Post-90s Generation Teaches 400 International Students to Sing 'Zhongzhou' Melodies, Boosting the Overseas Presence of Henan Opera

教400名留学生唱响“中州韵”，河南95后助力豫剧出海

Post-90s Generation Teaches 400 International Students to Sing 'Zhongzhou' Melodies, Boosting the Overseas Presence of Henan Opera

2019年，非洲小伙刘汴京凭借豫剧选段的精彩唱腔，在《梨园春》获得银奖擂主，并走上央视舞台。这也让他的老师——开封95后豫剧演员刘子杰，为大家所知。2017年，刘汴京进入河南大学就读，结识了刘子杰。刘子杰的国际豫剧传播之路自此开启，如今，他已教授400余名留学生学唱豫剧。

In 2019, Liu Bianjing, an African man, won the silver medal in Li Yuan Chun (a professional stage for Henan Opera) with his excellent singing of Henan Opera and graced the stage of CCTV. This also made his teacher, Liu Zijie, a Henan Opera performer born in 1995 in Kaifeng, known to everyone. They met in 2017 after Liu Bianjing's enrollment at Henan University; since then, Liu Zijie has embarked on the path of promoting Henan Opera internationally. Today, he has taught over 400 international students to sing Henan Opera.

Liu Zijie and his foreign students

豫剧出 "海" 乘风破浪

Promoting Henan Opera "Overseas" amidst Challenges and Opportunities

刘子杰是开封人，今年28岁，但学习豫剧已有近20年的时间。他父亲还记得，他打小就爱听戏，特别是豫剧，似乎对小子杰就有天生的“吸引力”，即便是玩累了倒头就睡，电视中响起豫剧的声音，小子杰也会醒来跟着唱。

Liu Zijie is a native of Kaifeng, currently 28 years old, but has studied Henan Opera for nearly 20 years. His father still remembers that he grew up loving Opera, especially Henan Opera, which seems to have a natural "attraction" to him. Even if he fell asleep, he would get up when hearing Henan Opera on TV and sing along.

2014年，刘子杰师承豫剧名家李树建，成了豫剧老生演员。这一唱，就是一头“扎”了进去。

In 2014, LiuZijie became a disciple of the renowned Henan Opera master Li Shujian and entered the ranks of veteran actors in Henan Opera. From that moment on, he was deeply immersed in the world of Henan Opera.

三年后的2017年，26岁的刘汴京通过了留学申请，进入河南大学国际汉学院，“刘汴京”是他为自己起的中文名字，刘同“留”，“汴京”是开封的古称，他希望以后能留在开封、留在中国。

Three years later, in 2017, at 26, Liu Bianjing successfully applied for a study program and entered the International School for Chinese Language College"(ISCLC). "Liu Bianjing" is the Chinese name he chose for himself, with "Liu" meaning "stay" and "Bianjing" being the ancient name for Kaifeng. He hopes to stay in Kaifeng or other cities of China in the future.

也就是在这个时候，极具天赋的非洲小伙刘汴京引起了刘子杰的注意。“每周，刘汴京都会到我家里学习豫剧，因为我的外语不算太好，起初都要借助翻译软件沟通，碰到繁琐的词汇，我需要结合河南的历史，帮他理解。”好在刘汴京的中文进步很快，这对“师徒”就这样磕磕绊绊又顺顺当当地交流了下来。

Around this time, Liu Biangjing, the talented African man, caught Zijie's attention. "Liu Bianjing would come to my home every week to learn Henan Opera. We had to communicate with the help of translation software. When faced with complex vocabulary, I needed to combine the history of Henan to help him understand", said Liu Zijie. Fortunately, Liu Bianjing has made rapid progress in Chinese, and this teacher-student fellowship gradually found its way to smooth and effective communication despite some initial stumbling blocks.

非洲小伙学豫剧？不少人认为这是噱头。直到2019年，刘汴京在豫剧专业舞台粉墨登场，唱念做打声情并茂，最终获得银奖擂主，自此一炮而红。

Many people think it's just a gimmick for an African guy to learn the Henan Opera. It was not until 2019 that Liu Bianjing made his debut on the professional stage of Henan Opera and eventually won the silver medal, making him famous ever since.

