Sun Wen once said: "The world is indispensable for women, and if there are no women, the world will lose 50 percent of its truth, 70 percent of its goodness, and 100 percent of its beauty." If there is no woman, there will be no human being", the editor believes that not only Sun Yat-sen, the father of the Republic of China, knows how to respect women, but also in the opera industry, the four famous Dans who know the charm of women the most. Please follow the editor to appreciate the beauty of the four famous Dans.
The title of "Four Famous Dans" was first proposed by Sha Dafeng in the inaugural issue of Tianjin's "Dafeng Daily" in 1921 to distinguish it from the "Four King Kongs" of Cheng Ke in Cao Kun's cabinet.
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The Biography of Mei Lanfang
On June 20, 1927, Beijing's "Shuntian Times" held an event to select the "Five Famous New Actors to Win the Championship" ("the Best Actor of the First Peking Opera Dan").
Mei Lanfang
Mei Lanfang is the culmination of the art of Peking Opera, and combines the performance characteristics of Tsing Yi, Hua Dan, and Dao Ma Dan to create her own unique performance form and singing voice - Mei Pai.
Mei Lanfang (1894-1961), born in a Peking Opera family, learned opera at the age of 8 and debuted on stage at the age of 11. In more than 50 years of stage practice, Mei Lanfang has created and developed all aspects of Danjiao's singing, recitation, dance, music, costumes, makeup, etc., forming a unique artistic style, known as Mei School. He has a profound foundation, both civil and military; The typhoon is beautiful and the appearance is excellent; The mellow voice and graceful singing have created a typical image of a large number of ancient women with different postures. Mei Pai's representative works include "Cosmic Edge", "The Drunken Concubine", "Broken Bridge", "Odd Shuanghui", "Farewell My Concubine" and "Mu Guiying in Charge". Mei Lanfang has led the Peking Opera Troupe to perform in Japan, the United States and the Soviet Union many times, and is an opera performance artist who has spread Chinese opera to foreign countries and enjoys an international reputation.
Mr. Mei Lanfang has made outstanding contributions to promoting cultural exchanges between the mainland and the world. He was a pioneer in spreading the art of Peking Opera from mainland China overseas. He visited Japan three times in 1919, 1924 and 1956, the United States in 1930, and the Soviet Union twice in 1935 and 1952 to perform and gained great fame, and established sincere friendships with many internationally renowned artists, dramatists, singers, dancers, writers and painters. These activities not only enhanced the understanding of Chinese culture among the people of all countries, but also enabled the art of Peking Opera on the mainland to enter the ranks of world theater.
Descendants of the Mei faction: Wei Lianfang, Li Feishu, Li Shifang, Zhang Junqiu, Yan Huizhu, Du Jinfang, Ding Zhiyun, Luo Huilan, Yang Ronghuan, etc., Mei Lanfangzi Baojiu, is the current leader of the Mei faction.
Shang Xiaoyun
Shang Xiaoyun (1900-1976), who entered the science class at an early age, was named "the first child" at the age of 14. He first learned martial arts, and later corrected Dan, and also played Dao Ma Dan. He has a deep foundation, a wide voice, and is known for his vigor in singing, and is known as "Shangpai".
Singing characteristics: his voice is bright and vigorous, with a wide vocal range, free use of high, medium and low tones, good use of vibrato, deep and long-lasting breath, "Sacrifice River", "Sacrifice Tower" and other dramas of the large section of singing skills are light, and can continue to use high cavity, hard cavity, no exhaustion, sound hearty and happy. The tone is often steep and dangerous, the melody is powerful, and the frustrations are distinct. Nianbai is hearty and emotional, and Jingbai's rigidity, strength, and spiciness, are particularly outstanding.
Representative works include "Second Entrance to the Palace", "Sacrificial Tower", "Zhaojun Out of the Stopper", "Liang Hongyu", etc., which have created a group of heroines and heroines.
The more famous personal disciples are Zhang Diefen, Zhao Xiaolan, Xue Yanqin, Zhang Junqiu (later created the "Zhang School"), Sun Ronghui (Tianjin), Yang Ronghuan, Shang Changlin (second son), Li Xihong (Beijing), Sun Mingzhu (Shaanxi, student, not apprenticed), Dong Yuling (Beijing), Li Xiang (Beijing), Bao Qiyu (Inner Mongolia), Zhou Baisui (Guizhou), Tong Baoling (Beijing), Shang Huimin (eldest granddaughter, Jiamusi), Duan Lijun (Chengdu), etc., and the second disciples are Ma Bomin (Shanghai), Li Li (Tianjin), Ju Xiaosu (Shandong) , Zhou Li (Chongqing), Wang Lingyu, etc. The eldest son Shang Changchun attacked Wusheng, the youngest son Shang Changrong attacked the flower face, and the son-in-law Ren Zhiqiu attacked Danjiao. The female Shang Xiuqin did not practice art.
