Personal anecdote of Kitty Hawk

Brilliance on the stage, heroism in life.

When Liang Jinlin goes to have morning tea, familiar friends will call him Master Liang, but most Cantonese opera lovers still call him "Kitty Hawk". Kitty Hawk is his stage name. After more than 50 years of screaming, his reputation is louder than his real name. Even he is used to it. When he applied for a passport to go abroad, he filled in the name of "Kitty Hawk" in the name column, which has not been changed so far.

She walked onto the stage at the age of nine and sang for half a century.

1944, five-year-old Xiao went to Guangzhou with his father. His father Jing is a famous Cantonese opera Xiaowu. After returning to Guangzhou, he also performed with the troupe. When he was seven years old, he began to teach drama formally. Fang Shiyu's Courtship and What's the Action in the East China Sea are the first two plays that Kitty learned. Being a little hero in the play is also based on martial arts, which is quite popular with little boys. He studied at the age of seven and went on stage at the age of nine. In the late 1940s, the signboard of "Kitty Hawk" could already be seen in major cinemas in Guangzhou. On the light box illuminated by white light, the words "Kitty Hawk" are written impressively. At that time, Kitty Hawk was not as good as the famous Cantonese opera at that time, but she was better than Cantonese opera since she was a child. She had already seen the skill of Cantonese opera and had already staged "Hua Guang Salvation".

Many Cantonese opera lovers think Kitty Hawk is not old when they see him. Some old opera fans said that after listening to Kitty Hawk for decades, she turned out to be older than him-not surprisingly, Kitty Hawk debuted early and became famous early. Last year, Kitty Hawk held a solo performance in Foshan for 56 years. At that time, his father gave him a stage name "Kitty Hawk" in order to highlight his advantages in performing since childhood. Unexpectedly, at the age of 66, after singing for half a century, he is still called "Kitty Hawk" with the same style.

It is not easy to learn to ride a bike at the age of 40, to dance, and to be a "prodigy" in Cantonese opera. Kitty recalls her childhood life, which seems quite dull. He has practiced martial arts and memorized his lines, which may be influenced by his father. He loved Cantonese opera and the life of artists since he was a child. It is quite "natural" at an early age and has a natural affection for the stage. You can't swim, ride a bike or fight with other children. When studying art, your father was very strict. After the troupe performed, there were many rules, because the troupe performed with credibility. If the children get hurt in a fight, they can't go on stage, and the whole troupe will be affected.

What impressed Xiao most was that when he was about ten years old, he performed at Xiguan Amusement Park on Datong Road. In a martial arts drama, he fought with his fellow actors and was hit in the head by a supporting actor. When the play was over, he went backstage and burst into tears at once. The monitor was in a hurry and immediately went to the amusement park to buy him a small pistol. Shen Ying Jr. could only smile through tears and reluctantly returned to the stage. Kitty learned to ride a bike at the age of forty, and she can't dance yet. In the late 1970s, when he was performing in Hong Kong, the local troupe invited him to dance. He said he couldn't dance, but everyone still didn't believe him. How can Wen Wusheng, a handsome man on the stage, live so simply off the stage? Eagle, who knows self-discipline from an early age, has always been strict with himself. In his view, as an actor, if he wants to have a good state to face the audience on the stage, he should do so in his life.

The transformation of a child prodigy took the lead in Wen Wusheng.

From the age of 15 to the age of 17, it is also a period of artistic confusion of the little condor. People gradually grow up and are no longer suitable for children's play, and the children who sing with him also have their own way out. At this time, the little eagle still chose to stay on the stage of Cantonese opera and began more rigorous training.

From the age of 17, Shen Ying Jr. took the lead as Wen Wusheng and worked in Jiangmen Great Wall Cantonese Opera Troupe, Nanhai New Scene Cantonese Opera Troupe and Foshan Youth Cantonese Opera Troupe. /kloc-joined Foshan Cantonese Opera Troupe in 0/960. Thanks to his diligence and guidance from Liang, his stage experience is more abundant and his performance skills are more exquisite. At that time, Foshan Cantonese Opera Troupe performed a modern drama "The Story of the Sea", Xiao Shen. When Luo Pinchao talked about this drama later, he also pointed out that some people think that traditional things are not suitable for modern drama. However, in Naughty Sea, there is a "hanging neck" ostentation and extravagance, which seems to be only used in costume dramas, but experts will know that some "hanging neck" ostentation and extravagance performances are used in their plays.

After the remake into a literary drama, it is quite influential in niche industries. His works such as Mending Pots, Courtyard in Snowland and Death of Zhou Yu are deeply loved by domestic and foreign audiences and become representative plays. Once on a business trip to Beijing, no matter which carriage he got on, the audience would recognize him and keep shouting at him, mending the pot, mending the pot, and let him sing the aria in "mending the pot" I also had an interesting experience in Foshan Troupe. During the Cultural Revolution, local operas all over the country were adapting model operas, and Foshan Cantonese Opera Troupe took the lead in adapting Shajiabang, a Beijing opera, into Cantonese opera, starring Xiao. In fact, the adapted model operas were somewhat nondescript, but they were quite sensational when there were not many new operas at that time.

Vultures still love mulberry trees. Last year, during the Qionghua Art Festival in Foshan, the organizer held an art gala for the Little Eagle. Before the start of the party, the little condor, who was over 60 years old, still made up seriously in the background, standing on the stage and gesturing meticulously. At that time, the little god carving had the reputation of "jade face and golden throat", and many people who saw his performance said that the performance level was no less than that of that year.

In the play, the little condor can talk and sing, so someone once praised his performance with his name and homophonic voice as "energetic and heroic". In fact, "high-spirited, heroic spirit" is not only the state of the little god sculpture on the stage, but also in life. Less than 1960 joined Foshan Cantonese Opera Troupe, and was transferred to Guangdong Cantonese Opera Academy as the head of the second regiment on 1983. Now retired, the little vulture lives a very relaxed life, drinking morning tea and taking a walk. He goes to the Cantonese Opera Theatre every day to guide young actors, and is often invited by disciples to give lectures in various parts of the Pearl River Delta. Even if you don't give a formal lecture, for example, when you meet an opera fan while drinking tea, he will stop and say a few words when everyone asks.

There are fewer performances now, but Kitty Hawk still doesn't eat supper, and every meal is mainly fruits and vegetables, which can not only keep fit, but also ensure health, avoid eating seafood and spicy food, and avoid affecting her voice. These "no's" actually reveal a positive attitude towards life. The 66-year-old Condor is no longer the "prodigy" of the past. People who know him say that Condor's personality is quite cheerful, but it is not the same as the domineering revealed in his name-perhaps this is also the difference between a combative teenager and a mature artist.

After three weeks of knowing each other, I'm going to be an apprentice. At present, there are many apprentices of Kitty Hawk, about twenty, which are relatively rare in Cantonese opera. Unlike many Cantonese opera actors, many of his apprentices are amateurs, and he is equally devoted to amateur actors. Many of them have changed from ordinary Cantonese opera lovers to real "experts". His apprentice Lin Hongchang is the general manager of a factory in Nanhai. He has been fascinated by Cantonese opera since he was a child. 1On the Double Ninth Festival in June, 1997, Lin Hongchang went to the countryside to express his condolences to the elderly, which coincided with the appearance of Kitty Hawk and heard him sing "Glory of Stone Prison" in the background. After the performance, Shen Ying felt that he was articulate and his metallic voice was similar to his own. Therefore, after only three weeks of acquaintance, Lin Hongchang was listed as a small disciple, and now Lin Hongchang has officially become a small descendant.