In December 2013, Xinhuanet published an article entitled "The Red Line Girl Cantonese Opera Genre is an Immortal Monument to Chinese Civilization and Lingnan Culture." The article pointed out that the Red Line Girl is a master of the art of Cantonese opera, and she pioneered So far, one of the most influential singing genres among Huadan actors in the history of Chinese Cantonese opera - Hongpai art, has established an immortal monument to Lingnan Cantonese opera art and even Chinese civilization. If the beginning of the "May 4th" New Culture Movement can be understood as the beginning of the history of modern Cantonese opera, then the Red School art has pioneering and milestone significance in the development of the modern Cantonese opera Hua Dan profession, and the singing genre has far-reaching influence.
The signed article pointed out that Red School art has formed three peaks in its own development process:
The first peak appeared from the late 1940s to the early 1950s. The striking feature of this period is the formation of the red accent style. Among them, in 1951, Hongxian Nu performed "The Prodigy" in Hong Kong. In the play, she used movements and expressions to enrich her singing voice. The term "feminine tune" appeared in the Hong Kong media. From then on, the red tune was established and became popular at home and abroad. During this period, Hongxian Nu performed representative plays in Hong Kong such as "A Generation of Prodigies", "Zhaojun Goes Out of the Wall", "Pity the Bitter Phoenix", "Madama Butterfly", "The History of the Qing Palace", etc., based on the traditional Hua Dan singing style of Cantonese opera and incorporating Beijing opera. , Kunqiang singing art and Western bel canto techniques, combined with personal voice conditions, to create a red tune style of "sweet, crisp, round, moist, delicate and watery", which has developed the Hua Dan singing style of Cantonese Opera to a new stage. As the famous literary critic Li Ling said: "The sound quality is beautiful, the foundation is deep and stable, the timbre is crisp, beautiful, and full of variety. The sounds in the high, middle, and bass areas are unified and well-proportioned. It has a loud singing voice, a particularly wide range, and Soft yet powerful."
The second peak occurred between 1955 and before the Cultural Revolution. The distinctive feature of this period was that major breakthroughs were achieved in the creation of stage characters, and the singing style was further developed. Finally, the creation of Hongpai art was completed. In 1955, Hongxian Nu returned to Guangzhou from Hong Kong and worked in the Guangdong Cantonese Opera Troupe (the predecessor of today's Guangdong Cantonese Opera Theatre) to further hone her singing and stage arts. During this period, the singing skills of the famous Peking Opera artist Mei Lanfang, Kun Opera, drama, opera, Western singing, and movies were absorbed, and the singing voice was more expressive. During this period, Hongxian Nu's opera career further expanded, and she performed representative plays such as "Guan Hanqing", "Sou Shuyuan", "Li Xiangjun", "Beat the God", "Mountain Country Storm", "Liu Hulan", etc. She broke through the simplicity of traditional Cantonese opera. The frame of expressing the beauty of women creates a series of distinctive female images, showing the character traits of daring to love and hate, despising the powerful, and being upright. In order to be consistent with the characters, the singing expresses the graceful and tragic balance of strength and softness. style. The modern drama "Mountain and Countryside" has achieved a landmark breakthrough in the combination of modern drama and traditional performance procedures. It does not copy every move of the traditional profession, but also makes all performances conform to the laws of opera, and acting serves the creation of characters. , making the performance closer to life, real and natural, with full images and vivid depictions. "Mountain Storm" is considered a milestone in the history of Cantonese opera.
The third peak has appeared since the Cultural Revolution. The distinctive feature of this period is that the portrayal of stage characters and the performance of singing are more delicate and more integrated into life, reaching the level of deep, flexible, and The state of perfection. Hongxian Nu continues to innovate her performance style and style, performing modern dramas "White Swallows Welcome the Spring", "Women of Xiguan", historical dramas "Princess Zhaojun", etc., and put "the four beauties of ancient China" on the stage at the same time. In the 70s, At the age of 18, the artistic images of the four young girls are completely different and lifelike. During this period, Hongxian Nu also participated in writing, directing and performing in many Cantonese operas, and was the first to explore the use of symphonies and other Western instruments to accompany Cantonese operas.
The signed article also pointed out that the social significance of Red School art is profound and its artistic achievements are outstanding:
First, artistic techniques are innovative. According to research, Cantonese opera originated in the middle of the Ming Dynasty. It was the Haiyan, Yiyang, Kunshan, Bangzi and other singing styles that flowed into Guangdong from the north, and merged with local folk music in the Pearl River Delta to form a type of opera with Bangzi and Erhuang as the main tunes.
After the May 4th New Culture Movement in 1919, Western liberal democratic trends promoted reforms in all areas of Chinese society. Cantonese opera also broke its centuries-long dependence on foreign operas, pioneering and After establishing its own routines, singing styles and stage arts, a generation of great masters such as Sit Juexian, Ma Shitsang, Pak Ju Wing, Qian Liju, Gui Mingyang, Liao Xihuai and Bai Yutang emerged. This is the beginning of the history of modern Cantonese opera. The red school art of the Red Line Girl has pioneering and milestone significance in the development of the modern Cantonese opera art profession.
