To counter Chinese Communist united front tactics, and to show support for the fatherland, a 16-member group led by Hsin Ma Shih Tseng, a leading Cantonese opera actor, his wife and his stage partner, Fen Huang Nu, flew to the Republic of China from Hong Kong on July 19, 1979 for a six-day visit.
On his fourth visit to Taiwan, Hsin drove straight from the Chiang Kai-shek International Airport to pay homage to the late President Chiang Kai-shek at his temporary resting place at Tzuhu. In the following few days, he attended a Republic of China Rally Supporting Captive Nations Week; presented a solo performance of Cantonese opera without musical accompaniment, and received medals from the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission and the Central Committee of the Kuomintang for his promotion of and contribution to Chinese culture.
The expansive territory of China has engendered many schools of regional operas, among which, Peiping opera and Cantonese opera are of the same origin. Thus, the roles, stylized movements, make-up and costumes of these two schools of opera are roughly the same. Peiping opera, however, is more formal and solemn, while Cantonese opera, presented in the Cantonese dialect, is more relaxed. Cantonese opera has experienced some changes in its history, such as the replacement of the male role's falsetto by natural voice, and the adoption of northern style martial arts and dance. After World War Ⅱ, influenced by Western practices, the violin and saxophone were adopted to play the music in the Cantonese opera presented in Hong Kong, and the traditional simple stage was replaced by a gorgeously decorated setting.
For several decades, Hsin Ma Shih Tseng has been honored as an almost legendary leader in the performance of Cantonese opera. Two months after he started to practice the art at the age of nine, he was able to play the leading role. He was thus acclaimed as a child prodigy and was named "Hsin Ma Shih Tseng." "Hsin" means new and Ma Shih-tseng was a great Cantonese opera actor in an earlier generation. At age 11, after learning the elements of Peiping opera, he was able to combine merits of the northern and southern schools into one entity. At 13, he organized his own troupe to perform in Canton, Hong Kong and Vietnam. During his career, Master Hsin has donated money to aid the poor and to raise troop morale, as well as to unite the people's strength. It is only natural that he should be known as a "philanthropic actor" and decorated with an M.B.E. by Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ of England on December 22, 1977.
[Picture Caption]
Hisn Ma Shih Tseng and his Wife.
An audience of Cantonese watches intently as Master Hsin performs with his stage partner, Fen Huang Nu.
An audience of Cantonese watches intently as Master Hsin performs with his stage partner, Fen Huang Nu.
An audience of Cantonese watches intently as Master Hsin performs with his stage partner, Fen Huang Nu.
An audience of Cantonese watches intently as Master Hsin performs with his stage partner, Fen Huang Nu.
An audience of Cantonese watches intently as Master Hsin performs with his stage partner, Fen Huang Nu.
An audience of Cantonese watches intently as Master Hsin performs with his stage partner, Fen Huang Nu.
An audience of Cantonese watches intently as Master Hsin performs with his stage partner, Fen Huang Nu.
An audience of Cantonese watches intently as Master Hsin performs with his stage partner, Fen Huang Nu.
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