趙燕俠

简介

Zhao Yanzxia was born in 1928 in Wuqing, Hebei province, into a family of Peking Opera performers, despite their poverty. She began her artistic career at an early age, making her stage debut in 1934 in Wuhan at the age of six, performing a role in the opera "San Nang Jiao Zi." She underwent rigorous training from her father and developed innovative, cost-free methods to practice her voice, including using small jars and practicing in winter in front of ice, which gave her the extraordinary ability to project her voice clearly without a microphone. She moved to Beijing in 1941 and studied under the teacher Zhu Ruxiang, then became a disciple of the artist Xun Huisheng in 1942. She founded her first troupe in 1947, called the "Yanming Peking Opera Society," which later became a theatrical troupe in 1955. Although her art faced criticism during the opera reform period of the 1950s, her performances in Shanghai were highly popular and received praise from Premier Zhou Enlai. In 1960, her troupe joined the Beijing Peking Opera Troupe, where she became one of the top five leading artists. She was distinguished by her unique 1963 version of "The Legend of the White Snake," where she differed in song design and added new vocal sections in collaboration with playwright Tian Han. She created the "Zhao School" style for female roles in Peking Opera, known for clear diction and the ability to combine physical performance with singing. Zhao Yanzxia passed away in March 2025 at the age of 97.