Peking opera is the national essence of our country, and the four professions of shengdan net ugliness have been famous for generations. In the line of "Danjiao", the highest artistic standard is the "Four Famous Dans".
They are Mei Lanfang, Xun Huisheng, Cheng Yanqiu, and Shang Xiaoyun.
Among them, Xun Huisheng, who ranked second, is the founder of Xun School art, an artistic master with the same name as Mei Lanfang, and a "cattle man" in the history of Chinese Peking Opera.
Unlike Mr. Mei Lanfang and many famous Peking opera artists, Xun Huisheng's artistic career started extremely difficultly, and his growth process was also extremely bumpy.
After a nightmarish childhood and a personal contract dispute with his master Pang, he managed to break a path in Peking Opera.
Xun Huisheng
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="67" > was twice sold by his father to the drama class for money</h1>
Mr. Xun Huisheng can become the "four famous dans", which can be said to be both fortunate and unfortunate.
He was not born into a Peking Opera family like Mei Lanfang, the head of the Four Dans, mei Lanfang's grandfather Mei Qiaoling and father Mei Zhufen were all famous Peking opera artists who created and carried forward the art of Mei Pai.
He is also not like Cheng Yanqiu, a Manchu nobleman Houyi, whose ancestors once led an army to enter the customs with the "regent" Dolgun, and only embarked on the road of learning drama after the family road was backward. Similar to another grassroots Danjiao Shang Xiaoyun, Xun Huisheng's childhood was spent in the experience of loneliness and homelessness.
Xun Huisheng was born in 1900 to a poor family in Beijing. In that year, the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded Beijing, and the lives of the ordinary people in the war were miserable, and Xun Huisheng's father, Xun Fengming, had no financial resources and could not raise Xun Huisheng and his brother Xun Huirong.
When Xun Huisheng was 7 years old, he sold his two sons to Xiao Taohong, the head of the opera class in Tianjin Singing Hebei Zizi, for 50 yuan of ocean, and signed the "official letter", which is equivalent to today's talent contract.
But in fact, in that era of life and death, where the contract signed for two children around 10 years old was obviously a deed of sale.
Apprentices in the old society's drama classes or martial arts apprentices had to sign this so-called "contract", that is, stipulating the number of years of study and what they learned, and more cruelly, in order not to bear the responsibility of the child's personal accident, the contract usually had to add the following sentence at the end: During the period of study, it is up to the destiny of heaven to die and flee.
That is to say, if the apprentice has any accidents, including drowning, murder and other events, even if he is killed by the master because of his learning, the parents cannot ask about it. Therefore, at that time, many people simply called this kind of contract "life and death document".
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If you have seen the famous movie "Farewell to the King", you should have some understanding of the management of the drama class.
Cheng Dieyi, played by Zhang Guorong, was also sold by his mother to the Xifu cheng drama class when he was a child, and since then he has begun his career in learning and art, and has suffered hardships to finally become a generation of celebrities.
Xun Huisheng and his brother Xun Huirong are the same, after entering the drama class, Master Xiao Taohong is extremely strict with them, singing the wrong words and being beaten, taking the wrong steps, not practicing on time, being beaten, and there are many ways to beat, including handboarding, spanking, and back beatings... In a word, if something goes wrong, you will be beaten.
The most cruel is to take a smoking gun to stab the throat and eyes, often to the child to poke bad, coupled with some masters in the hands are not light or heavy, poke the bleeding do not know how to deal with, but also force the child to continue to practice.
In that era, it was common to kill people in drama classes or martial arts gyms, which is the meaning of "selling oneself".
Xun Huisheng and Mei Lanfang and others
Of course, such a practice environment must be criticized and eliminated today, but at that time, many famous masters grew up under sticks and beaten and scolded.
Those children who are gifted and able to adapt to the intensity of training eventually stand out, which can only be said to be the reason for the "survivor bias".
Compared with his brother Xun Huirong, who could not bear the hardships, Xun Huisheng was very strong and courageous, and he could carry the little peach's super class practice, no matter what kind of scolding and training intensity, he could persevere.
His talent for opera also began to be initially revealed from this time.
According to this development, Xun Huisheng may have become famous in Xiao Peach's drama class, but the escape of his brother Xun Huirong made Xun Huisheng's academic career take a turn. Because he really couldn't stand this boring and arduous "inhuman torture", he secretly ran out of the drama class and returned home to hide.
