When it comes to "anti-string", we will think of Li Yugang who sang "The New Noble Concubine Drunk" for the first time.
But there is an artist who is known as the real "anti-string first person".
He was the only male Dan disciple of Master Mei Baojiu, and the only male Dan descendant of the "Mei Sect" in the past half century, Hu Wenge.
As the most famous and active male Dan at present, the burden on Hu Wenge's shoulders has become heavier and heavier.
As he said, "My life is destined to be inseparable from literature and art." ”
Hu Wenge was born in Xi'an in 1967 and began to study art from an early age.
Hu Wenge was born poor, and his parents died since he was a child, so he was strong and self-motivated in his bones.
He began practicing dance at the age of 4, and he was extremely talented and able to endure hardships.
At the age of 10, Hu Wenge was admitted to the Xiqu School, laying the foundation for the future path of art.
Around the age of 13, after graduation, Hu Wenge was assigned to the Xi'an Qin Cavity Group to study primary school students and became a Qin Cavity actor.
It can be said that Hu Wenge was born to eat the bowl of art, and he went all the way back.
In 1987, Hu Wenge, who had become a teacher, left the Qin Lu group and began to go south with a light music troupe.
Once, when they went to Sichuan to perform, a female singer fell ill and could not participate.
Therefore, the anxious regimental commander suggested that Hu Wenge dress up as a woman should be put on the stage to replace him.
"You don't sing Dan horns, you do the stage, the actresses sing for you in the back."
Unexpectedly, this temporary rise of the performance method completely opened the road of Hu Wenge's anti-string.
After the performance, Hu Wenge excitedly suggested to the group leader:
"It's better that I make it clear that I'm a man, and then the man dresses up as a woman to perform the show, maybe it's more innovative."
Unexpectedly, this sudden idea actually made Hu Wenge very popular.
Later, every time Hu Wenge performed on stage in the form of anti-string, he would achieve unprecedented success, and the applause was continuous.
In this way, Hu Wenge soon became a pillar in the regiment and was given the stage name "Begonia".
Hu Wenge, who appeared on the stage with the image of "anti-string singer", caused a sensation throughout the country in the 80s and became extremely popular.
In the 1990s, because of the novelty of the form, Hu Wenge's anti-string performances even became popular abroad.
In 1994, Hu Wenge went to Southeast Asia to perform, which was loved and paid attention to by the audience.
In 1997, Hu Wenge was also invited by The Japanese National Treasure Master Yusaburo Sakato to conduct cultural and artistic exchanges in Tokyo and Osaka.
At that time, Hu Wenge could be said to be a collection of thousands of pets, and then a whirlwind of "Hu Wenge phenomenon" was blown in Europe and the United States.
However, along with applause and honor, Hu Wenge also received some ridicule and questioning.
In that era, the image of anti-string was not recognized by the public, and it was inevitable that it would be criticized.
Even he himself admits that anti-string is nothing more than grandstanding, not real art.
With this thought, Hu Wenge decided to give up all the glory of the "anti-string singer" and return to the theatrical stage to pursue the art in his heart.
At that time, he most admired Master Mei Lanfang, and he also formed a lifelong fate with Mei Pai art.
"Becoming a descendant of Meipai is the happiness of my life."
In 1993, Hu Wenge was introduced by someone to visit Mei Baojiu for the first time.
That time, he had the urge to worship the teacher, but unfortunately he did not succeed.
But Hu Wenge did not give up, but kept telling Mei Baojiu that he wanted to worship the master.
In 1998, under the recommendation of many people in the theater industry, Hu Wenge finally went to the Mei family's old residence to learn drama.
It was not until 2001 that Hu Wenge rehearsed three plays, namely "Noble Concubine Drunk", "Overlord Farewell" and "Cosmic Front", and successfully became a disciple of Mei Pai.
Hu Wenge said, "Master only decided to accept me after watching these three plays. ”
At the end of 2001, the 34-year-old Hu Wenge officially worshiped Mr. Mei Baojiu as a teacher and became a descendant of Mei Pai.
Mei Baojiu had more than 50 disciples before his death, and Hu Wenge was his only male disciple, that is, Male Dan.
Therefore, in Mei Baojiu's heart, Hu Wenge was placed high hopes on him, hoping that he could pass on the art of Mei Pai Nandan and carry it forward.
"From my grandfather Mei Qiaoling to my father Mei Lanfang, they are all paying for the art of male Dan, and I have passed it on to you in my generation." You are not the most talented of all my disciples, your sisters are higher than your attainments, but why do I value you, is that I don't want Mei Pai Male Dan to break off in my generation, pass it on to you, and also hope that Mei Pai's pure Male Dan will go on. ”
In order to live up to his master's expectations, Hu Wenge began to study the art of "Mei Pai" Peking Opera desperately.
"For me, the word male Dan is really sour, sweet, bitter, spicy and salty."
Although he has some drama skills since childhood, re-learning Peking Opera has made him suffer a lot, and he has to work a thousand times harder than others.
As a line in "Farewell to the Overlord" says: "Man must become a child of his own, and if he wants to be noble before others, he will suffer after him." ”
He had to practice dancing swords alone in the courtyard three or nine nights, and his hands were so cold that he couldn't even hold the sword.
The so-called "drama is bigger than the sky", Hu Wenge must rely on sleeping pills to sleep peacefully before each performance.
Later, he said with emotion: "Acting in Peking Opera is very hard and tiring, but the sense of achievement that recognizes its own value is something that money cannot measure and words cannot describe." ”
Hu Wenge, who had high understanding and could endure hardships, soon came to prominence in the Peking Opera circle.
In 2004, Hu Wenge entered the Beijing Opera House as a special talent.
After decades of hard work, in 2013, Mei Baojiu officially recognized Hu Wenge as the third generation of Mei Lanfang's Male Dan art.
Since then, Hu Wenge has begun to firmly walk towards the path of the master, and now he has become the top male Dan of the Beijing Opera House.
"Master's death came very suddenly, just for Master's birthday, and we had just returned from performing in other places."
On March 29, 2016, Mei Baojiu finished the lecture and spent her 82nd birthday happily.
However, the next day, Mei Baojiu suddenly fell unconscious until she died.
During that time, Hu Wenge couldn't sleep every night and was anxious.
"Lying on the bed with a blank mind, every day I think about what I should do if Master is gone, and I am very worried."
After Mei Baojiu was in a coma for many days, Hu Wenge's biggest worry still came.
On April 25, 2016, Mei Baojiu, a master of the first generation, passed away.
When Mei Baojiu died, Hu Wenge silently said to him: "Rest assured, old man, I will definitely remember your words and pass on the art of Male Dan." ”
Before Mei Baojiu died, he designated a disciple for Hu Wenge, named Bartle.
In 2017, on the first anniversary of Mei Baojiu's death, the 12-year-old Battle officially visited Hu Wenge and became the fourth generation of male Dan descendants of the Mei Pai of Peking Opera.
This not only fulfilled Master's last wish, but also fulfilled his wish for many years, and finally there was someone to follow.
However, despite this, there are still only a few people in the whole Pear Garden Line who study the art of male Dan, which is worrying.
Today, Hu Wenge is 53 years old and is still doing his best to inherit and promote our Peking Opera art.
Although this road is a long way for him, I think that the wonderful "Noble Concubine Drunk" will surely be sung from generation to generation.