Quick Answer: Who Was Xin Fengxia?
Xin Fengxia (新凤霞, Xīn Fèngxiá, 1927–1998) was a leading performer of Pingju (评剧, Píngjù). The Xin school (新派, Xīnpài) grew around the way she adapted singing and acting to individual characters. Two films preserve her work in different kinds of story.[1][2][3]
- Career: Xin moved from Tianjin to Beijing in 1949.[1]
- Voice: Listen to how a phrase keeps the inflection of a reply as it becomes melody.[1][2]
- First viewing: Try a dispute over marriage and a comedy about matchmaking.[3][4][5]
Compare the two films through the way Xin’s characters answer the people who are trying to arrange their marriages.
In one film Xin plays a young woman trying to be heard by her family. In the other, her character has to make sense of a matchmaker’s scheme. A reply can be firm in one scene and quick enough to keep a joke moving in the other.
From Tianjin to the Beijing Stage
Xin arrived in Beijing from Tianjin in 1949, when the place of Pingju in the city’s theaters was changing. Her career developed as new cultural institutions made room for plays about contemporary social questions. She studied delivery from other performance forms and learned to fit it to the situations and vocal style of Pingju.[1][2]
The female parts in Chinese opera roles span a range of personalities. Xin drew on that range in shaping characters with distinct ways of speaking and singing.[1][2]
Two Films and Two Kinds of Conversation
In the 1956 film Liu Qiao’er (刘巧儿, Liú Qiǎo’ér), Xin plays a young woman who resists a marriage arranged by her father. Listen for where she puts the stress in a phrase when the character states what she wants.[3][5]
In Flowers as Matchmakers (花为媒, Huā Wéi Méi), she plays Zhang Wuke. The matchmaker arranges for one young man to take another’s place at a meeting, setting up the mix-up. Listen to how quickly one reply follows the next, then notice the change when Xin lets a phrase stretch.[2][3][4]
How the Xin School Continued
Luo Huiqin (罗会芹, Luó Huìqín) became Xin’s student in 1992. Her heritage profile lists both plays among the works she has performed. The same two roles can be compared across performances by Xin and by a student who learned the style directly from her.[6]
FAQs About Xin Fengxia
Which character does Xin play in Flowers as Matchmakers?
Xin plays Zhang Wuke. The film credits Zhao Lirong as the matchmaker. Checking the cast helps distinguish this film from later stage versions.[3][4]
What does a Xin-school performance credit mean?
It identifies a performance associated with Xin’s style or repertoire. Check the actor’s credit if you want to hear her own singing.[2][3][6]
出典
[1] Cambridge University Press. Xin Fengxia and the Transformation of China’s Ping Opera
[2] China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network. Why Flowers as Matchmakers Remains Popular
[3] CCTV. A Selection of Pingju Film Excerpts
[4] CCTV. Flowers as Matchmakers
[5] CCTV. Liu Qiao’er Restored Film
[6] China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network. Luo Huiqin