A French orphan, when she was in elementary school, took the card she drew, knocked on a stranger's door: "This is what I drew, if you like it, you can buy it." When reading high school, in order to earn college living expenses, she worked around to earn their own tuition; in Paris, she went to college, she read the Chinese language major, and thus fell in love with the Chinese culture, but also became a fellow sister of Dashan, and got a "female Dashan" nickname ...... her, is the French woman Li Jixia. This year's National Day in the autumn, she just married his nephew of the Chinese master, officially become a Chinese daughter-in-law. She dedicated to the Chinese people a foreigner's eyes of the Oriental humor, but also in China to find their own love.
"I'm a lonely orphan, living a helpless and pitiful life"
Li Jixia, who is 1.63 meters tall and weighs 53 kilograms, was born in Paris, France, 26 years ago in a single-parent family. Due to the sailor father advocating freedom, wandering around, Li Jixia grew up with her mother. In her childhood memories, love of literature, travel and friendship, her mother is always moving, which also makes Li Jixia used to living a wandering life of no fixed place. At the age of 14, she began to work in restaurants, McDonald's and other industries, and y experienced the hardships and difficulties of life.
On a bitterly cold winter day, when her mother died of a serious illness, Li Jixia became an orphan and felt that she had really grown up overnight.
Li Jixia went to the University of Paris VII, but also in the busy school after-school hours desperately to work as a tutor, pizza chain salesman and other ways to work and study. Working part-time until 1 o'clock in the middle of the night, due to the security of the night in Paris, walking or taking the subway is not safe, she simply developed the habit of roller skating to fly home.
In the late fall of 1998, Li Jixia in the long-term overload of working and studying, several times the phenomenon of severe heart failure. On the eve of an exam, she was woken up by the alarm clock to get up and go out to work, but feel dizzy and weak, even the telephone on the wall above the bed also have no strength to take off to play. She looked helplessly at the lonely room, a pool of tears rushed out: "Alas, I'm a lonely orphan, living too helpless, but also too poor ......"
March 2000, Li Jixia met the most important person in her life! --- a godbrother from Wenzhou, China. Seeing his advertisement for French teachers, Li Jixia immediately decided to work for him, and the two of them started to organize a Sino-French cultural and language school to teach French to Chinese people in Paris, as soon as they saw each other.
In order to recharge in time, Li Jixia temporarily into the Chinese short course. At the same time, she also do their own printing of French textbooks, together with her godbrother page by page, carefully organized. A few months later, the language school officially opened, Li Jixia is both teacher and principal. For the first time for the Chinese class, see the large classroom was crowded with students, she excitedly exclaimed in her heart: "Hey, I can't imagine that so many people came, my godbrother and I good success ah?"
Using young people's unique active vitality, Li Jixia to create the teaching atmosphere is both avant-garde and relaxed, the students also learn very happy. Although the stuttering Chinese to explain the French grammar, magical teaching effect but make her class extremely popular. "It would be great if one day I could go on stage and perform like them."
Inheriting her mother's love of travel, Li has traveled to China many times. When she arrived at the longed-for Beijing, surprisingly, "a sense of home". Once, she was a guest at a Chinese friend's house, found that the other person is on the TV in the two people's program haha straight music, she asked curiously: "Hey, what are you happy ah?" She asked curiously, "Hey, what are you enjoying?" Her friend shushed her with her index finger and told her, "Don't talk! I'm watching traditional Chinese comedy, interesting!" Li Jixia immediately also interested in the friend's explanation, watched with great interest, both were amused by the occasional laughter.
"Hey, how great would it be if one day I could perform on stage like them?" A whimsical thought flashed through Li Jixia's mind.
After returning to France, a friend was kind enough to send Li Jixia a batch of comedy tapes. Soon fascinated by her to listen to every day, a day without listening to feel uncomfortable. In this way, she knew Hou Baolin, Ma Ji, Ding Guangquan, Feng Gong, Niu Qun and many other famous Chinese comedians. She secretly made up her mind: "I must learn comedy and become the first foreigner to speak Chinese comedy!" From then on, she practiced every day with the tape, often practicing until her cheeks were sore.