The class owner Xiao Taohong did not find him, in order to reduce economic losses, he had no choice but to take Xun Huisheng back to The Xun family to find Xun Fengming, asking to cancel the contract and return to him the 50 oceans of selling money.
In the eyes of Xun Fengmingyan, who was so poor that he was about to vomit blood, the lives of his two sons were not as important as those 50 oceans, and selling his sons for money was simply addictive, and there would be a second time with the first time.
Xun Fengming took his two sons to the famous Zizi Hua Dan Pang inspiration, and this time the price was higher.
Pang Inspired gave Xun Fengming 70 oceans, and then a seven-year covenant of "death and flight during the apprenticeship by the destiny of heaven". This so-called passive "job hopping" is involuntary for the still young Xun Huisheng, but to a certain extent, it has laid the foundation for him to move the capital in the future.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="87" > a small "cash cow" inspired by the evil master Pang</h1>
Pang Inspired stage name Pang Yanyun, a famous artist of Hebei Zizi, specializes in Zidanjiao, including Huadan, Daomadan and Qingyi. Artists in the old society all have the problem of self-esteem, and Pang Qi's treatment of apprentices is more severe than that of Little Peach, and even treats apprentices as dogs.
It is conceivable how much Suffering and Sin Xun Huisheng suffered under his hands.
Xun Huirong once again escaped (Xun Huisheng and his brother were really not the material for singing), xun Huisheng still had the ability to persist, and gradually began to master the basic skills of many Danjiao.
When practicing, danjiao actors have to practice balance on stilts, which is the first step in shaping the graceful figure. The stilt training was very uncomfortable, and many people were beaten by Pang Qi because they could not persevere, but Xun Huisheng successfully mastered the skills and became the actor with the best basic skills in the drama class.
On this basis, Pang Qiqi began to increase the difficulty, such as letting him step on stilts to stand on bricks, running on the ice, and turning his eyes in the black room, which was also beaten if he did not complete the standard.
So much so that later, when looking back on these days, Xun Huisheng himself smiled bitterly: "Turn your heart sideways, where there is a flame mountain that cannot be crossed." My brother ran away, and if I couldn't hold on any longer, our family would be completely finished. ”
There are many paradoxes, such as the basic skills of opera actors. The seemingly bright and beautiful images of Peking Opera actors on the stage are actually the result of diligent and hard work and even the inhumane "mountain whip". Brick stilts are meant to improve stilt work and maintain balance in the body under extreme conditions.
The significance of running on the ice is to allow the actors to adapt to a variety of different stage environments, even if the ice can walk out of the standard pace, although the actors will be broken in training, nose blue and swollen; black lights turn eyeballs may not be understood by ordinary people, and the eyes of opera actors are very important.
A good actor not only needs a dexterous pace, but also a flexible eye, turning around on the stage, and matching the ups and downs of the actor's emotions.
Light an incense in the black light conditions, let the actor's eyes follow the bright light, and have to get faster and faster, and be able to keep up with the gong and drum of the soundtrack at any time.
It is precisely under such harsh training conditions that Xiao Xun Huisheng has practiced an extremely solid basic skill, even after becoming famous, he insists on practicing three nines in winter and three volts in summer, can wear a single coat in ice and snow, the sun is like a fire to cover the cotton jacket, can also step on stilts to skate on the ice, and his eyes are quickly transmitting friendship, all of which are trained in Pang Inspired's drama class.
In addition, the singing dan corner needs a lot of props to cooperate with the performance, such as water sleeves, fans, handkerchiefs, plates, etc., Pang Inspired at the same time, but also requires Xun Huisheng to master these skills all the time, so that Xun Huisheng truly achieves "eighteen martial arts proficiency".
In the subsequent academic and artistic career, the young Xun Huisheng gradually began to perform on stage, from the countryside to the big stage, Pang Qiqi began to praise his proud disciple, and went south to the north to earn a lot of performance money. After Xun Huisheng began to emerge, he also arranged for Xun Huisheng to continue his studies with his master Hou Junshan.
Hou Junshan, nicknamed "Old Thirteen Dan", is the top level in Danjiao, and the talent of this apprentice grandson amazes him, so he began to teach Xun Huisheng some plays that he was good at, not only learning Zizi, but also learning a lot of Peking Opera, such as "Yutang Spring" and "Huatian Mistake", Xun Huisheng's level continued to improve by leaps and bounds under the guidance of his master, and he had already surpassed the level of a teenager.