In 1966, the "Cultural Revolution" began, and it was affected by persecution. He died in Xi'an on April 19, 1976 (died in the First People's Hospital of Xi'an) at the age of 76.
Cheng Yanqiu
Cheng Yanqiu (1904-1958), who studied opera since childhood, acted in Tsing Yi, and was taught by Mei Lanfang. He has the courage to innovate and create in art, pays attention to rhyme, pays attention to the four voices, pursues the high combination of "sound, emotion, beauty and water", and according to the characteristics of his voice, he creates a kind of tactful, ups and downs, intermittent and changeable rhythmic singing, forming a unique artistic style, known as "Cheng School".
Cheng Yanqiu is good at acting in tragedy, and has choreographed and acted in "Mandarin Duck Tomb", "Tears of the Barren Mountain", "Qingshuang Sword", "Anglo-Taiwanese Anti-Marriage", "Dou E's Injustice" and other plays, most of which perform the tragic fate of women in feudal society.
In his later years, Cheng Yanqiu devoted himself to teaching and summarizing his experience in stage art. In 1949, as a specially invited representative, he participated in the first session of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, in 1950 he was elected as a deputy to the National People's Congress, a member of the presidium of the Council of the Chinese Opera Association, in 1953 he served as the vice president of the Chinese Academy of Drama, and in 1957 he was introduced by Premier Zhou Enlai to join the Communist Party of China. Cheng Yanqiu dedicated his life to the cause of Peking Opera art, and his outstanding achievements are one of the peaks reached by Peking Opera art in the past 100 years, and he has had a profound and significant impact not only on the role of Peking Opera but also on the development of Peking Opera and opera. Actors who have learned the Cheng School and are more accomplished are: Chen Lifang, Zhang Jiyun, Xin Yanqiu, Zhao Rongchen, Hou Yulan, Wang Yinqiu, Li Shiji, Li Qianghua, etc.
Representative repertoire: The traditional repertoire with the unique style of the Cheng School includes "Shilang Visits the Mother", "He Hou Scolds the Palace", "Three High-Fives", "Fenhe Bay", "Zhu Jiji", "Yutang Chun", "Wujia Po", "Sanniang's Godson" and so on. The new plays include "Qingshuang Sword", "Wen Ji Returns to Han", "Concubine Mei", "The Legend of the Red Breeze", "Dream of Spring Boudoirs" and the later "Suo Lin Bag" and "Daughter's Heart".
On March 9, 1958, his heart attack worsened with a sudden infarction, which took the life of the master artist in just a few minutes at the age of 54.
Descendants of the Cheng faction: Cheng Yanqiu's descendants include Xun Lingxiang, Chen Lifang, Zhao Rongchen, Wang Yinqiu, Li Danlin, Xin Yanqiu, Hou Yulan, Jiang Xinrong, Li Shiji, Li Qianghua, etc.
Xun Huisheng
Xun Huisheng (1900-1968), who studied art in the Bangzi class in Hebei Province as a child, changed to Peking Opera at the age of 19, playing Hua Dan and Dao Ma Dan. He has a profound foundation and can absorb the strengths of the art of Bangzi opera and the performance of Peking Opera Hua Dan in one furnace to form a unique artistic style, known as the "Xun School".
She is good at playing innocent, lively, and gentle women's roles, and is famous for acting in dramas such as "Red Lady", "Jin Yunu", "Red Mansion Eryou", "Hairpin Phoenix", "Xun Guanniang" and other dramas.
Singing characteristics: It is one of his artistic characteristics to integrate the essence of Hebei Bangzi's singing, singing and performance into the singing of Peking Opera. Xun Huisheng changed from Hebei Bangzi to Peking Opera, and later worshiped Wang Yaoqing as his teacher, and was trained by Wu Lingxian, Chen Delin, and Lu Sanbao, and made great innovations on the basis of inheriting the art of the Wang School and the Chen School. He has a sweet voice, and has a special skill in using his voice, and is good at using small trills, chromatic tones and ornate ornaments, and often uses nasal tones to add rhyme to his singing.
Xun School Descendants: There are many scholars of Xun, and the main descendants are Mao Shilai, Xu Hanying, Li Yuru, Wu Suqiu, Tong Zhiling, Zhao Yanxia, Zhang Zhengfang, Qu Suying, Liu Changyu, Sun Yumin, Song Changrong, etc.
Source: Qingtang Washer