You are here: Home > Arts > Stage

Adjust font size:

Feng Yuanzheng with his German teacher, Ruth Mellchen, when he received theatrical training in Berlin from 1989 to 1991. [Photo/China Daily]

After Feng was recruited for a training program of the Beijing People's Art Theater in 1986, he became the favorite student of visiting German professor Ruth Mellchen from the Berlin University of the Arts, a prestigious art college in Europe.

Mellchen, who was then around 60, is a scholar specializing in the Grotowski system. She used a lot of physical training to boost the students' acting potential, such as rolling on the ground and jumping.

"Grotowski believes everyone is born to be an excellent performer. But acting teachers should use effective means to help the students discover their inborn talent," says Feng.

While the Grotowski method has generated some controversy among Chinese teachers, it has proved to be very effective for Feng in his career of more than 20 years.

When China Daily interviewed him at the Beijing Film Academy, Feng－invited by the photography department chief as a guest professor－was teaching around 20 undergraduates to speak fast and loudly, using a tongue twister.

"It's basic training for theater acting. Photography majors can do a better job of filming if they know how actors speak and move," he says.

As a star who is much in demand in acting circles, Feng has a tight schedule.

The 30-day program for the academy was delayed for almost eight months, but Feng insists on teaching, as a remote salute to his beloved German teacher Mellchen.

"In some senses, she treated me like a son."

The German professor regarded Feng as a genius student. She offered him the chance to study in her college and provided free accommodation. So while most other Chinese students had to work part-time to make ends meet, Feng had the luxury to focus exclusively on his studies.

But Feng decided to quit studying there after two years and return to China, as he couldn't endure the feeling of alienation as a foreigner in Germany.

"I could never be Hamlet on a German theater stage. The audiences would say 'Hey, look, the Chinese doesn't look like Hamlet'," he says. The decision disappointed Mellchen.

But Germany has left its mark on Feng.

For the past two decades, Feng has got used to saying "thank you" to his wife－not something Chinese husbands typically do－and he has hardly ever been late for an appointment.

 

 

Print E-mail

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)

Add your comments...

• User Name Required
• Your Comment
• Enter the words you see:   
  Racist, abusive and off-topic comments may be removed by the moderator.