In September 2001, Li Jixia was lucky to get a full scholarship to study in China, to study at Sichuan University. She found the famous acoustic singer Ding Guangquan's contact information, and could not wait to make a long-distance phone call to express the desire to learn from the master, Ding Guangquan said: "success or failure, to come to Beijing to see it face to face."
Li Jixia was overjoyed.
Poisoned by the comedy
"Mr. Ding just wanted to close the door, but I'm 'poof' sound, drilling into it"
November 11, 2001, Li Jixia rushed to Beijing with a suitcase. In the China Coal Mining Troupe Ding Guangquan's home, she accepted the master and the master's mother of the initial examination, and watched the wonderful rehearsals of Dong Mo Han and other senior brothers. Her fluent Chinese, quick reaction and rich expression were greatly appreciated by all. Mr. Ding finally made a joyful statement, "You're a girl with exceptionally good luck, I've decided to take you in?"
Li Jixia immediately jumped up with excitement, but also did not forget to boast proudly: "I can have the honor to worship the teacher, it is really better to hurry than to hurry. Mr. Ding just wanted to close the door, but I 'poof' sound, drilled in."
"The master leads the door, the practice is up to the individual." In the end, students have to rely on themselves for success. In the beginning, Li Jixia do not know anything, just honestly observe the teacher brother and sister rehearsal performance. And sleeplessly practicing "flat stretcher long, bench wide. The bench is not as long as the flat stretcher, the flat stretcher is not as wide as the bench ......" and other tongue twisters, but also a basic skill that she is trying her best to make up. Tongue twister sounds easy and interesting, practiced but let Li Jixia "very hurt" --- the skin of the mouth rubbed up blisters, swollen tongue practice, throat is hoarse, but has long been "obsessed with the spirit! "She practiced more and more vigor, she said with deep understanding:" I seem to be completely eaten by the Chinese culture, they also fall in, can not come out, and do not want to come out."
Fortunately, the very enlightened and spiritual Li Jixia in time for this year's New Year festival. Most of Ding Guangquan's other foreign disciples went home to visit their families or long-term vacation, which provided a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Mr. Ding to focus on training her as a new disciple and "hot" to perform on stage.
January 2002, held in Zhuhai, foreigners talent contest, Li Jixia and black Maurice said the comedy "eight and hair" a hit, won the second prize. Immediately after the coal mine troupe to the grass-roots level across the country, high-density condolence performances, Li Jixia the foreign face of the debut of the lively and mischievous style of performance and free body language, won the audience's warm welcome. Running the wider the place, the more applause, her performance more relaxed, but also more confident: "I love the stage, can not get away from it for life, determined to engage in this line of work!" "If I had come to China five years earlier, it would have been good"
Peking Opera, is Li Jixia very interested in the Oriental art. For "Sheng Dan clean end ugly" in a line of performance skills, she is not satisfied with simple imitation, but want to understand the essence of it. 2002 August, the fourth international Beijing Kun Opera Ticket Friends Television Competition, the first final was held at the CCTV. In the competition, the contestants not only had to perform excerpts from Peking Opera or Kunqu, but also had to demonstrate their talents and answer questions. Judges will select the best contestants based on criteria such as their singing voice, diction and costuming.
Li Jixia, who has been studying Beijing opera for just three months, sang "Silver Hollow Mountain" with great emotion. Before the competition, she wanted to ask her teacher to tutor again, because the teacher could not find the time, she was so anxious to shed tears in public. On the final scene, she played the princess of the war on behalf of the board, and finally won the best player award. She said with great emotion: "After I learned Peking Opera, I realized that Peking Opera is very difficult to learn, and it is most difficult to memorize the words and find the feeling. I regret that I am already 25 years old, if I had come to China 5 years earlier, it would have been good."