The singing art of Hongpai Art is based on the traditional Hua Dan singing style of Cantonese Opera, absorbing the skills of other operas such as Peking Opera, as well as bel canto singing, movies, etc., combined with personal voice conditions, and created a fusion The red tune style of dragon head and phoenix tail, ups and downs, broad range, crisp and beautiful, and a balance of hardness and softness; in terms of stage art, it is based on the traditional Hua Dan stage skills of Cantonese opera, absorbing the body art of the famous Peking opera master Cheng Yanqiu, and integrating Yu Zhenfei, Zhou Xiaoyan, Zhu Chuan The art of famous drama masters such as Ming Ming is integrated into one pot, breaking through the traditional Cantonese opera framework of simply expressing female beauty, and creating a series of women's images with distinctive personalities. Revolutionary women can wash away their lead, show the elegant temperament, noble and dignified charm of oriental women, show the character traits of daring to love, dare to hate, despise the powerful, upright and awe-inspiring, as well as the qualities honed in resisting suffering or tragic fate. That resilient character and delicate and expressive performance. The modern drama "Mountain Storm" has achieved a landmark breakthrough in the combination of modern drama and traditional performance procedures, and is considered a milestone in the development history of Cantonese opera.
Hongxian Nu realized that using Cantonese opera to express real social life was a mission given by the times. The performance program must be subordinated to the plot content, character identity and character. She made bold reforms and broke through the performance of the time. Modern dramas either copy traditional performance forms mechanically, or they are purely natural and life-like performances like dramas. "Mountain Country Storm" does not mechanically copy every move of traditional professions, but all performances conform to the rules of opera, so that the performance is closer to life and real. Naturally, the character creation is also more full-bodied and the character's personality is more vividly portrayed. Among them, Liu Qin, a female company commander of the Red Army played by Hongxian Nu, is also a female teacher who goes deep into the enemy's lair in disguise. When she appeared as a female company commander of the Red Army, she absorbed Xiao Wu's figure. She was sassy but dignified, light but not frivolous, fierce but not boring, with a clear rhythm, which was very impressive. It was in line with the actual operation of the Red Army troops and in line with the opera. Performance program. The scenes of expressing one's feelings for the moon and fighting the enemy head-on were performed with a young actor's stature, which is gentle and elegant. However, since he is a Red Army cadre, the performance is free and light but not slippery. Liu Qin showed both heroic demeanor and latent elegance, which gave her an internal basis for pretending to be a teacher. Hongxian Nu's Hongpai art was formed after years of long-term stage practice and has reached a state of perfection. The first famous songs are all popular and widely sung at home and abroad. For this reason, Cantonese opera was hailed as the "Red Bean of the South" by Zhou Enlai.
Second, the ideological content keeps pace with the times. The ideological content of the famous songs of Red Line Girls will always lead the progress of the times and reflect the glory of the times! Hongxiannu has been in the art industry for more than 70 years and has kept pace with the times. She has performed in many representative plays such as "Zhaojun Goes Out of the Fortress", "Guan Hanqing", "Sou Shuyuan", "Li Xiangjun", "Mountain Country Storm", "White Swallow Welcomes the Spring", etc. She plays the role of Zhengyin Dan characters, such as Wang Zhaojun, Zhu Lianxiu, Cuilian, Li Xiangjun, Liu Qin, Shen Jie and other characters created in the play, are full of emotions, full of images, outstanding personalities and deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. These cover the arts of various women at home and abroad, both ancient and modern. Typical, all reflect the indomitable spirit of struggle in pursuit of freedom, democracy, justice and women's liberation. This theme merged with the social trend of China's new democracy at that time, and had a strong color and inspiration for the times. The "Ode to Lychees" that he participated in cleverly integrated the local culture and the main theme of the times to the extreme. As we all know, Cantonese opera is the treasure of Lingnan culture, and lychees are a famous Lingnan fruit in ancient and modern times. Cantonese opera is used to sing the song "Lychees from the South". "Red" symbolizes the raging cause of socialist construction in New China. The work not only embodies the typicality of local culture, but also perfectly fits the main theme of the times, so it is popular and widely praised. "Praise to the Pearl River" enthusiastically eulogizes the glorious achievements of Guangdong in its pioneering trials, standing on the wave of reform, opening up, and socialist modernization, and triggers people's aspirations.
Third, the singing genre has far-reaching influence.
The innovation of artistic techniques and the advancement of ideological content with the times are prerequisites for the far-reaching influence of Red School art. The Red Line Girls have been performing in the theater for more than 70 years and have performed nearly 100 Cantonese operas at home and abroad, which is also rare in the history of Cantonese opera. The establishment of the Red Line Women Art Center has also contributed to the promotion of Cantonese opera culture and red-style art. The Hongxian female teachers are enthusiastic about cultivating future generations of Cantonese opera. Many famous Cantonese opera actors today, and even folk Cantonese opera societies and private partnership bureaus, use the Red School art as a model in their singing and performances. It can be said that the Red School art has spread to thousands of households, has a great influence and is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.