Author Liu Xinyang
Hou Xirui (1892-1983), also spelled Xiaru, was a native of Hengshui, Hebei, and a Member of the Hui ethnic group. At an early age, he entered the Xilian class, first learned zi laosheng, and then learned from Xiao Changhua, Li Lianzhong, and Han Leqing. After leaving the department, he studied "Serial Set" and "Zhan Wancheng" as a teacher, and in addition to learning the "Yellow Faction" repertoire, he also accumulated a lot of experience in the "Yellow Faction" drama. Hou Xirui has cooperated with Yang Xiaolou, Gao Qingkui, Mei Lanfang, Xun Huisheng, Cheng Yanqiu, Shang Xiaoyun, Meng Xiaodong and many other famous artists, competing for employment in various classes, and serving as a jingxing teacher in Fulian Chengshe. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he was employed by the Beijing Municipal Institute of Opera and taught at the China Opera School and the Beijing Municipal Drama School, and many students received his lessons. At the age of seventy, he can also star in such a major play as "Zhan Wancheng Ma Ta Qingmiao".
Hou Xirui's representative repertoire includes "Serial Set", "Changsaka Slope", "YangpingGuan", "QunyingHui", "Qingfeng Zhai", "Dingjia Mountain", "Famen Temple", "Xiahedong", "Empty City Plan", "Taking Luoyang", "Niugao Xiashu", etc. In addition, he is also good at playing supporting roles such as Ni Rong in "Fishing and Killing Family", Li Ren in "Zhu Trace", Qin Can in "Ertang Shezi Datang", Deng Jiugong in "Bow Yan Yuan", Shi Zongbing in "Wind Flow Stick", Zhou Jianjun in "Fenghui Nest", Yang Desheng in "Tears of the Desolate Mountain", and other supporting roles in these plays , also extremely exciting.
Hou Xirui's disciples were handed down to Hongbin, Ma Chongren, Yuan Guolin, Li Rongwei, Shang Changrong, Zhang Guanzheng, etc., in addition, Qiu Shengrong, Yuan Shihai, Liu Lianrong, Sun Shengwen, etc. were all taught by him. Among them, Yuan Guolin (1933-1996) benefited the most, and the plays passed down by his teachers include "Zhan Wancheng", "Take Luoyang", "Serial Set", "Famen Temple", "Changsakapo", "Yangpingguan", "Double Li Kui", "Ding Jia Shan", "Qingfeng Zhai", "Fishing and Killing The Family", "Zhu Trace", "Feng Hui Nest", and "Rouge Tiger".
Hou Xirui casual clothes photo
Hou Xirui sang Gongzong's "Yellow Sect" shelf flower face singing method, his voice is hoarse, so he often uses fried tones and standing tones, his mouth is fierce, and he does not advocate flower cavity in singing, but emphasizes the setbacks, forming a special momentum of sonorous and majestic. His pronouncements are precise, often accentuating the tone with an explosive high note. Hou Xirui has solid young skills, excellent waist and leg kung fu, delicate and unique portrayal of characters, and beautiful figures and frames that no one can match, and is known as "Hou Pai". Hou Xirui left not many audio-visual materials, in his early years he produced records such as "Changsakapo", "Kowloon Cup", "Red Breeze", "Pirated Imperial Horse", "Yangpingguan" and so on, and after the founding of New China, he also recorded recordings such as "Fighting Yan Song", "Heroes of the Crowd", "Zhan Wancheng Ma Ta Qingmiao", "Niu Gao Xia Shu" and so on. In 1956, Cheng Yanqiu filmed the color film "Tears of the Wild Mountain", and specially invited Hou Xirui to play Yang Desheng, thus leaving a rare image material for Hou Xirui. In 1960, Zhang Yinde compiled for Hou Xirui the oral art experience "Learning Drama and Acting", which are valuable materials for understanding and studying the art of "Hou Pai".
Hou Xirui as Zhang Xianzhong in "Shen Yunying"
In "The Case of The Beauty of The Beauty", Qiu Shengrong plays Bao Zheng
In "The Thief of the Royal Horse", Qiu Shengrong plays Dou Erdun
Jin Shaoshan, Hao Shouchen and Hou Xirui are outstanding representatives of the peak of the flower face industry in the history of the development of Peking Opera, on the one hand, they inherit the tradition, inherit the superb performing arts such as Jin Xiushan, Liu Yongchun, Li Lianzhong and so on from the famous masters of their predecessors, and can create their own different styles and colorful flower face art genres according to their own conditions and the needs of the times and the audience. At the same time, together with the famous bronze hammer flower face master Qiu Guixian and the martial flower face master Qian Jinfu of the same period, they also played an important role in the development of the later Peking Opera flower face art, and it was with their inheritance and inheritance that they nourished the generations of flower face masters such as Qiu Shengrong, Yuan Shihai, Fang Rongxiang, and Shang Changrong, who grew up later, and also made the Peking Opera stage art in the overall promotion and development of the situation of going hand in hand and thousands of purples and reds.