She is the passionate and fearless Mayumi in "Manhunt"; she is also the kind and flawless Empress Elisabeth "Sissi" in "Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie"; she is also Francesca in "The Bridges of Madison County," Lara in "Tomb Raider," and Professor McGonagall in "Harry Potter"...

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the fifth anniversary of the proposal of the important concept of the "People's City." The National Anthem Exhibition Hall is committed to creating the "Voice of the Nation" ideological and political education brand. On August 13, renowned language performance artist, national first-class actor, and dubbing director Ding Jianhua was specially invited to deliver the fourth lecture of the "Voice of the Nation" Master Class series with the theme of "Voice of the Nation: Sacred Mission."

Ding Jianhua has been engaged in the art of voice acting for a long time. With her voice, she has shaped one familiar silver screen image after another, influencing generations of audiences. Her uniquely charming voice has traversed decades of light and shadow, lingering in the ears of the audience. In this master class, she brought a unique voice archive, starting from the charm of the voice, constructing the imaginative space woven by the language art of the national anthem for the audience, discussing the techniques and memories of recitation, reproducing the inspiring "voice of the people" in "March of the Volunteers," and telling a different story of the national anthem.

Patriotic Sentiment Starts with the Name "Jianhua"

Ding Jianhua was born in a military compound in Shanghai. "I grew up listening to beautiful revolutionary songs and the moving revolutionary stories told by the older generation." On the first day of school, when the teacher took attendance, Ding Jianhua was surprised to find that there were three children named Jianhua in the class, and the other two were boys. So when she went home, she pestered her parents to change her name. Her parents smiled and told her that the name Jianhua was the most beautiful and meaningful name in the world.

Ding Jianhua said, "The year I was born was the first year of the launch of the People's Republic of China's first Five-Year Plan. This name carries my parents' earnest expectations for me. They hope that I can contribute to the construction of a beautiful China." So even now, Ding Jianhua has no alias, no stage name, and no foreign name. "The only name I like is Jianhua, the beautiful China, the reborn China, the China that makes people's hearts surge. My life trajectory has accompanied the continuous growth, strengthening, and prosperity of New China, extending forward together."

Striving for Excellence to Convey Professional Strength

Ding Jianhua has served as the main creator in more than a thousand films and TV series, with well-known representative works such as "Manhunt," "Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie," "The Bridges of Madison County," and others. On-site, she gave a wonderful performance of Mao Zedong's poem "Ode to the Plum Blossom: Bu Suan Zi," which drew rounds of applause from the audience. She shared a few major events in her life trajectory, expressing the recitation characteristics and voice charm displayed at different growth stages through the recitation of the same poem.

After demonstrating the recitation of classic famous pieces such as "My Homeland, My Dear Homeland" and "Long Live the Youth," many young audience members who came to see her eagerly raised their hands to come on stage to perform and learn the recitation. Teacher Ding gave meticulous comments from aspects such as vocalization, breathing, emotional expression, and stage performance, and guided them one by one, hand in hand.

Artistic Expression Converges in the "Voice of the Nation"

"Forward! Forward! Forward! Forward!" Each lyric's expression is a force of determined advancement. At the recently concluded Paris Olympics, Chinese Olympic athletes won gold and silver medals for the country, which also ignited everyone's patriotic enthusiasm and resonated with them. Especially during the table tennis finals, when the majestic national anthem played, the Chinese athletes and the audience sang the national anthem together, seemingly turning the away game into a home game. She was deeply moved, with tears in her eyes. When she saw foreign audience members singing along to the national anthem of the People's Republic of China, it gave her a deeper feeling of the worldwide spread of "March of the Volunteers" and China's international influence.

Finally, Ding Jianhua recited Li Ying's poem "My China," pushing the atmosphere of the entire venue to a new climax. Her heartfelt and emotional performance led the audience to appreciate the charm of red culture with a sense of reverence.

Excerpts from the Audience's Reflections

Chen Miao'en (The Tenth High School of Shanghai)

Today, I feel extremely honored to come to the sacred and solemn hall of the National Anthem Exhibition Hall to attend the master class lecture by language artist Teacher Ding Jianhua. I also feel that I have benefited immensely. Teacher Ding is so amiable and passionate! Listening to her talk about the meaning of her name: Jianhua, Jianhua, constructing China; sharing her personal experiences of her first Chinese language class, her first recitation, her first award, and so on when she was young; when I heard her perform the great leader Mao Zedong's "Ode to the Plum Blossom: Bu Suan Zi" with a lively and vivacious voice during her adolescent years, and then with a turn, she came to her adult period, reciting the same "Ode to the Plum Blossom: Bu Suan Zi" but with a completely different solemnity and sense of strength!

