Red Nan Yu Opera Art

Author: Xie Binchou, edited by Xie Youliang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-11-01
Features: Hong Xianyu, a renowned Cantonese opera performer. Originally named Kuang Jianlian, she was born in Kaiping, Guangdong in 1927. In 1939, she began studying Cantonese opera under her aunt He Fulian and adopted the stage name Xiao Yanhong. At the age of 15, she joined the Ma Shizeng troupe and gained prominence in Guangdong and Guangxi. The famous Cantonese opera leading man Liang Shaofeng renamed her Hong Xianyu. After the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan, she studied Peking opera for three years in Hong Kong while also seeking guidance from vocal experts and absorbing cinematic performance techniques. From 1947 to 1956, she performed Cantonese opera while starring in over 70 feature films, portraying a wide range of characters and delivering profound roles. In 1952, she organized the Zhen Shan Mei troupe. In 1955, she moved to Guangzhou and joined the Guangdong Cantonese Opera Troupe. In 1991, she founded the Guangzhou Hongdou Cantonese Opera Troupe. In September 1993, she established the International Cantonese Opera Arts Association in Toronto and served as its president. Building upon the vocal style of the renowned Cantonese opera leading lady Dong Hua, she incorporated techniques from Peking opera, Kunqu opera, opera, and Western vocal methods. By extensively learning from various traditions and adapting them to her own vocal qualities, she developed a unique singing style known as the "Hong School" (also called the "Female School"), which became the most widely performed vocal style on the contemporary Cantonese opera stage. Her representative works include Guan Hanqing, Zhaojun’s Exit to the Desert, Li Xiangjun, Search in the Academy, and Folk Wind in the Mountains. Over her six decades of artistic career, Hong Xianyu continuously innovated and expanded upon the foundations laid by her predecessors, creating the internationally acclaimed "Hong School" of art. Her brilliant stage portrayals have left a radiant chapter in the history of Cantonese opera, and her exceptional vocal artistry, which conveys emotions with her voice, will endure for generations. Hong Xianyu’s artistry represents the highest achievement in contemporary Cantonese opera leading lady performance and is hailed as a treasure of Lingnan culture. To promote the prosperity of Cantonese opera, she devoted herself tirelessly to nurturing the next generation of performers, achieving remarkable results. Her unwavering pursuit of excellence, meticulous craftsmanship, and indomitable spirit have earned her respect and admiration from audiences and fellow artists alike. She serves as an exemplary model for artists, especially the younger generation. In her youth, Hong Xianyu starred in over 70 films in Hong Kong, delivering natural, vivid, and outstanding performances that brilliantly portrayed a variety of women with distinct personalities, making her a shining star in Hong Kong’s cinematic history. Over the decades, she has received numerous awards, including the Gold Medal at the 6th World Festival of Youth and Students’ Eastern Classical Song Competition in Moscow in 1957; the "Outstanding Artist Award" from the United Nations Asian Performing Arts Association and the "Performing Arts Award" from the United Nations Symphony Association in 1985; commendations from the Guangdong Provincial Government in 1990; the "Ho Hong-tong Achievement Award" in 1998; the "Lifetime Achievement Award in Cantonese Opera" from the New York Cultural Affairs Department and the American Chinese Arts Association in 2001; the only "Outstanding Achievement Award in Cantonese Opera" from the Guangdong Provincial Government in 2001; and the inaugural "Achievement Award in Modeling and Performing Arts Creation and Research" from the Ministry of Culture of the State Council in 2002, shared with ten other cultural luminaries in China. Hong Xianyu has held numerous positions, including Vice President of the Guangdong Cantonese Opera Theater, Deputy Director of the Guangdong Provincial Department of Culture, Vice President of the Guangdong Branch of the China Theatre Association, Artistic Director of the Guangzhou Cantonese Opera Troupe, member of the National Federation of Literature and Arts, advisor to the China Theatre Association, and a member of the National People’s Congress for the third, fourth, seventh, eighth, and ninth terms, as well as a member of the third-term Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.