InIn traditional Chinese culture, there is an art form known as:"Oriental Opera"- Peking Opera.
It is the crystallization of the wisdom and culture of the Chinese nation for hundreds of years, and has always been deeply loved and supported by the Chinese people.
Among them is a Peking Opera actor named Qi Shufang, who once attracted the attention of all eyes for her wonderful performance in Peking Opera "Outwitting Tiger Mountain".
However, after that trip to the United States in 1988, Qi Shufang, along with 30 other crew members, chose to stay, refusing to return to their homeland.
This shocked and puzzled many people in the country, why did such an incredible thing happen?
During her tenure with China's famed Peking Opera troupe, Qi Shufang was regarded as a leading figure in the entertainment industry, but she made the surprising choice of leaving her country to pursue a better life in the United States on her own after a performance abroad.
The imagination is beautiful, but the reality is cruel.
As a result, Qi Shufang's troupe has gained a wide reputation in the United States and established a prominent position in the theater industry.
They made their debut at the Lincoln Center Arts Festival, when more than 3,000 spectators braved the rain to perform their performances, proving the charm and appeal of Peking Opera.
At first, the audience was intrigued by this exotic art form, and tickets for the show were expensive.
But it didn't take long for the novelty to wear off, and Native Americans lost interest in an art form that had no connection to their own culture.
Coupled with the language barrier, the Peking Opera troupe has a lot of doors, and its income has plummeted.
In order to survive, they had to wander around, tour remote towns, and even be reduced to busking.
Once, Qi Shufang and others went to a remote village to perform, and after the performance, some villagers actually asked Qi Shufang to take off her shoes to see if her feet were the legendary "three-inch golden lotus".
After repeated setbacks and failures, Qi Shufang and others decided to seek the help of immigrants in order to better establish themselves in the United States.
At that time, the famous pianist Yin Chengzong reached out to help them obtain green cards in the United States, which also improved their lives.
Qi Shufang also married Peking Opera actor Ding Meikui, and the two jointly founded the "Qi Shufang Peking Opera Troupe".
After all the difficulties,"Qi Shufang Peking Opera Troupe"Embarked on a new journey, not only performing in major cities in the United States, but also holding various events around the world, making the influence of Peking Opera growing on a global scale.
In 2002, Qi Shufang also held the "First Chinese Peking Opera Festival in the United States", investing tens of thousands of dollars to buy costumes and props, and invited Peking Opera artists at home and abroad to perform, showing the charm of Peking Opera to the American people.
With a little effort, their box office gradually heated up, and their popularity became higher and higher, and at the same time, more and more Westerners became interested in Peking Opera after they came into contact with it.
Later, in New York, the couple bought a house with a back garden, which became a place for them to rehearse, eat and rest.
During their time in the United States, they continued to explore and develop new forms of Peking Opera, including the addition of local American elements, making this ancient art closer to modern life.
Despite the many twists and turns of the road, Qi Shufang eventually realized her dream and dedicated her art to the world stage.
At the same time, she also returned to her hometown, saying that she moved to the United States to spread the quintessence of China!
Qi Shufang is one of the famous contemporary Chinese Peking Opera performers, who has won the love and respect of the audience for her unique performance style and profound artistic skills.
Already at a young age, she rose to prominence on the stage and was highly praised by many masters.
Qi Shufang was born in a Peking Opera family, and her parents were Peking Opera actors.
She was exposed to the art of opera from an early age and developed a love for opera.
When she was 13 years old, Qi Shufang followed her mother from Xi'an to Shanghai to apply for an opera school.
She was not admitted when she first took the exam, but Xiao Qi Shufang did not give up her dream because of this, but insisted on waiting in Shanghai for a year to take the exam again.
During this period, she lived in her brother's family and received careful guidance from her brother and sister-in-law.
Qi Shufang's eldest brother Qi Ying is a well-known student of the Shanghai Peking Opera Company, and her sister-in-law Zhang Meijuan is known as "the first female martial artist of Chinese Peking Opera".
With their help, Qi Shufang finally passed the exam in the second year and entered the Shanghai Academy of Opera to learn Xi Peking Opera performance.
In the Academy of Chinese Opera, Qi Shufang studied hard and practiced diligently.
Her martial arts skills are deeply inherited by her sister-in-law, and she is the best one in the whole hospital.
Whether she fell off three tables and rolled over, or continued somersaults immediately after singing, she was so well done that the college called her "Little Tiger".
