论文部分内容阅读
出生在江苏昆曲名门之家
1990年9月27日，李沁出生江苏省昆山市巴城镇。她的家庭称得上一个昆曲名门之家。整个家族的人几乎都是从事昆剧艺术表演或者是昆曲爱好者。
发源于14世纪江苏昆山的昆曲，至今已有600多年的历史。昆剧是中国戏曲史上具有最完整表演体系的剧种。2001年5月18日，联合国教科文组织在巴黎宣布第一批“人类口头和非物质遗产代表作”名单，共有19个申报项目入选，其中包括中国的昆曲艺术。李沁在拍戏前，已被业内称为该项非物质文化遗产的传人。
在家人的影响下，李沁从小就爱好并开始学习昆曲艺术。上小学后，她所在的小镇学校，恰好有一个热爱戏曲的校长，校长成立了一个兴趣班，从苏州请来师傅，教学生们学唱昆曲等家乡小戏。所以从小学三年级开始，李沁就开始练童子功。正是在苏州老师的指导下，她13岁时就凭借表演昆曲《牡丹亭·游园》，获得了第七届中国少儿戏曲小梅花荟萃活动金花奖，这为她以后走上表演艺术之路打好了基础。
在李沁即将上初中时，正巧上海戏剧学院附属的上海戏剧学校老师到昆山招戏剧学员，李沁很快便被选上了，她就幸运地成了上海戏剧学校昆曲五班的学生。根据学校的安排，她所在的昆五班是上海昆剧团的定向班，学制10年，从初中、高中读到本科，毕业后就分配到上海昆剧团当演员。这种定向班10年招生1次，为的是让上海昆剧团老中青演员配比合理，李沁是上海戏剧学校重点培养的昆曲苗子，老师们认为她是30年一遇的“闺门旦”。
被李少红导演选定演薛宝钗
2008年5月，由著名导演李小红执导的新版《红楼梦》经过紧张的筹备，正式开机拍摄，李沁有幸被李导选中，在剧中扮演薛宝钗。李沁入选这一角色，中间曾历经几番周折。
原来，李少红导演在拍摄前，就到上海戏剧学院附属的上海戏剧学校选演员。她先派副导演到上海戏剧学校打探，经过在众多学员中海选，初选了几位合适的小演员，将她们拍好照片，填写好资料，结果当李沁的照片放在李少红导演面前一摆，她就认定李沁就是演薛宝钗的人选，并开始与上海戏剧学校商量，把李沁借出来试镜。
最初，上海戏剧学校的老师并不反对李沁参选，因为他们认为前一阵子《红楼梦》剧组在全国各地选演员，要求非常高，参选的人员有数万之多，很多人都没有被选上，有些好不容易选上了，后来又被淘汰。李沁虽然是学校的“尖子生”，但也不一定能选上，就让她去试试。李沁的家人最初也没想到过这般幸运会落到孩子的头上，就没有反对。结果，李导初见李沁时，见她未施粉黛，精致的五官就这样干净而直白地呈现在眼前；赞扬她美丽，她却只娇羞地报以莞尔一笑，以示谢意，颇有江南女子含蓄内敛的韵味。李导就一锤定音，选定李沁演少年薛宝钗！不料，随后李导就听说李沁当时是上海初三的学生，李家人怕孩子拍戏要影响学业，到时既毕业不了，又接不了昆曲的班，所以一时拿不定主意。李导二话没说就驱车赶到昆山李沁家中，做李沁父母的工作。在李导的开导下，李沁全家人在一起开了个史无前例的家族会议，经十几人一起讨论、表决后，同意让李沁去拍戏。
然而当李沁前往北京进入《红楼梦》剧组参加拍戏前的特训时，上海戏剧学校的领导却焦急了，因为李沁是为上海昆剧团定向培养的学生，她这一走说不定将来拍戏不断，一时就回不来了，到时不好跟上海昆剧团交代，所以就派人进京向李少红导演要人。情急之中，与李沁住一个房间演林黛玉的演员蒋梦婕把李沁锁在卫生间里，并火速给制作人、副导演发短信搬救兵，李沁才没被“捉拿”回校。与此同时，李沁的父母闻讯后就对上海戏剧学校展开持久攻势，全家人表示：不管学校采取什么措施，一定要让李沁去演《红楼梦》。因为李家人问过李沁的老师、同学、朋友，他们每人都这样说：“这么好的机会，谁不抓住，谁就是傻子。”由于家人的态度坚定，上海戏剧学校也就没再去要人了。
李沁在新版《红楼梦》中饰演薛宝钗这个人物获得了成功，在江南地区长大的她性格沉稳、安静、淡定，与《红楼梦》原著小说中描写的薛宝钗非常接近，而且因为在昆曲这种高贵优雅艺术的熏陶下，李沁举手投足之间都自然地散发着优雅古典风范。该剧的美术指导叶锦添在点评李沁演技时说：“她的戏曲底子自然成为很大的助力，一直以来我对《红楼梦》中薛宝钗这个角色都有好奇，为何曹雪芹要在贾宝玉与林黛玉的世界里加入一个薛宝钗？她代表了他们要反抗的体制抑或是一种稳定的力量？李沁的面相清秀，五官精美，苗条的身材，反过来倒有一点纤柔之气。她来演薛宝钗能使观众产生一种不一样的感受，我认为她演得很好。”