Li Jixia also made a joke about being late for the CCTV rehearsal. When the staff showed displeasure, the witty foreign comedian Li Jixia rushed to humor: "I'm here, I'm here, I'm Li Jixia. I came late, let you wait a long time, really sorry. This day out of the bad, where all the traffic jam, the brother is also particularly powerful, which do not want to go around the road. He also asked me to get to the bottom of the question, what are you, what do you do, do you have documents, you go to the TV station to find who and so on. I said, "I'm a thief, you guide me in, and I'll give you half of what I stole. In this way, I came late, really sorry wow." Her funny apology, made the crowd laugh, suddenly they all turned grudges into joy: "Aigoo, Li Jixia, you are worthy of the happy fruit, served you."
September 2002, after Ding Guangquan highly recommended and other efforts, Li Jixia wish to enter the China Academy of Drama, Department of Acting to improve. In the highest school of opera in China, she spent her days pressing the leg, practicing voice, in-depth study of theater programs and other knowledge, living a full and enjoyable. At that time, she had been living in Banqiao Hutong near Di'anmen. She lived in Banqiao Hutong near Di'anmen to save money on lodging, and also to have a free conversation with the men, women and children there, so that she could get close to and experience the cityscape, customs and language of China's capital city, and to build up her energy for her return to the stage. In addition to her intense studies, she also tries to get involved in the touring performances of the Coal Mine Literary Troupe, where she dares not relax in order to grasp the audience's tastes.
Most of China's coal mines in the remote and poor mountainous areas, to the grassroots is a long way, the performance and accommodation conditions are also more difficult. However, Li Jixia said with a smile: "compared to my lonely working life in France, now the literary working is full of challenges and full of fun. What tiredness and fatigue, are not at all under the table? Mr. Ding taught us that it is better to rehearse offstage 50 times than to play onstage once. For the audience
Traveling around the world, Li Jixia's language talent has been fully demonstrated. French needless to say; some basic Japanese; also studied 5 years of German; some simple Vietnamese; her spoken Chinese and listening, reading and writing are very fluent; Shanghai dialect, Wenzhou dialect and Sichuan dialect are quite good. This makes singing and performing comedy and sketches in multiple languages a real pleasure.
In September 2003, Li Jixia returned from her studies at the Chinese Opera House and finally became a professional actor in the China Coal Mine Cultural Troupe. "Laughter and love, my happy life all"
In mid-March 2004, Ding Guangquan with Li Jixia, Canada's Dashan, Africa Benin's Maurice and other foreign disciples to Singapore, the first time in the form of a collective appearance in the Lion City, presented the "Four Seas are laughter! ---Laughter Rendezvous" is a large-scale performance in the Lion City. They used the pure Chinese language to say comedy, set off a wave of long-awaited viewing fervor. The show was a huge hit with crowds wherever the foreigners went in Singapore. When Maurice and Li Jixia did "Tongue Twister", the atmosphere was so electric that they often had to wait for the audience's laughter to end before they could continue. a 12-minute comedy routine would often take 15 to 16 minutes to perform. At the end of the show, the curtain call was repeated several times. "Spreading Chinese culture as a foreigner, I feel a heavier burden and more honorable." Li Jixia was overwhelmed with emotion.
Being a messenger for the spread of Sino-French friendship, in 2004, "Sino-French cultural exchanges year", Li Jixia took part in the first activity of the cooperation between Chinese and French artists. She with a monologue "I am me" cold humor rhyme, showing a foreigner to understand the Chinese humor. Subsequently, she worked closely with the French artistic director of the National Grand Theater of China, for the development of Sino-French opera, drama and opera exchanges; In addition, she also with a French girl to organize a Chinese teahouse, such as a gallery, drama and coffee in one of the leisure and art places, the essence of Chinese and French culture and art organically combined, and carry forward.
"Li Jixia" this name, and her original French pronunciation of the name is very similar to a Chinese teacher surnamed Qi in Paris to give her, "Jixia" in the word happens to have the Chinese teacher's last name, but also the meaning of the first clearing of the rain, but also her favorite weather.
This year's National Day, in a year and month generally favored by the Chinese, Li Jixia tied the knot with Ding Guangquan's nephew. ...... recalling her youthful days with China, she said excitedly, "In China, I got all the ingredients for a happy life -- laughter and love. ---laughter and love."