2021年，刘汴京又登上央视舞台，在全国的留学生面前，展示出“豫剧”的魅力，也让电视机前的刘子杰感动到热泪盈眶，“比我自己站上舞台还要开心，留学生都能爱上豫剧，豫剧的传承和传播一定会乘风破浪。”

In 2021, Bianjing again showed the charm of Henan Opera on the stage CCTV in front of overseas students across the country, which moved Liu Zijie to tears. He said, "I am even happier than when I stood on the stage myself. If international students can fall in love with Henan Opera, then the inheritance and spread of Henan Opera will surmount difficulties and advance."

400名洋学生掀起的 “豫剧潮”

The Henan Opera Craze Sparked by 400 Overseas Students

刘汴京的爆红，带动了河南留学生群体的“豫剧潮”。河南大学、郑州大学等高校的留学生们，开始向刘子杰咨询如何学习。经过规划，2021年起，刘子杰和高校建立合作，将豫剧带进高校，建立课堂成为必修课，让海外学子在河南有机会系统的学习豫剧。

Liu Bianjing's skyrocketing popularity has led to a "Henan Opera Craze" among the community of international students in Henan. Students from universities like Henan University and Zhengzhou University began to seek advice from Liu Zijie on how to learn Henan Opera. After careful planning, in 2021, Liu Zijie established collaborations with universities and introduced Henan Opera into their curricula, making it a compulsory course. This initiative provided overseas students in Henan with the opportunity to study Henan Opera systematically.

到如今，刘子杰带过的留学生超过400人，最小的只有17岁。“全球十几个国家都有我带过的豫剧学生。”在刘子杰看来，豫剧是留学生了解中国的有效辅助，“起初他们中文不太好，但学习豫剧的过程中，不仅要学习普通话，更要理解河南方言，这一来一回，就提升了他们对汉语的理解能力。同时，在学习中，比如《花木兰》，我也会把历史典故讲给他们，既激发了他们的兴趣，也帮助他们了解中国历史文化。”

"So far, I have taught more than 400 students from over a dozen countries worldwide; the youngest is only 17 years old," said Zijie. In his view, Henan Opera is an effective aid for international students to understand China, "At first their Chinese is not very good, but during the process of learning Henan Opera, they not only have to learn Mandarin but also understand Henan dialect. This back-and-forth learning action improves their comprehension of the Chinese language. Additionally, while teaching, when explaining historical allusions like "Hua Mulan," I also share historical and cultural anecdotes, which sparks their interest and helps them gain insight into Chinese history and culture."

Liu Zijie and Huang He

不光是刘汴京，刘子杰带出的女留学生——黄河，也是豫剧洋演员中的“网红”，“‘黄河’这个名字是我送给她的，黄河是我们的母亲河，黄河文化滋养了中原人，这种极具地域性和文化性的中文名会让他们有归属感。”

Besides Liu Bianjing, Hang He (Yellow River), a female international student, is an internet celebrity among foreign Henan Opera actors. "I gave her the name 'Huang He.' The Yellow River is our mother river, which nourished the people living in the Central Plains. Therefore, this highly regional and cultural Chinese name may help her bear a sense of belonging." said Liu Zijie.

有不少学习了豫剧的留学生，不管是回国后还是深造时，都力主在当地组建豫剧兴趣社团，“他们是真的爱上了豫剧，也传播了豫剧。”刘子杰计划在2024年和更多河南高校合作，把豫剧当作必修课，不仅在留学生中教授，也让河南学子能沉浸式体验豫剧魅力。

Many international students who have studied Henan Opera, whether returning home or furthering their studies in China, push for the formation of the Henan Opera interest club in their local communities. "They truly love Henan opera and have also spread it," says Liu Zijie, who plans to collaborate with more universities in Henan in 2024 to make Yuju opera a required course, not only teaching it to international students but also allowing Henan students to experience the charm of Henan Opera in an immersive way.

他有一个 "戏曲传播梦"

His Dream of Spreading Henan Opera

尽管如今在留学生中，豫剧传播进展飞快，但刘子杰的起步却并不顺畅。

Although the spread of Henan Opera among overseas students is progressing rapidly nowadays, Liu Zijie's start is not smooth.