两度出演毛泽东妻子杨开慧
在中国电影集团拍摄的《建党伟业》献礼影片中，除了展示大量的历史事件外，毛泽东和杨开慧的感情戏被当做一条重要线索贯穿全片之中，成为一个精彩亮点。在拍摄该片之前选演员时，曾看过新版《红楼梦》的《建党伟业》导演黄建新便选定由李沁来出演杨开慧。李沁到剧组经过试镜后，化妆师便给她设计了一个杨开慧的人物造型。李沁的定妆造型一出来，《红楼梦》中的云鬓钗髻修成了清爽的童花头，宽袖上衣，外罩长褂，简单的白围巾，微微的笑意，显得既文静又贤惠，被誉为一个“青纯版的杨开慧”。
影片拍摄中，有一场毛泽东与杨开慧的新婚之夜的戏，这对90后的李沁来说是个不小的挑战。为了表现出新娘的娇羞，李沁几乎没什么台词，这更加考验她的演技。开拍之前李沁做足了功课，设想过各种状态情境，而到了现场实拍，导演要求她沉浸在自己的精神情感当中，静心聆听毛泽东的话语，最后轻轻地说出“我愿意”，坚定中满含深情。刚开始试了几遍，李沁的状态有了，只是第一次演新娘的她太害羞，说“我愿意”之后依靠在毛泽东身上的一个动作始终不能过关，最后还是导演把她叫到监视器前给她看回放，耐心指导，才顺利拍完这个镜头。因此，青年演员刘烨、李沁在《建党伟业》中表演的毛泽东和杨开慧的形象有别于观众以往见到的印象，特别是他俩表演的毛泽东在下雪天肩扛着杨开慧看雪景等甜蜜的恋爱镜头，是全片中最“现代”的戏。导演黄建新对李沁赞不绝口地说：“你饰演的杨开慧清纯恬静，又不失革命者的坚定——两个字：到位。”与她合作饰演毛泽东的刘烨也说，李沁年纪虽小，演技却纯朴自然，恰到好处。
李沁在电影《建党伟业》中拍摄历时5个多月。这期间，正好中国电视剧中心、浙江广电集团、浙江影视集团投资3000万元，拍摄建党献礼电视连续剧《中国1921》，李沁因在《建党伟业》中扮演杨开慧一角，有较好的表演基础，所以也被穆德远导演选进《中国1921》剧组演杨开慧。由于同时饰演同一个人物，所以李沁一直处在杨开慧的人物状态里。对于此前有人担心两个杨开慧会不会雷同的问题，李沁这样回答，“电影《建党伟业》中杨开慧的年龄主要集中在14－18岁之间。电视连续剧《中国1921》的历史背景与建党伟业基本相同，但表现细节的空间却更多更广。”
在《中国1921》剧中，相对年轻的李沁和谷智鑫（毛泽东的扮演者）对演绎剧中杨开慧倒追毛泽东的“女追男”戏显得很有信心。因为李沁恰好饰演了电影《建党伟业》中的杨开慧，而谷智鑫也在《恰同学少年》中饰演毛泽东，这次两人都是二度饰演毛泽东和杨开慧这一角色，可谓是驾轻就熟。剧中杨开慧为送毛润之（毛泽东）一双鞋来表达自己的心意而大动脑筋。最终，杨开慧想到一个巧妙的办法，她把自己刚画完、墨迹还未干的画纸悄悄扔在书房的地上，被忙着找书的毛润之不小心踩到——结果尺码立现。这一巧妙细节设计，充分表现出杨开慧情窦初开的少女心理，也使得人物形象刻画更为人性和丰满。为了表演这一情节，李沁也动了不少脑筋，在开拍前做了充分的准备工作，包括查阅了有关杨开慧的所有资料，分析她所在的时代、家境、性格等各方面因素，做到胸有成竹。
电视连续剧播出后，李沁深有体会地说：“这次演《中国1921》里的杨开慧，让我过了一把‘毛夫人’的瘾。我经常被剧中杨开慧单纯可爱的性格深深打动，剧中杨开慧倒追毛泽东，甚至直接求婚说‘我要给你生孩子，你要是因为革命牺牲了，我就让孩子继续你的事业’，这种表达爱情的方式，即使放到现在也不过时。”李沁还认为：“以前描写杨开慧的影视作品，多着重突出她身为革命者的英雄气质，往往忽略她从青涩走向成熟的人生变化，其实是不够人性和客观的，而《中国1921》中的杨开慧恰好填补了这个空白。”
近年来，李沁凭借自己“清水出芙蓉”般的外形，奋发上进的从业态度，赢得了广大观众的喜爱，并从众多新人中脱颖而出，一举拿下2010年度南方影视盛典的“金南方年度最佳新人奖”。这些来自业界和观众的肯定与好评，让李沁的信心倍增，她表示：“有李少红、黄建新等导演的指导、观众的支持，我一定会在演艺道路上一直走下去，努力争取新的成绩。”□
Kunqu Opera Artist Stars in Epic Film
By Yu Ren
