How I First Learned to Act

Abstract

Gai Jiaotiana (1888-1970) was a celebrated Beijing opera (jingjub) actor, principally known as a performer of warrior parts. GaiJiaotian, his professional name, means Surpassing the Skylark, appropriate for a performer in a form that gives such prominence to singing. As a child he had been given the professional name Jindouzic, meaning Swift Fighter or Somersaulter, but in 1900 he changed it to Surpassing the Skylark. The famous actor Tan Xinpeid (1848-1917) was called Little Skylark, so the taking of this new name by the twelve-year-old boy was a bold declaration of ambition. His original name was Zhang Yingjiee, and his cognomen or style (hao) was Yannang. He was from Gaoyang county in Hebei province. When still a child, he joined the Grand Peace Celebration Teaching Troupeh in Tianjin (Tientsin), first studying martial male (wusheng) roles and later old and middle-aged male (laosheng) roles; still later, when he lost his voice, he turned back to martial male roles. For a considerable period he performed in and around Shanghai and Hangzhou. His was a tough profession, but one to which he was thoroughly dedicated. A number of well-known stories exist concerning his willingness to undergo and overcome hardship for his art; while some presentday scholars dispute the accuracy of these stories, their prevalence certainly attests to the extent of popular admiration for his dedication. For instance, it is said that in Hangzhou in 1904, when performing in the play Flower Butterfly (Hua hudiek), he broke his left arm. Another story relates that, in 1934 at Shanghai's Great Stage Theatre', he broke his right leg while playing the lead role of Wu Song, the fierce fighter and eventual bandit in the play Lion Tower (Shizi lou). To avoid ruining his performance