Snow Field", "Red Rock", "Bold and Faithful", "Wildfire Spring Wind Fighting Ancient City" and so on.
In 1979, at the 30th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in Beijing, Yuan Kuocheng's performance of "Peach Blossom Village" was rewarded by the Ministry of Culture.
In 1981, he was invited by the Central People's Radio to record the 365-lecture Romance of the Three Kingdoms. After the broadcast, he received praise and won the 1983 Outstanding Literary and Artistic Creation Award of the Liaoning Provincial People's Government, and he was successively received by Chen Yun, Wang Zhen and other central leaders.
In 1984, Yuan Kuocheng performed "Giving a Lufan" on the Spring Festival Evening of CCTV, which left a deep impression on the audience.
In 1985, Yuan Kuocheng was transferred to the Literature and Art Department of the Central People's Radio. His work "Water Margin" was selected into the "Top Ten Traditional Chinese Commentaries Classics" series.
On November 11, 2003, the 4th China Golden Disc Awards was announced, and Yuan Kuocheng won the Actor Award in the Genre of Music.
On August 10, 2006, the press conference of the results of the 4th China Quyi Peony Award was held in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, and Yuan Kuocheng was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award.
On the morning of August 29, 2015, the farewell memorial service and burial ceremony of Yuan Kuocheng and his wife Ms. Liu Suqin were held at the Wanfo Overseas Chinese Cemetery in Mentougou District, Beijing.
Mathematician Chen Jingrun, cross-talk master Ma Ji, broadcast art master Xia Qing, theater performers Tan Fuying, Qiu Shengrong, Xin Fengxia, Wu Zuguang and other well-known people are buried here.
Yuan Kuocheng's tombstone is black and gray, and the tombstone is engraved with a classic figure of him holding a fan in his hand, a long coat, with three big characters written on it, and evergreen trees around the cemetery.
In front of the tombstone, it is composed of a desk, eye-catching, folding fan, etc., representing his decades of stage acting career. From a distance, it looks like Yuan Kuocheng is standing at a table, holding a folding fan, and is talking about a book.