The 21-year-old Li Qin appears in “The Founding of the Party”, an epic film first screened nationwide on June 15, 2011, fifteen days before the 90th anniversary of the Communist Party of China. The film stars her as young Yang Kaihui (1901-1930), the sweetheart and then wife of Mao Zedong (1893-1976). Compared with the 172 other heavy-weight stars that appear in the 90-minute blockbuster, Li Qin is lucky enough to be a major star.
It was her first film appearance, though her stardom has been in the making for more than ten years.
Li Qin was born in September 1990 into a family of Kunqu Opera enthusiasts, including professionals and amateurs. Such a family is not rare in her hometown Kunshan of southern Jiangsu Province, the birthplace of the opera of poetry and beauty in the 14th century. Though the six-hundred-year-old opera has long since passed its ancient glory, Kunqu was listed in 2001 as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. The world heritage status has breathed new life into the ancient genre.
She went to a primary school which offered a Kunqu opera course for those interested in the ancient thespian art. As a third grader, Li Qin started her training under the guidance of an experienced Kunqu artist from the neighboring Suzhou City. At 13, she won a gold medal at a national competition for children stage artists. After the primary school, the budding Kunqu opera performer entered Shanghai Drama School for a ten-year Kunqu Opera course, which is to offer a four-year-college diploma to graduates. The course trains Kunqu artists for Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe. Li Qin is a star pupil at the school and all the teachers there agree that she is a rare genius they are lucky enough to discover for the first time in thirty years.
