“Outside of the body is a red quilt of flowers, and a gauze and brocade ball. The entrance is sweet, and the fragrance on the teeth and cheeks is rare in the world…” Recently, the popular Lingnan song “Ode to Lychees” was sung again at the Red Line Women’s Art Center.
On December 17, the new variety show “Lu Bi Shi Yi” produced by GDToday, a subsidiary of Southern Press Media Group, ushered in its final episode. In this episode, four senior TVB actors, Cao Yonglian, Tang Junming, Huang Zhixian and Peng Di’an, visit important places in Cantonese opera culture in Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macao to experience the “new life” of traditional art in the new era. Four actors specially came to the Hongxian Women’s Art Center in Guangzhou to “learn from their teachers”. National second-level actor Ge Ruijuan and district-level representative inheritor of Cantonese opera mask drawing skills Feng Hanhua taught the students the classic Cantonese opera excerpt “Ode to the Lychee” and “The Legend of Zhaojun”, what kind of test will the four artists from the “TVB Artist Training Class” experience? Who will be praised by teachers?
Cantonese opera is an important branch of traditional Chinese opera and an intangible cultural heritage widely spread in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao. It is famous for its unique performance style, exquisite singing and excellent stage performance. Its lyrics are easy to understand and have unique characteristics. Distinctive Lingnan characteristics.
Ge Ruijuan introduced to reporters that Chinese Cantonese opera performing artist Hongxian Nu has been in the industry for more than 70 years. She has filmed more than 100 movies and starred in more than 100 Cantonese operas. She has not only created many dazzling stage images, but also created a far-reaching influence on the Huadan industry. “Red School” art is known as the “Lingnan Cultural Treasure”. In the 1990s, she founded the “Guangzhou Hongdou Cantonese Opera Troupe” and often went south to Hong Kong to perform and exchange, and was very popular among local theater fans. In 1998, the Guangzhou Municipal People’s Government invested in the construction of the Hongxian Nu Art Center in recognition of the outstanding contributions of the Red Line Girls to China’s excellent culture and art, which has carried the mission of inheriting and developing the “Red School” art for decades.
In the program, four guests showed a strong interest in the classic works of Red Line Female Teacher. They were divided into groups to study “Zhaojun Leaving the Fortress” and “Ode to the Lychee”, and also went on stage for a “report performance”. Although it is impossible to accurately restore the “red accent” of “sweet, crisp, round, moist, delicate and watery”, the vivid and “coquettish” cross-dressing performance also attracted praise from the teacher. “The interaction with the audience and the extremely interesting performance will surely attract many Cantonese opera ‘Xiao Bai’s to pay attention.” Ge Ruijuan said. After the performance, Huang Zhixian could not hide his joy. He told reporters, “I feel it is an honor to stand on the red stage of the Red Line Women’s Art Center.”
The facial makeup in traditional Chinese opera is very distinctive, using different patterns and colors to highlight different characters. “In addition to the ‘singing, chanting, and fighting’ that we often talk about, the makeup art of opera is also very particular.” Feng Hanhua told the students that different professions have different facial makeup for raw, dan, net, mo, and ugly, such as Zhang Fei, who has a brave and powerful character, is usually shown with a “two-faced face”. “Facial makeup is a unique makeup art of Cantonese opera. It uses freehand brushwork, exaggeration, symbolism and other techniques to clearly express the facial features of the stage characters, and uses different lines, colors and patterns to express the emotions, anger, sorrow and joy of the stage characters.”
In order to have a more comprehensive understanding of the art of Cantonese opera, four guests “organized a group” to visit the “Voices on Paper – Cantonese Opera and Cantonese Opera Culture Exhibition” held in Macao. Huang Zhixian and Peng Di’an also studied and rehearsed with the Hong Kong Children and Youth Cantonese Opera Troupe as “over-age students”. Tang Junming said that learning Cantonese opera can not only “exercise artistic expression skills” but also cultivate “teamwork spirit.” Cao Yonglian told reporters that he hopes to “incorporate Cantonese opera into filming in the future.”
It is reported that “Lubi Supplements” has come to a successful conclusion. The program focuses on the unique intangible cultural heritage of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area such as Shenzhen Qilin Dance, Dongguan Wanxiang, Zhongshan Drunken Dragon Dance, Zhaoqing Duan Inkstone, Shiwan Ceramic Sculpture, Cai Li Fo Quan, Cantonese Opera, Sanzao Crane Dance, Huidong Fishing Song, etc. Let the audience experience how traditional charm shines in modern society. The program has a total of eight episodes and will be launched on the platform of Southern Press Media Group at 18:00 every Sunday from October 29 to December 17, and will be broadcast simultaneously on TVB Jade Channel. Viewers can watch on-demand on the MyTV_Super APP and review past highlights.
Collected Relics | Episode 1: Qilin Dance
Collected Relics from Road Biography | Episode 2: Wanxiang
Collected Relics from Road Biography | Episode 3: Shiwan Pottery Sculptures
Collected Relics from Road Brush | Episode 4: Duan Inkstone
Supplements from Lubi|Episode 5: Cai Li Fuquan
Collected Relics from the Road | Episode 6: Drunken Dragon Dance in Changzhou, Zhongshan
Collected Relics from the Road | Episode 7: Huidong Fishing Song and Three Stove Crane Dance
Host: Huang Zhixian, Cao Yonglian, Tang Junming, Peng Di’an, Zhang Shiyu
Producer: Hou Xiaojun
Chief planner: Zhang Chunqing and Chen Feng
Producer: Zhao Yang
Producer: Xie Miaofeng and Pan Meizhen
Director: Wang Yongxing
Executive Director: Tan Haohan
Executive Director: Wu Haoyu
Screenwriter: Wang Yongxing Wu San
Folklore consultant: Chen Enwei
Videography: Guan Jieming Yu Shanzheng
Reporters: Zhang Shiyu, Wang Diya (internship), Zhao Yangyue (internship)
Narrator: Li Qiaoxin
Correspondence: Zhang Shiyu and Wu Shaoming
Styling: Netto Hair
Makeup: Li Junsheng
Hair style: Chen Bo
Field Manager: Yao Shapu and Wu Jiajie
Post-production: Wen Ji
