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第1章 · 第1节

霸王别姬 Chapter 1, Section 1

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Section 1
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In the bitter cold of 1924 Beijing, a prostitute brought her young son, Little Douzi, to Master Guan's Peking Opera troupe. Little Douzi was born with an extra finger, which Master Guan deemed an ominous sign and refused to accept him. In a desperate bid to secure a future for her son, the mother resolutely took a knife and severed the extra finger.

Section 2
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Little Douzi was left in the troupe, embarking on a grueling journey of learning the craft. There, he met the slightly older Little Shitou. With a bold and generous spirit, Little Shitou often protected Little Douzi from the bullying of other children. Amidst this harsh environment, the two boys forged a deep friendship.

Section 3
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The training in the troupe was exceedingly strict. Each day, the children rose before dawn to practice, and any sign of slackness would result in severe punishment from the master. Due to his gentle nature, Little Douzi was assigned to learn the dan role, portraying female characters, while Little Shitou took on the sheng role, embodying male heroes.

Section 4
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Whenever Little Douzi recited a classic line, he always stumbled. The line was from "Si Fan": "I am but a delicate girl, not a manly lad." He consistently misquoted it as, "I am but a manly lad, not a delicate girl." The master beat him mercilessly for this mistake, yet he could not seem to correct it.

Section 5
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Finally, one day, Little Shitou struck Little Douzi's mouth with a pipe. With blood filling his mouth, Little Douzi, from that moment on, was finally able to recite the line correctly. It was as if he had truly accepted his fate to portray a woman.

Section 6
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One time, Little Douzi and another child, Little Laizi, escaped the troupe while the master was not paying attention. They wandered the streets and witnessed a lavish Peking Opera performance. The stars on stage shone brilliantly, while the audience below was entranced. Little Douzi was profoundly shaken; for the first time, he understood the allure of Peking Opera.

Section 7
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That night, Little Laizi, unwilling to return to suffering, chose to hang himself. Little Douzi, however, made a different choice. He returned to the troupe and told Little Shitou, "How did they become stars? How many beatings did they endure? When will I become a star?" From that moment on, he resolved to become the best dan actor.