However, her career came to an unexpected turning point in 2008. In May 2008, Li Qin was chosen to act as Xue Baochai, a key role in the new television drama of “The Dream of Red Chambers”, based on the namesake Chinese novel written by Cao Xueqin (1715-1763) in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
The casting director came to the school in a bid to choose some actors from the young Kunqu artists at the school. The school teachers did not hesitate to recommend Li Qin, reasoning that the director cast a wide net across the nation and Li Qin would not be chosen from a galaxy of young heartthrobs. Director Li Shaohong, however, picked Li Qin at the first sight of the young drama student from Shanghai.
However, the director ran into some difficulty. Li Qin’s parents believed that appearing in the television drama was a great opportunity, but they worried that her study might be negatively impacted by the long absence at the school and the star pupil might fail to get the diploma. It was a big opportunity that might or might not bring overall long-term benefits to the young Kunqu artist. The director drove all the way to Kunshan to meet Li Qin’s parents and had a talk with them. The parents held a long discussion with more than ten relatives. They decided to let Li Qin go to Beijing and star in the new television version of the classic novel.
The school was most reluctant to let the star pupil go for fear that they might lose the star pupil to the art of film and television dramas. In a bid to get Li Qin back, the school sent a group of teachers to Beijing where Li was receiving intensive training at a training camp with other young performers as a big part of preparations for the new television drama version of the classic novel. When the teachers from Shanghai appeared at the training camp, Li Qin hid herself in the bathroom and her roommate locked the door. Then the roommate sent SOS text messages to the producer and associate director for help. The emergency was over when the producer arrived.
Li Qin’s parents protested the school’s attempt fiercely, saying that they supported their daughter to grab this one-in-million opportunity and appear in the television drama. They reasoned with the school management that the family had consulted everyone concerned about the opportunity and everyone said it was a lifetime opportunity. The school gave in and objected no more.
The 50-episode drama took four years to get completed, including a 15-month shooting period. The screening started on September 2, 2010. Li Qin was a big success in the drama. Her upbringing in the Yangtze River Delta shaped her as a quiet girl with a sweet and unflustered temperament and her training in Kunqu Opera brings classic elegance to her performance. Her characterization is considered perfectly close to the character in the novel. Her performance gives the audience a new angle to peep into the hidden depth and dimension of the triangle romance.
And as expected by the Li Qin’s parents, the television drama was indeed a golden opportunity for their daughter.
Wang Jianxin, one of the directors of “The Founding of the Party”, watched the television drama and thought highly of Li Qin. When his new big-budget movie began to cast performers nationwide, he chose her for the character of Yang Kaihui. The dresser and the cosmetician worked on the girl. When she appeared as a girl in the fashion style of the early 20th century, everyone was pleased to find that Li was perfect for the role.
That is how the Kunqu Opera future star established her stardom on the silver screen. Her image adds a big touch to the blockbuster. Critics and audience agree her part in the movie is one of the most attractive scenes of the film.
She spent five months getting the job done for the film. While she was in the middle of the shooting, she had a job offer to appear in “China in 1921”, a 30-million project produced and financed by China Television Drama Center, Zhejiang Radio and Television Group and Zhejiang Film and Television Group. They had been looking for a girl for the character of Yang Kaihui. As Li Qin was acting as Yang in the film, they thought they should look around no more. She was the perfect choice for the television drama.