However, Pang's purpose is not to let Xun Huisheng learn to support his family, but to use this cash cow to make more money for himself.
In 1915, the 15-year-old Xun Huisheng's seven-year period had expired, and he could already become a teacher according to the level, but Pang Qiqi told him: "If there is any time limit on the contract, you are my person, if you dare to go I will break your leg!" ”
He knew that Xun Huisheng's father, Xun Fengming, was illiterate, so he only verbally told the other party about the contract for seven years, but it was not written on the contract, and he also let Xun Huisheng's father directly press the handprint.
Since there is no time limit, it means that according to this contract, Xun Huisheng will sing for Pang Qi for a lifetime, and in order to prevent Xun Huisheng from escaping, Pang Huisheng even put him under house arrest - which makes Xun Huisheng, who has worked hard for many years, suffer a thunderbolt on a sunny day.
He was not the character of his brother, and he had eaten so much suffering, but this time, if he did not escape, his career would be ruined in the hands of the evil master Pang Qi and make a dowry for a lifetime.
At this moment, his close friend Shang Xiaoyun stepped forward and helped Xun Huisheng escape this fate.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="108" > out of the bitter sea, from Zidanjiao to Peking Opera masters</h1>
Shang Xiaoyun, who is also one of the "Four Famous Dans", is similar to Xun Hui's birthday, his personality is also very similar, and they are both from the grassroots, and the two children quickly became the best friends after meeting each other in the Beijing University Class Sanle Class. During Xun Huisheng's house arrest by Pang Qi, Shang Xiaoyun went to visit him, in order to give him the idea to escape.
"If you don't run, you will always be his cash cow, and you will never be able to turn over in this life!"
Therefore, Shang Xiaoyun helped Xun Huisheng to formulate an escape route and find a place to stay. Xun Huisheng plucked up his courage and ran out of the house under house arrest in the dark, and fled the courtyard of the drama class in a huff.
Here to explain, Pang Qi's approach is also very unauthentic in the industry, after the apprentice sits in the discipline for seven years, when the master should not be blocked, otherwise after the reputation is bad, no one will worship you as a teacher, this is the "killing chicken and egg" business.
Pang Qiqi was very anxious, neither wanted to damage this cash cow, nor could he damage his own reputation, under the persuasion of Li Jiliang, the leader of the Sanle class, Pang Qi could only post a notice to admit his mistake and ask Xun Huisheng to come back.
This rebellion was of great significance to Xun Huisheng, and he subsequently met with Pang Qi in court over the contract.
The court ruled that he could regain his freedom after singing for two more years and returning half of the profits to Pang Qi, which was not very fair.
But if he does not listen to Shang Xiaoyun's words and escapes, I am afraid that in this life, he will be continuously squeezed by Pang Qi, and it is impossible to become a teacher, let alone become a famous Peking Opera master in the future.
From a personal point of view, Xun Huisheng is a good person, and there is still that kind of loyalty and filial piety in his bones. If Master is not kind to him, he will not be unjust to Master, after all, it is Pang Qi who taught him a skill.
Looking back on this incident many years later, Xun Huisheng said that he only wanted to "calm things down" and was unwilling to completely tear his face with his master.
Xun Huisheng (left)
In October 1916, the court's two-year period expired, and 16-year-old Xun Huisheng was finally able to become a teacher. Although he is still underage, he already has a strong skill, and he can stand alone on the stage and sing Danjiao.
It's just that he is in the period of voice change, and his voice is called "inverted warehouse" in the jargon, which is not suitable for Hebei Zizi, who has a high pitch, so he turned to learning the Danjiao of Peking Opera.
Unexpectedly, Xun Huisheng, who turned to singing Peking Opera, opened a road of "four famous Dans" in this way.
After all, Zizi and Peking Opera are not the same kind of drama, and in the process of changing careers, he has also been confused, but compared with being sold twice in his childhood and tortured by evil teachers, these difficulties are nothing at all.
He already has a solid basic skill of Danjiao, and the next thing to do is to learn from the strengths of all, ask more famous artists for advice, and enrich his artistic experience.
In order to be able to play a world on the Peking Opera stage as soon as possible, he once studied with the famous Peking Opera performance artists Chen Delin, Qiao Huilan, Wang Yaoqing and others at that time, coupled with the zi zi background he had studied for many years, so that he dared to break the style restrictions between the genres of the play, and he could also play his personal voice strengths.
