Stills from the Cantonese opera "Zhang Jiuling". National first-class actor Wen Ruqing plays the role of Zhang Jiuling, a famous prime minister in the golden age.
From March 22nd to March 23rd, a new historical-themed Cantonese opera "Zhang Jiuling" based on the story of "the first prime minister in Lingnan" splitting mountains to open a road in Meiling was performed in Shaoguan for two nights. The actor who plays Zhang Jiuling in the play, the national Every move made by first-class actor Wen Ruqing on the stage attracted great attention from the Shaoguan audience.
Wen Ruqing was getting dressed backstage and making final preparations for going on stage.
"This is the first time that the Cantonese opera "Zhang Jiuling" returns to Shaoguan to perform in the 'Hometown of Jiuling'. The applause from the audience encouraged my colleagues and me. We finally passed the test of the people of Shaoguan." Wen Ruqing said at the end of the performance Later, he told reporters from Nandu that as a Cantonese, it is both stressful and motivational to interpret the story of a great man from Guangdong. "Zhang Jiuling is a well-known figure in Shaoguan. Every audience has their own Zhang Jiuling. How can I interpret such a perfect character? This is a big challenge for my performance career. The audience's It definitely means that Jiuling's trip to 'go home' was a success."
q: Were you stressed when you received the script?
a: After we received the script of "Zhang Jiuling", it actually put a lot of pressure on me. Why do you say this? Because the story of this play has no conflict, no particularly big conflicts, it just tells the story of a man who built a mountain. And whether the characters in it are Zhang Jiuling, Tang Xuanzong, Gao Lishi, Aji, etc., including Wang Luzhen, there are no bad guys in these characters, all the characters are good people, I think it is relatively rare. When these good people do a good deed, there may be many obstacles in the process, or some resistance that Zhang Jiuling himself encounters, or some things that happened while opening the mountain. I think it is very challenging for me to turn a story about a good person into a drama that is both conflicting and interesting.
q: What interesting things happened during your performance as Zhang Jiuling?
a: When plays Zhang Jiuling, I will first read a lot of historical materials, which mention "Jiuling demeanor". I will think about it, what is "nine-year-old demeanor"? Later, through rehearsals, I slowly performed and gradually understood the history of Zhang Jiuling. I felt that we must first root the place. What kind of place can breed people with "Jiuling demeanor"? I think it’s Guangdong. Guangdong is tolerant, open and daring to be the first. Only such a place can breed extraordinary people like Zhang Jiuling. Is there only one person like Zhang Jiuling? I think it must be more than that. I think Cantonese people have the same character. Therefore, Zhang Jiuling is a representative of our Cantonese people. He became "the first person in Lingnan". I think "Jiuling demeanor" is exactly the spirit of the Cantonese people.
q: What are the difficulties when playing the role?
a: Everyone just watched "Zhang Jiuling". The whole process was more than two hours, and the actors basically didn't get off the stage. This was a great physical challenge for the actors. Therefore, in addition to thinking about how to interpret the characters, reading through the materials, and presenting the characters bit by bit, it is also a test of the actor's physical strength. So I think "Zhang Jiuling" is different from my previous roles. I think it is the interpretation of a true civil and military student.
q: Which part do you think is the most difficult to act?
a: "Ask the Buddha under the Moon" is the most difficult to perform. Because the other plays are relatively realistic, but "Asking the Buddha under the Moon" is not. It describes a person's situation of entering his inner world, which is fictitious. When I first saw the script, I couldn't feel it at all and found it difficult to grasp. Because Zhang Jiuling in the play is a very reserved and reserved person. He doesn't laugh when he's happy, and he doesn't cry when he's sad. Aji slipped and fell off a cliff and died. This was Zhang Jiuling's most helpless moment. I think the most difficult thing to interpret is how to deconstruct Zhang Jiuling's helplessness layer by layer, and then how to re-establish confidence step by step and slowly get out of his own confusion.Finally, under the guidance of director Xu Chunlan, after many attempts and hard work, I finally went from being helpless to making the determination that "the ambition to open a mountain is more important than Mount Tai, even though thousands of people are going to it, I can't change it." The process is revealed.
Stills from the Cantonese opera "Zhang Jiuling" "Ask the Buddha Under the Moon".
q: What are your thoughts on the role of Zhang Jiuling?
a: After seeing Zhang Jiuling’s former residence and the conditions of the Meiguan Ancient Road, I was reminded of the difficulties and dangers Zhang Jiuling had to go through in digging the mountain. No one helped him, so he gritted his teeth and tried to figure out how to mobilize the villagers and the masses to accomplish this. There are many poets and many great men, but there is one thing that can last forever in the world and pass down the Meiguan Ancient Road for thousands of years. Not many people can accomplish such a thing. So I think Zhang Jiuling, in addition to being famous for his poetry and achieving high achievements in politics, he also left behind the Meiguan Ancient Road.
q: How do you feel about "Zhang Jiuling" "going home" this time?
a: We came to Shaoguan to perform "Zhang Jiuling" this time. In fact, we were both nervous and excited. Because our title is Zhang Jiuling "Going Home". Through the guidance of Director Xu Chunlan, the Cantonese opera "Zhang Jiuling" returned to Shaoguan. Judging from the performance tonight, I think the Shaoguan audience recognized it. It interpreted the Zhang Jiuling in the minds of Shaoguan people, so tonight's performance , which further strengthened my confidence that the Cantonese opera "Zhang Jiuling" will definitely be welcomed by the audience.
Interview and writing: Nandu reporter Zhou Peiwen Intern Ma Hanzhang
Photography: n video reporter Chen Zhigang Lu Xiaoyue
Video: n video reporter Lu Xiaoyue