Li Qin was satisfied by her performance in “China in 1921”. “I have had a gratifying share of acting as Mrs. Mao,” she comments. “It is neither objective nor humanistic to characterize Yang merely as a revolutionary and martyr and ignore her growth from a shy girl to a staunch revolutionary. China in 1921 depicts a different Yang that corrects the imperfection. ”
As a budding film and television performing artist, Li Qin has catapulted to stardom by winning a best new film artist award in 2010. The acknowledgement from the film industry and audiences encourages her to accomplish more in a film and television career. □
1990年9月27日，李沁出生江苏省昆山市巴城镇。她的家庭称得上一个昆曲名门之家。整个家族的人几乎都是从事昆剧艺术表演或者是昆曲爱好者。
发源于14世纪江苏昆山的昆曲，至今已有600多年的历史。昆剧是中国戏曲史上具有最完整表演体系的剧种。2001年5月18日，联合国教科文组织在巴黎宣布第一批“人类口头和非物质遗产代表作”名单，共有19个申报项目入选，其中包括中国的昆曲艺术。李沁在拍戏前，已被业内称为该项非物质文化遗产的传人。
在家人的影响下，李沁从小就爱好并开始学习昆曲艺术。上小学后，她所在的小镇学校，恰好有一个热爱戏曲的校长，校长成立了一个兴趣班，从苏州请来师傅，教学生们学唱昆曲等家乡小戏。所以从小学三年级开始，李沁就开始练童子功。正是在苏州老师的指导下，她13岁时就凭借表演昆曲《牡丹亭·游园》，获得了第七届中国少儿戏曲小梅花荟萃活动金花奖，这为她以后走上表演艺术之路打好了基础。
在李沁即将上初中时，正巧上海戏剧学院附属的上海戏剧学校老师到昆山招戏剧学员，李沁很快便被选上了，她就幸运地成了上海戏剧学校昆曲五班的学生。根据学校的安排，她所在的昆五班是上海昆剧团的定向班，学制10年，从初中、高中读到本科，毕业后就分配到上海昆剧团当演员。这种定向班10年招生1次，为的是让上海昆剧团老中青演员配比合理，李沁是上海戏剧学校重点培养的昆曲苗子，老师们认为她是30年一遇的“闺门旦”。
被李少红导演选定演薛宝钗
2008年5月，由著名导演李小红执导的新版《红楼梦》经过紧张的筹备，正式开机拍摄，李沁有幸被李导选中，在剧中扮演薛宝钗。李沁入选这一角色，中间曾历经几番周折。
原来，李少红导演在拍摄前，就到上海戏剧学院附属的上海戏剧学校选演员。她先派副导演到上海戏剧学校打探，经过在众多学员中海选，初选了几位合适的小演员，将她们拍好照片，填写好资料，结果当李沁的照片放在李少红导演面前一摆，她就认定李沁就是演薛宝钗的人选，并开始与上海戏剧学校商量，把李沁借出来试镜。
最初，上海戏剧学校的老师并不反对李沁参选，因为他们认为前一阵子《红楼梦》剧组在全国各地选演员，要求非常高，参选的人员有数万之多，很多人都没有被选上，有些好不容易选上了，后来又被淘汰。李沁虽然是学校的“尖子生”，但也不一定能选上，就让她去试试。李沁的家人最初也没想到过这般幸运会落到孩子的头上，就没有反对。结果，李导初见李沁时，见她未施粉黛，精致的五官就这样干净而直白地呈现在眼前；赞扬她美丽，她却只娇羞地报以莞尔一笑，以示谢意，颇有江南女子含蓄内敛的韵味。李导就一锤定音，选定李沁演少年薛宝钗！不料，随后李导就听说李沁当时是上海初三的学生，李家人怕孩子拍戏要影响学业，到时既毕业不了，又接不了昆曲的班，所以一时拿不定主意。李导二话没说就驱车赶到昆山李沁家中，做李沁父母的工作。在李导的开导下，李沁全家人在一起开了个史无前例的家族会议，经十几人一起讨论、表决后，同意让李沁去拍戏。
