Story of the People (For Those Who Don't Watch Opera)

Author: Zhang Yihuo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-10-01
Features: I felt warm hearing it, he sang sorrowfully. The world of painted faces, like flowing clouds, scattered. Through the lives of actors, one sees the joys and sorrows of the world. Zhang Yihuo counts the joys and sorrows of eight famous actors, writing a grand drama for those who do not watch opera. Chinese opera art, like other traditional arts, is fading in a dazzling way. The moving stories of famous actors in the last century, in the ups and downs of the times, are gradually fading from people's memories. In her new book "The Past of Actors—Written for Those Who Don't Watch Opera," Zhang Yihuo records the past lives of seven actors—Shang Xiaoyun, Yan Huihua, Yang Baozhong, Ye Shenglan, Ye Shengchang, Xi Xiaobo, and Cheng Yanqiu—with a sensitive pen. The people and stories described in the book are record-based, written for those who do not watch opera, so the focus is on the people, not the plays. Actors are a unique group, both creating brilliance and falling into humility. Their various expressions and gazes are direct reactions to the times. The tides of the era, the clarity or turbidity of politics, lift them up or swallow them. But there is a posture and spirit unique to them, maintained and passed through. Actors, with their extraordinary skills and under the stars, fulfill the meaning and mission of a life lived in painted faces. Spring, summer, autumn, and winter, in a cycle of repetition. Just this alone moves one deeply. This book records the touching stories of eight actors: Shang Xiaoyun, Yan Huihua, Yang Baozhong, Ye Shenglan, Ye Shengchang, Xi Xiaobo, Ma Lianliang, and Cheng Yanqiu, reflecting the encounters of actors in various political movements and their noble character.