"Enter for new line does not need translation, return as is, all other Chinese should be translated into English: Ma Jinfeng'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, happiness surpasses immortality. Ma Jinfeng, a renowned Yuju opera artist, was born in 1922 in a poor artist family in Cao County, Shandong. Originally surnamed Cui, she was nicknamed Jin. At the age of six, she learned to sing Hebei Bangzi with her father. Due to her diligent study and exceptional intelligence, she performed alongside her father in plays like Three Righteous Men, Liu Erjie Rushing to the Temple, and The Seven-Year-Old Red, earning the title "Red at Seven." At the age of fourteen, she made her official stage debut, frequently performing in plays such as Old East Expedition, Luo Huan Kneeling at the Tower, Mother Teachs Her Son, and Facing Flowers with a Spear. After the liberation, Ma Jinfeng collaborated with the playwright Song Ci to revise Old East Expedition, renaming it Mu Guiying Leading the Army. In 1953, while performing in Shanghai, she received specific guidance from Mei Lanfang. Later, she meticulously refined and polished both the script and the performance. In 1956, her performance of Mu Guiying Leading the Army stunned the Beijing opera scene, earning her the title "True National Beauty" and the nickname "Liyu Peony." Her voice is bright, pure, crisp, and round, with a solid and flexible timbre. Her singing style primarily uses falsetto, combining it with natural voice; her vocal technique excels in lengthy narrative passages in the "Yudong Tune" and "Erba Ban," incorporating elements of Shandong Bangzi. Her vocal structure is rigorous, with concise, simple, and natural melodies, clear and relaxed rhythms, and masterful techniques. Her style is robust, spirited, and profound, blending depth with elegance. In her portrayal of Mu Guiying, she seamlessly merged the performance conventions of Qingyi, Wudan, and Daomadan, creating the new artistic role of "Shangdan" to suit the character and plot, successfully shaping the image of the dignified and majestic female hero Mu Guiying. In 1958, during the Central Work Conference in Zhengzhou, leaders such as Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Liu Shaoqi, and Zhu De attended a performance of Mu Guiying Leading the Army. The play gained nationwide influence and remains popular to this day. Especially her set of singing passages titled "Fifty-Three Years Old Leading the Expedition" has become widely loved and widely spread. Over her 60-year artistic career, Ma Jinfeng has been innovative and pioneering, forming the unique artistic style known as the "Ma School." Her representative works, such as Mu Guiying Leading the Army, Flowers Strike the Court, and Flowers and Spear, have all been adapted into traditional opera films.