然而当李沁前往北京进入《红楼梦》剧组参加拍戏前的特训时，上海戏剧学校的领导却焦急了，因为李沁是为上海昆剧团定向培养的学生，她这一走说不定将来拍戏不断，一时就回不来了，到时不好跟上海昆剧团交代，所以就派人进京向李少红导演要人。情急之中，与李沁住一个房间演林黛玉的演员蒋梦婕把李沁锁在卫生间里，并火速给制作人、副导演发短信搬救兵，李沁才没被“捉拿”回校。与此同时，李沁的父母闻讯后就对上海戏剧学校展开持久攻势，全家人表示：不管学校采取什么措施，一定要让李沁去演《红楼梦》。因为李家人问过李沁的老师、同学、朋友，他们每人都这样说：“这么好的机会，谁不抓住，谁就是傻子。”由于家人的态度坚定，上海戏剧学校也就没再去要人了。
李沁在新版《红楼梦》中饰演薛宝钗这个人物获得了成功，在江南地区长大的她性格沉稳、安静、淡定，与《红楼梦》原著小说中描写的薛宝钗非常接近，而且因为在昆曲这种高贵优雅艺术的熏陶下，李沁举手投足之间都自然地散发着优雅古典风范。该剧的美术指导叶锦添在点评李沁演技时说：“她的戏曲底子自然成为很大的助力，一直以来我对《红楼梦》中薛宝钗这个角色都有好奇，为何曹雪芹要在贾宝玉与林黛玉的世界里加入一个薛宝钗？她代表了他们要反抗的体制抑或是一种稳定的力量？李沁的面相清秀，五官精美，苗条的身材，反过来倒有一点纤柔之气。她来演薛宝钗能使观众产生一种不一样的感受，我认为她演得很好。”
两度出演毛泽东妻子杨开慧
在中国电影集团拍摄的《建党伟业》献礼影片中，除了展示大量的历史事件外，毛泽东和杨开慧的感情戏被当做一条重要线索贯穿全片之中，成为一个精彩亮点。在拍摄该片之前选演员时，曾看过新版《红楼梦》的《建党伟业》导演黄建新便选定由李沁来出演杨开慧。李沁到剧组经过试镜后，化妆师便给她设计了一个杨开慧的人物造型。李沁的定妆造型一出来，《红楼梦》中的云鬓钗髻修成了清爽的童花头，宽袖上衣，外罩长褂，简单的白围巾，微微的笑意，显得既文静又贤惠，被誉为一个“青纯版的杨开慧”。
影片拍摄中，有一场毛泽东与杨开慧的新婚之夜的戏，这对90后的李沁来说是个不小的挑战。为了表现出新娘的娇羞，李沁几乎没什么台词，这更加考验她的演技。开拍之前李沁做足了功课，设想过各种状态情境，而到了现场实拍，导演要求她沉浸在自己的精神情感当中，静心聆听毛泽东的话语，最后轻轻地说出“我愿意”，坚定中满含深情。刚开始试了几遍，李沁的状态有了，只是第一次演新娘的她太害羞，说“我愿意”之后依靠在毛泽东身上的一个动作始终不能过关，最后还是导演把她叫到监视器前给她看回放，耐心指导，才顺利拍完这个镜头。因此，青年演员刘烨、李沁在《建党伟业》中表演的毛泽东和杨开慧的形象有别于观众以往见到的印象，特别是他俩表演的毛泽东在下雪天肩扛着杨开慧看雪景等甜蜜的恋爱镜头，是全片中最“现代”的戏。导演黄建新对李沁赞不绝口地说：“你饰演的杨开慧清纯恬静，又不失革命者的坚定——两个字：到位。”与她合作饰演毛泽东的刘烨也说，李沁年纪虽小，演技却纯朴自然，恰到好处。
李沁在电影《建党伟业》中拍摄历时5个多月。这期间，正好中国电视剧中心、浙江广电集团、浙江影视集团投资3000万元，拍摄建党献礼电视连续剧《中国1921》，李沁因在《建党伟业》中扮演杨开慧一角，有较好的表演基础，所以也被穆德远导演选进《中国1921》剧组演杨开慧。由于同时饰演同一个人物，所以李沁一直处在杨开慧的人物状态里。对于此前有人担心两个杨开慧会不会雷同的问题，李沁这样回答，“电影《建党伟业》中杨开慧的年龄主要集中在14－18岁之间。电视连续剧《中国1921》的历史背景与建党伟业基本相同，但表现细节的空间却更多更广。”
在《中国1921》剧中，相对年轻的李沁和谷智鑫（毛泽东的扮演者）对演绎剧中杨开慧倒追毛泽东的“女追男”戏显得很有信心。因为李沁恰好饰演了电影《建党伟业》中的杨开慧，而谷智鑫也在《恰同学少年》中饰演毛泽东，这次两人都是二度饰演毛泽东和杨开慧这一角色，可谓是驾轻就熟。剧中杨开慧为送毛润之（毛泽东）一双鞋来表达自己的心意而大动脑筋。最终，杨开慧想到一个巧妙的办法，她把自己刚画完、墨迹还未干的画纸悄悄扔在书房的地上，被忙着找书的毛润之不小心踩到——结果尺码立现。这一巧妙细节设计，充分表现出杨开慧情窦初开的少女心理，也使得人物形象刻画更为人性和丰满。为了表演这一情节，李沁也动了不少脑筋，在开拍前做了充分的准备工作，包括查阅了有关杨开慧的所有资料，分析她所在的时代、家境、性格等各方面因素，做到胸有成竹。
电视连续剧播出后，李沁深有体会地说：“这次演《中国1921》里的杨开慧，让我过了一把‘毛夫人’的瘾。我经常被剧中杨开慧单纯可爱的性格深深打动，剧中杨开慧倒追毛泽东，甚至直接求婚说‘我要给你生孩子，你要是因为革命牺牲了，我就让孩子继续你的事业’，这种表达爱情的方式，即使放到现在也不过时。”李沁还认为：“以前描写杨开慧的影视作品，多着重突出她身为革命者的英雄气质，往往忽略她从青涩走向成熟的人生变化，其实是不够人性和客观的，而《中国1921》中的杨开慧恰好填补了这个空白。”
