Old traces of the

Author: Xu Chengbei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-01-01
Features: Gao Qingkui · "Recreating" Liu Hongsheng
Sometimes, a brilliant stage performance by a senior actor can be "recreated" in a disciple's another play. If the disciple does not clarify, outsiders may not realize it, and thus cannot judge its strengths and weaknesses. Once, while chatting with Mr. Yuan Shihai, he mentioned that he had the honor of accompanying five famous sheng actors in singing The Empty Fort Plan. Among them were the late "Four Great Mustaches" Ma, Tan, Yang, and Xi, as well as the senior sheng actor Gao Qingkui. Subsequently, Mr. Yuan described the unique features of each actor's performance in this play. When talking about Gao, he particularly mentioned how, in the scene before The Empty Fort Plan where the line "Look to the sky and pray for the great majesty of the former emperor" was sung, Gao slowly extended the last character while facing the audience directly and gradually toward the offstage door. His eyes were always "gripping" the entire audience, who were led by his "spirit" without feeling the performance slacken. Only when Gao reached the offstage door did he stop singing. With a rhythmic cymbal beat, he turned around and made a resolute exit, earning another round of applause. Mr. Yuan demonstrated the movements while speaking, leaving a deep impression on me. As I listened and watched, I was amazed by how brilliant it was, yet I did not deeply consider where Gao's stage technique came from.
Several years later, while reading an article by Mr. Jiang Xingxing, I came across his reference to an article by the famous Qing and early Republic era (amateur opera enthusiast) Luo Niansheng, who discussed Liu Hongsheng. Luo's article stated: "Once, I watched Liu the Lame (so called because he had a limp) perform Lu Su in The Gathering of the Heroes. I had thought that only the four lines of original ban 'Lu Zijung trembled all over in the boat' could impress the audience, with little room for vocal display elsewhere. Who knew that Liu Hongsheng had such skill! After singing the upper line of scattered ban 'Ten thousand arrows could not be made overnight,' he poured all his effort into the lower line 'Lu Zijung, for his friend, went with the flow,' singing the ten characters non-stop, stretching them out with full force. At the same time, he matched this with his limp, using extremely slow backward steps and movements to complete these two lines, which would otherwise have been quite ordinary. This technique not only tightly integrated singing and acting but also concealed his physical flaw, earning him thunderous applause."
Reading this, I suddenly recalled what Mr. Yuan had told me years ago and was instantly excited. I had finally made a personal discovery: it was very likely that Gao's technique originated from Liu's. The reason I say "very likely" is that I never had the chance to hear Gao Qingkui or Liu Hongsheng. However, not having the chance does not mean I cannot speculate. Liu's brilliance lay in combining the concealment of personal flaws with the portrayal of character. By Gao's time, when The Empty Fort Plan had become a "signature piece" for many younger sheng actors, Gao had to think of ways to innovate in performance. Since his vocal style alone might not have been suitable for portraying Zhuge Liang, focusing on performance was like deploying a "surprise tactic," sometimes achieving the effect of "one against ten." With this performance technique, I believe Gao was able to "match" the unique vocal styles of the "Four Great Mustaches."
Chen Yinque · A Warm Dream
Professor Chen Yinque was a renowned modern Chinese historian, and his academic status was undoubtedly equal to, or even surpassed, that of Wang