When I heard Teacher Ding passionately recite the poem "My Homeland, My Dear Homeland," a sense of pride as a child of China naturally arose. I was also filled with excitement, as if I had traveled back to the past together with Teacher Ding. It seemed that heroic images appeared before my eyes, and scrolls depicting the struggles of the Chinese nation unfolded. When Teacher Ding repeatedly said the lyrics "Forward, forward, forward, forward!" from the national anthem of the People's Republic of China with deep affection and determination, an incomparable love for the motherland and pride in being Chinese were expressed to the fullest extent at that moment, igniting the entire venue! It turns out that the end of a sentence is not just an exclamation mark or a period, but through the voice, it can express such a sense of lingering sentiment and profound meaning!

By attending today's "Voice of the Nation" master lecture, I not only felt the unique charm of language art but also developed a stronger interest in speaking Chinese well. Just like the words Teacher Ding wrote for me: "Where there's a will, there's a way," I will take Teacher Ding, an outstanding language artist of the older generation, as an example, have ideals, have ambitions, continuously strive, and move towards my goals!

Huang Qirui (Hongwen School, Fengxian District, Shanghai)

Today, I had the honor to attend Teacher Ding Jianhua's master class held at the National Anthem Exhibition Hall. With her rich experience and profound artistic skills, Teacher Ding vividly presented the spiritual connotations of the national anthem to us.

In the class, Teacher Ding first shared her growth story, from her initiation in Mandarin to joining the army, and then becoming a film dubbing actor. Each stage was closely connected to the spirit of the national anthem. Her voice was resounding and powerful, as if each note was stirring up the heroic sentiment of the nation. Then, Teacher Ding demonstrated the recitation of excerpts from "My Homeland, My Dear Homeland" and "Long Live the Youth." Her recitation was full of emotion, making people's hearts surge. Afterward, we also showcased our own recitations, and Teacher Ding gave patient comments and encouragement.

Finally, Teacher Ding encouraged us to combine poetry with drama, allowing language art to become a bridge for conveying ideas. Her words made me deeply realize that the national anthem is not just a form of music, but also a heritage and inspiration of the spirit.

Wang Binghong (Haihua Primary School, Huangpu District, Shanghai)

This summer, I am very honored to participate in the "Voice of the Nation" ideological and political master class. The teacher giving us the class this time is Teacher Ding Jianhua. In the class, Teacher Ding shared her growth experience and told us her story with the national anthem.

She told us that during her childhood, due to a competition, she fell in love with recitation by chance. Afterward, through hard practice, she expressed her love, gratitude, and admiration for the motherland through one work after another. I also want to be like Teacher Ding, continuously trying and diligently learning, performing in "Voice of the Nation" with a full spiritual outlook, and expressing my patriotic feelings through recitation.

In the class, I also actively participated in the interactive teaching segment and recited an excerpt from "My Homeland, My Dear Homeland" on the spot. Teacher Ding gave a passionate demonstration recitation for me and pointed out the areas I need to improve in my future learning.

The path of learning recitation is long and winding. What the master class conveys to us is not only the technique of turning silent words into voiced language but also the unyielding beliefs and sense of responsibility and mission of our predecessors.

Zhu Tianlang (Experimental Primary School of Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Shanghai)

I am very honored to participate in the "Voice of the Nation" master class series at the National Anthem Exhibition Hall. The lecture by the main speaker, Teacher Ding Jianhua, left a deep impression and inspiration on me. Using poet Shu Ting's "My Homeland, My Dear Homeland" as an example, she analyzed the emotional context and expression techniques of the poem in detail, making me deeply feel the warmth and strength contained in the words.

When introducing her own learning journey and life insights, her optimistic, open-minded, calm, persistent, and passionate life infected every audience member present.

Teacher Ding Jianhua's lecture was full of wisdom, warmth, and strength. Her sharing made me recognize the importance of learning and the charm of the art of recitation more profoundly. Thank you, Teacher Ding Jianhua, for your wonderful lecture! Looking forward to the series of master classes at the National Anthem Exhibition Hall, to voice the nation together!

The National Anthem Exhibition Hall will continue to deepen the creation of the "Voice of the Nation" ideological and political education brand, practice the important concept of the "People's City," combine "big principles" with "small stories," attract people with a fascinating look back at history, inspire people with the great achievements of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, motivate people with the future and the distance that the heart is heading towards, and continue to tell the story of the national anthem well, allowing red culture to take root in people's hearts and red genes to be passed down from generation to generation.