" Sang Zhenjun's famous play segments"

Author: Guo Guangyu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: Celebrity performers at your doorstep, always by your side. Hum a few tunes when you're free, and happiness surpasses immortality. Sang Zhenjun was born in 1929 in Dong Ma Zhuang, Qiu Lou Township, Kaifeng County, into a poor zhuizi artist family. At the age of six, she learned to sing zhuizi with her mother. At nine, she joined a in Qi County, specializing in "Xiangfu Tune," performing xiaodan and also studying qingyi. By the age of 14, she became the leading actress of the troupe. Her voice was clear, bright, sweet, and charming. She was especially renowned for her "fluent articulation and skillful pronunciation." Her early signature works, such as "Dui Xiue Xie" (Matching Shoes), "Taohua An" (Peach Blossom Spring), and "Qin Xue Mei Guan Wen" (Qin Xue Mei's Literary Appreciation), were traditional plays that emphasized vocal performance. Regardless of how long the segments or how complex the lines, once she sang them, she could vividly and skillfully convey emotions.
Since stepping onto the stage, Sang Zhenjun refused to adhere to conventions. She always crafted more accurate, lively, and elegant singing pieces based on her understanding of character personalities and dramatic contexts. Through years of artistic practice, she developed singing techniques such as "stealing," "skipping," "sliding," and "snatching," which were widely recognized as a masterpiece of Yu Opera vocal performance. This style offers an aesthetic experience of being graceful, nuanced, articulate, and emotionally resonant. Her singing painted vivid scenes, captivating the audience; it was dynamic and soothing, moving the heart; it conveyed emotions through voice, stirring the soul; it was like pearls falling on jade, clear and distinct; like the wind brushing spring blossoms, graceful and varied. This formed the exquisite and elegant "Sang School" art of Yu Opera.
In the 1940s, Sang Zhenjun had already gained a high reputation among the public. Audiences once gave her the nickname "120,000," meaning her performance was worth 120,000. There was even a saying in the folk: "Even if you skip one trip to visit relatives, you must see Sang Zhenjun." During her performances in eastern Yu Province, she was warmly welcomed everywhere, with streets empty of people. Over the decades, Sang Zhenjun achieved outstanding artistic success. The roles she performed covered xiaodan, huadan, guimendan, daomadan, laodan, and choudan, showcasing a wide range of skills. Her main works, such as "Da Jinzhi" (Beating Jinzhi), "Xia Chenzhou" (Going to Chenzhou), "Ba Jiangyi" (Eight Garments), "Bai Lianhua" (White Lotus), "Daiyu Burial Flowers" (Daiyu Burying Flowers), and "Heroic Mountain," were produced and released by China Record Society and were deeply loved by the masses.
At the first Henan Provincial Opera Performance in 1956, she played Bai Lianxianzi (White Lotus Fairy) in "Bai Lianhua," winning the first prize for actors and also the second prize for script adaptation. In 1958 and 1959, Sang Zhenjun performed "Da Jinzhi" for Chairman Mao Zedong twice. In 1964, she moved to Hebei Handan Dongfeng Yu Opera Troupe as a teacher and vocal director. She not only valued her own stage practice but also devoted great effort to Yu Opera education, nurturing a large number of outstanding Yu Opera artists and ensuring the continuous promotion of the "Sang School" art.
In 2000, the "Celebrated Yu Opera Performance Artist Sang Zhenjun's 66th Anniversary of Art Career and Sang School Art Symposium" was grandly held in Zhengzhou, organized by the Henan Provincial Propaganda Department, the Henan Provincial Department of Culture, and the Henan Provincial Federation of Literature and Arts, and co-organized by the Henan Provincial Academy of Arts, the Henan Provincial Drama Association, and the Handan Municipal Bureau of Culture. Leaders and experts highly praised her: Sang Zhenjun was a renowned, beloved senior Yu Opera performance artist, equally celebrated alongside Chang Xiangyu, Chen Suizhen, and Ma Jinfeng in the hearts of the audience. Through years of stage art practice, she was diligent in learning, exploring, innovating, and forging her own unique style. Her performance art was hailed by the drama circles and the public as the "Sang School," making significant contributions to the development of Yu Opera.