近年来，李沁凭借自己“清水出芙蓉”般的外形，奋发上进的从业态度，赢得了广大观众的喜爱，并从众多新人中脱颖而出，一举拿下2010年度南方影视盛典的“金南方年度最佳新人奖”。这些来自业界和观众的肯定与好评，让李沁的信心倍增，她表示：“有李少红、黄建新等导演的指导、观众的支持，我一定会在演艺道路上一直走下去，努力争取新的成绩。”□
Kunqu Opera Artist Stars in Epic Film
By Yu Ren
The 21-year-old Li Qin appears in “The Founding of the Party”, an epic film first screened nationwide on June 15, 2011, fifteen days before the 90th anniversary of the Communist Party of China. The film stars her as young Yang Kaihui (1901-1930), the sweetheart and then wife of Mao Zedong (1893-1976). Compared with the 172 other heavy-weight stars that appear in the 90-minute blockbuster, Li Qin is lucky enough to be a major star.
It was her first film appearance, though her stardom has been in the making for more than ten years.
Li Qin was born in September 1990 into a family of Kunqu Opera enthusiasts, including professionals and amateurs. Such a family is not rare in her hometown Kunshan of southern Jiangsu Province, the birthplace of the opera of poetry and beauty in the 14th century. Though the six-hundred-year-old opera has long since passed its ancient glory, Kunqu was listed in 2001 as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. The world heritage status has breathed new life into the ancient genre.
She went to a primary school which offered a Kunqu opera course for those interested in the ancient thespian art. As a third grader, Li Qin started her training under the guidance of an experienced Kunqu artist from the neighboring Suzhou City. At 13, she won a gold medal at a national competition for children stage artists. After the primary school, the budding Kunqu opera performer entered Shanghai Drama School for a ten-year Kunqu Opera course, which is to offer a four-year-college diploma to graduates. The course trains Kunqu artists for Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe. Li Qin is a star pupil at the school and all the teachers there agree that she is a rare genius they are lucky enough to discover for the first time in thirty years.
