272 Beijing Opera Performers - Deng Jiugong - Number 39

Deng Jiugong

Beijing Opera - "Sister 13"

Deng Jiugong with a pink three-tile face stars as an old man in the list-opera "Sister 13," adapted from the novel "Heroic Sons and Daughters" by Wen Kang of the Qing Dynasty. Ji Xianting, a high-ranking general, sees the beautiful daughter of one of his subordinates and wants to marry her. When her father refuses, the enrages general kills him. To escape the wrath of the general, the daughter, called Yufeng, and her mother flee from their home. The general dispatches an officer called Bao Chenggong to assassinate them, but Yufeng who is a skilled fighter overpowers the would-be assassin. Instead of killing the man, she pardons him. Moved by the girl's leniency, Bao Chenggong, tells her her that a knight errant who is always ready to help the oppressed, lives nearby. She and her mother go to Geng Jingong, who accepts the girl as his disciple and expresses willingness to help them. Yufeng changes her name to Sister 13 and goes into hiding to await an opportunity to avenge her father's death.