272 Beijing Opera Performers - Hei Fengli - Number 79

Hei Fengli

Beijing Opera - "Overturning the Battle Wagons"

Hei Fengli with a rubbed-in black heroes face has a role in "Overturning the Battle Wagons," an list-opera about Yue Fei's fight against the Jurchen general Wu Zhu at Niutou Mountain. Yue Fei's army is hard pressed in the early part of the battle. Goa Chong, one of his subordinates who has been ordered to guard the rear, comes up to help him and they rout the Jurchen army. Wu Zhu, the Jurchen commander, now orders Hei Fengli, one of the captains, to hurl his iron battle wagons down the mountain slope to block Yue Fei's advance. Gao Chong overturns a number of wagons, but in the end both he and his horse are exhausted and he is knocked down and killed.