However, her career came to an unexpected turning point in 2008. In May 2008, Li Qin was chosen to act as Xue Baochai, a key role in the new television drama of “The Dream of Red Chambers”, based on the namesake Chinese novel written by Cao Xueqin (1715-1763) in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
The casting director came to the school in a bid to choose some actors from the young Kunqu artists at the school. The school teachers did not hesitate to recommend Li Qin, reasoning that the director cast a wide net across the nation and Li Qin would not be chosen from a galaxy of young heartthrobs. Director Li Shaohong, however, picked Li Qin at the first sight of the young drama student from Shanghai.
However, the director ran into some difficulty. Li Qin’s parents believed that appearing in the television drama was a great opportunity, but they worried that her study might be negatively impacted by the long absence at the school and the star pupil might fail to get the diploma. It was a big opportunity that might or might not bring overall long-term benefits to the young Kunqu artist. The director drove all the way to Kunshan to meet Li Qin’s parents and had a talk with them. The parents held a long discussion with more than ten relatives. They decided to let Li Qin go to Beijing and star in the new television version of the classic novel.
The school was most reluctant to let the star pupil go for fear that they might lose the star pupil to the art of film and television dramas. In a bid to get Li Qin back, the school sent a group of teachers to Beijing where Li was receiving intensive training at a training camp with other young performers as a big part of preparations for the new television drama version of the classic novel. When the teachers from Shanghai appeared at the training camp, Li Qin hid herself in the bathroom and her roommate locked the door. Then the roommate sent SOS text messages to the producer and associate director for help. The emergency was over when the producer arrived.
Li Qin’s parents protested the school’s attempt fiercely, saying that they supported their daughter to grab this one-in-million opportunity and appear in the television drama. They reasoned with the school management that the family had consulted everyone concerned about the opportunity and everyone said it was a lifetime opportunity. The school gave in and objected no more.
The 50-episode drama took four years to get completed, including a 15-month shooting period. The screening started on September 2, 2010. Li Qin was a big success in the drama. Her upbringing in the Yangtze River Delta shaped her as a quiet girl with a sweet and unflustered temperament and her training in Kunqu Opera brings classic elegance to her performance. Her characterization is considered perfectly close to the character in the novel. Her performance gives the audience a new angle to peep into the hidden depth and dimension of the triangle romance.
And as expected by the Li Qin’s parents, the television drama was indeed a golden opportunity for their daughter.
Wang Jianxin, one of the directors of “The Founding of the Party”, watched the television drama and thought highly of Li Qin. When his new big-budget movie began to cast performers nationwide, he chose her for the character of Yang Kaihui. The dresser and the cosmetician worked on the girl. When she appeared as a girl in the fashion style of the early 20th century, everyone was pleased to find that Li was perfect for the role.
That is how the Kunqu Opera future star established her stardom on the silver screen. Her image adds a big touch to the blockbuster. Critics and audience agree her part in the movie is one of the most attractive scenes of the film.
She spent five months getting the job done for the film. While she was in the middle of the shooting, she had a job offer to appear in “China in 1921”, a 30-million project produced and financed by China Television Drama Center, Zhejiang Radio and Television Group and Zhejiang Film and Television Group. They had been looking for a girl for the character of Yang Kaihui. As Li Qin was acting as Yang in the film, they thought they should look around no more. She was the perfect choice for the television drama.
Li Qin was satisfied by her performance in “China in 1921”. “I have had a gratifying share of acting as Mrs. Mao,” she comments. “It is neither objective nor humanistic to characterize Yang merely as a revolutionary and martyr and ignore her growth from a shy girl to a staunch revolutionary. China in 1921 depicts a different Yang that corrects the imperfection. ”
As a budding film and television performing artist, Li Qin has catapulted to stardom by winning a best new film artist award in 2010. The acknowledgement from the film industry and audiences encourages her to accomplish more in a film and television career. □