4 years later, Qi Shufang successfully graduated, and became famous in one fell swoop with "Three Wars Zhang Yue" in the graduation report performance, which was highly appreciated by *** and Mei Lanfang present.
Mr. Mei personally took the stage to hold Qi Shufang's hand and praised her as a "rising star".
After graduating, Qi Shufang joined the Shanghai Peking Opera Company and performed in many places in China.
Her performances were well received by the audience, and in the 60s of the 20th century, Qi Shufang accompanied the troupe to many European countries to promote the art of Chinese Peking Opera to the world.
After returning to China, Qi Shufang actively explored the innovation and development of Peking Opera.
She integrated rhythmic gymnastics, dance and other movements into the traditional program, making the performance more rich and flexible, and the audience responded enthusiastically to her adaptation performance.
In 1968, Qi Shufang played the heroine in the movie "Outwitting Tiger Mountain", which was well received after the broadcast of this Peking opera-themed film.
She is most talked about in her acting career for her love story with the trumpeter Gong Guotai of the troupe.
This unknown young man won Qi Shufang's heart, and Qi Shufang took the initiative to express her heart to Gong Guotai, and finally won the recognition and acceptance of the other party.
Qi Shufang and Gong Guotai, who had just entered their married life, had an extremely sweet life, but this happy state was soon broken.
Qi Shufang was hired by an American company to perform in Europe, but due to the limited number of places, she could only give up half of the members, and the troupe fell into trouble.
Gong Guotai chose to stay at home and wait for his wife to return, but Qi Shufang chose to continue to develop in the United States, and then lost contact.
Gong Guotai couldn't let go of this relationship, but he understood that everything was irreparable, so he had to start a new life.
Qi Shufang, who rose to prominence on the Chinese opera stage, was deeply loved by American entrepreneurs and was invited to perform in the United States, where Qi Shufang won great success and numerous honors.
A few years later, Qi Shufang returned to China and filed for divorce from Gong Guotai, who had been waiting for many years.
At that time, Gong Guotai had already reorganized a family and was a well-known artist, and Qi Shufang had no regret about her departure.
However, he also said that there was no need to see Qi Shufang again, because he already had a new belonging and a bright future, and Qi Shufang also had another marriage later.
Although in Qi Shufang, everyone's evaluation of her is mixed, good and bad, except for these, I have to admit that Qi Shufang was simply born for Peking Opera.
During her time at school, Qi Shufang worked hard and gradually showed her acting talent.
She has played the main roles in many opera works such as "Three Wars of Zhang Yue" and "Outwitting Tiger Mountain", and has integrated her own understanding and style into her performances, which has been highly appreciated by the audience and is known as "the new generation of Peking Opera stars".
Especially in movies"Outwitting Tiger Mountain" ** color plays the role of "Xiao Changbao".made her famous and became a big celebrity in the Peking Opera industry.
In 1964, Qi Shufang followed the Shanghai Peking Opera Company to Paris, France and other places to carry out overseas tours.
This is the first time that a Chinese Peking Opera troupe has performed in Europe, and it has been warmly welcomed by audiences from all over the world.
Qi Shufang, with her outstanding skills and beautiful and moving performances, became the focus of the tour.
For a time, her name spread all over Europe, and she was known as "the artist who made foreigners fall in love with Peking Opera".
After returning to China, Qi Shufang continued to play with the light and heat of the Shanghai Peking Opera Company, and she continued to study the performing arts, enriching her performance style and making each character come to life.
By the 80s, she had grown into a recognized master in the Peking Opera industry, and was invited to perform or direct abroad many times, carrying forward the art of Chinese Peking Opera internationally.
Qi Shufang devoted her life to the cause of Peking Opera, promoted Chinese Peking Opera to the world stage, and made great contributions to the dissemination and development of Peking Opera art.
She uses her own practice to interpret the life theme of "born for Peking Opera", which is a rare artistic wonder in the Peking Opera industry.
Qi Shufang's journey to the United States has always been accompanied by controversy and discussion.
Despite her efforts to promote Peking Opera culture in the United States, it remains to be seen whether her choice truly promotes the quintessence of the country.
Everyone has a different opinion of her actions, with some praising her tenacity and love of art, while others questioning her original aspirations and loyalty to her country.
In any case, Qi Shufang's story leaves us with a question worth pondering: how do we balance our responsibilities to our country and culture while pursuing our artistic and personal dreams?