2020年，刘子杰开始试点高校开设留学生豫剧课，一开始上课的只有两个人，“受疫情影响，很多留学生没有回到高校，真正上课的唯二留学生，课堂上还会问我：豫剧能给我们带来什么?能让我们赚多少钱?”

In 2020, Liu Zijie began piloting Henan Opera classes for international students at universities. Initially, only two students were attending the classes. "Due to the impact of the pandemic, many international students haven't returned to campus. The only two international students attending the classes would often ask me: What can Henan Opera bring to us? How much money can we earn from it?"

面对他们的提问，刘子杰不知道该如何回答，“起初的两个月，我每周的豫剧课结束后，都要请他们两个吃饭，为的就是鼓励他们能坚持下去。但两个月后，耳濡目染之下他们真的爱上了豫剧，主动跟我说愿意用心学。”

Liu Zijie didn't know how to answer their questions. "In the first two months, I would treat them to dinner after weekly class to encourage them to keep going. However, after two months of exposure, they genuinely fell in love with Henan Opera and told me they were willing to study it wholeheartedly", said Liu Zijie.

“教留学生豫剧的难点在于每一句词，甚至是每一个字的发音，都要成千上万遍帮他们重复。”语言障碍，刘子杰可以使用翻译软件，而豫剧的传承只能亲力亲为，“看到学生走上大舞台传播豫剧，我热泪盈眶。豫剧是留学生了解河南、了解中国的渠道，而我的梦是戏曲传播梦。”

"The difficulty of teaching foreign students Henan Opera lies in the fact that we have to correct their pronunciation and help them repeat every word or phrase thousands of times," said Liu Zijie. While he can use translation software to overcome language barriers, preserving and promoting Henan Opera requires his direct involvement. He added, "I am in tears when I see my students spread Henan Opera on larger stages. Henan Opera is a channel for international students to understand Henan and China, and I dream of promoting traditional Chinese operas."

随着学生越来越多，如何系统地教豫剧也成了一个难题，“为了教学，我每周都会带他们去到开封的老街老巷，听当地人的河南话，让他们融入这个语境，理解河南方言。”

As the number of students grew, teaching Henan Opera systematically became a challenge. "For teaching, I take them to the old streets and alleys of Kaifeng every week, where they can listen to the locals speaking Henan dialect. This helps them immerse themselves in the context and understand the Henan dialect," Liu Zijie explained.

但受语言的影响，不少留学生发音无法本土化，“平时教课，毫不夸张地说，每一句词，甚至是每一个字，我都要成千上万遍的亲口唱给他们听，尽量让他们能听出传统豫剧演员的唱腔。为了方便他们理解，我还给唱词标注了拼音。”

But by the influence of their mother tongue, many overseas students' pronunciation can not be localized. "It is no exaggeration to say that, to make sure my students understand the tunes of Henan Opera, I need to sing each phrase, even each word, thousands of times. To make it easier for them, I also mark lyrics with Pinyin," Liu Zijie said.

即便是现在，教外国人唱戏，对刘子杰来说仍是摸着石头过河，“教他们不能通过录音，因为只有亲眼看到我的口型、声带的起伏，甚至是舌头的状态，他们才会掌握其中的技巧。”

Even now, teaching foreigners the Henan Opera still crosses the river by feeling the stones. Liu Zijie mentioned: "I can't teach them through recordings because only by observing my month shape, vocal cord fluctuation, and even the state of the tongue can they master the techniques."

如今，刘子杰无论到哪里演出，都会带上留学生，给他们在舞台上展现豫剧的机会，也提升他们的文化自信。

Today, wherever Liu Zijie performs, he always takes his international students with him, allowing them to showcase Henan Opera on stage and boosting their cultural confidence.

Liu Zijie is performing

豫剧是河南文化的一颗火种，刘子杰的学生将启在全世界传递，“我在课上也会给学生放他们的国歌，听他们讲述自己国家的文化历史。文化没有国界，我心中也有一个梦，是戏曲传播梦。”

Henan Opera is a spark of Henan culture, and Liu Zijie's students will carry it to the world. He concluded this way： "I also play their national anthems in my classes and listen to them sharing the cultural history of their countries. Culture knows no borders, so I harbor a dream at the same time, a dream of promoting traditional Chinese operas." （中文来源/顶端新闻 记者/杨晓妍 编译/李云娇 审校/温晓梅）