Not only Zizi, Xun Huisheng also learned a lot of singing voices and singing methods from Sichuan opera, Kunqu opera and Yue opera, and strived to learn from the strengths of all and carry out bold artistic innovation.
As we all know, Danjiao is the profession of men to shape women, Xun Huisheng not only absorbs the singing voice and body of various genres of Danjiao, but also carefully observes the walking and sitting postures of various girls and women in life, and strives to perfectly restore the image of women on the stage from the perspective of a man.
Sure enough, after years of unremitting efforts, Xun Huisheng finally became one of the top Danjiao actors in Beijing. The female figures he creates, whether it is Dao Ma Dan, Qing Yi or Hua Dan, have a kind of beauty like a water hibiscus, graceful and colorful, smiling with emotion, so that the audience can feast their eyes.
His outstanding performances made Xun Huisheng famous in the Peking Opera circle, and he also had his own loyal fans (that is, now "hardcore fans"), and fans called "Baishe" because Xun Huisheng's stage name was "White Peony". Not only the fans, but also most of the audience were very popular.
His masterpieces, "Huatian Mistake", "Danqing Introduction", "Yutang Spring", etc., must be empty alleys and seas of people everywhere he goes.
In June 1927, the Shuntian Times held a number of famous actors in the opera industry, and in the selection of "Best Actor of Peking Opera Danjiao", Xun Huisheng was elected together with Mei Lanfang, Shang Xiaoyun and Cheng Yanqiu.
Because of this selection, these four famous Peking Opera masters are respected by people as the "Four Famous Dans".
Xun Huisheng, 27 years old, thus embarked on the peak of his personal artistic career.
Different from the "Mei Pai" inherited by Mei Lanfang, Xun Huisheng created his own original "Xun Pai" in his subsequent artistic career through his unique pear garden experience, the style is known for its gentleness and femininity, and its voice is rich, and it is not limited to the limitations of the Peking Opera singing voice, daring to be innovative, creating new styles, and absorbing the strengths of other dramas.
For example, when reading white, not stuck to the traditional recitation of Peking Opera (this is also the biggest difference from Meipai art), but round and soft, rich in strong rhythmic beauty, can fully express the thoughts of the characters through the recitation, not hurried and just right, but also very close to life, so that the majority of audiences can find resonance.
In addition to the "Four Famous Dans", Xun Huisheng, whose stage name is "White Peony", also formed a combination of "three small and one white" with yang Xiaolou, Tan Xiaopei and Shang Xiaoyun.
This combination has more stage significance than the "four famous Dans": Wusheng Yang Xiaolou, Lao Sheng Tan Xiaopei, Qingyi Shang Xiaoyun, Hua Dan Xun Huisheng, four people can play on the stage, and have performed on the same stage many times, especially the famous "Three Small and One White Under Jiangnan", so that the male audience also experienced the unique charm of Peking Opera.
Xun Huisheng has starred in more than 300 plays in his lifetime, including "Red Lady", "Chessboard Mountain", "Red Chamber Eryou", "Noble Concubine Drunk", etc., which are the most shining pearls in the crown of the national Essence Peking Opera.
After the interpretation of the Xun School, it became a classic among the classics, and the degree of singing was extremely high, and it was well known to women and children at that time.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Xun Huisheng actively explored and promoted the development of Peking Opera, and served as the deputy director of the Art Committee of the Chinese Opera Artists Association, the director of the Hebei Zizi Theater in Hebei Province, and the executive director of the Beijing Municipal Federation of Literature and Literature. He also recruited apprentices and cultivated many descendants of xun school art for Peking Opera.
The famous Xun school artists, that is, Xun Huisheng's apprentices include Wu Suqiu, Tong Zhiling, Xu Dongxia, Ding Yunlan, etc., and there are countless descendants of the Xun school, who also inherit xun Huisheng's ideals, carry forward the Xun school art on the stage, and provide more wonderful plays for the audience.
When he was young, his family was poor, he was sold twice by his father, and he also encountered the energy of his master's malicious squeezing, which forged Xun Huisheng's strong character and strong fighting spirit, which made him go more and more smoothly in his future artistic career.
Xun Huisheng's life is a life of continuous dedication in pursuit of the art of opera, a life of courage to innovate and absorb the strengths of all, and a life of perseverance and pride in the world after ups and downs. He is worthy of being a famous Peking Opera artist and master of art who came out of the people and returned to the people!