出生浙江嵊州、活跃于舞台多年的越剧表演艺术家周宝奎，创造了众多栩栩如生的古代老妇人形象，如《红楼梦》里的老祖宗、《珍珠塔》里的方朵花、《碧玉簪》中的阿林娘等等，不知有多少“越剧迷”为她扮演的角色所倾倒，通过电影的输出以及她随团出国演出，在海外也博得了众多的知音。
　　留在观众记忆中的是：她那稳健明快、泼辣生动、贴近生活的表演，她那吐字遒劲、声腔宏亮、韵味十足的唱腔，只要一上台，她就能猛的一下把观众镇住，紧接着是一阵暴风雨般的“满堂彩”掌声，尤其是她那《碧玉簪》阿林娘的一曲脍炙人口的《手心手背都是肉》，已成为经典唱段，堪称“神品”，可以说在越剧观众中无人不知、无人不爱，并成了一代又一代后来的旦角艺术家们努力追求的坐标，时至今日，仿效者中佼佼者固然涌现了不少，然而要说“超越”她的，则至今寥寥。
　　历来演越剧老旦不会像京剧老旦那样能够出名，早年她的启蒙老师把她的原名周彩娥改名周宝奎，其意思就是希望越剧界也能有京剧界李多奎那样出类拔萃的老旦演员：她期望“京剧有多奎，越剧要有宝奎。”周宝奎不负师望，在越剧界中她所饰演的老旦一角，身价完全能与花旦、小生平分秋色，能与徐玉兰、王文娟一样成为越剧观众家喻户晓的人物，这大概就是人们通常所说的“艺术的独创性”吧。
　　周宝奎出身于越剧发源地浙江嵊州的一个贫寒家庭，她11岁开始学戏，与后来成名的筱丹桂、商芳臣、裘大官等24位姐妹同一个科班，在严师教导下边学边演，她15岁便正式挂牌，先后与筱丹桂、姚水娟、屠杏花、徐玉兰、王文娟诸名角同台演出，与袁雪芬、范瑞娟、傅全香等著名演员同时活跃在越剧舞台上。周宝奎的艺术造诣除了名师指点，还得力于新中国大环境对她的培育。她对笔者说，新中国建立之前她还只是侧重于演技的精益求精，对于如何窥透角色内心世界、把握人物性格还不太懂，要说真正自觉地深入生活，创造不同性格的角色，这还是在新中国建立后，尤其是在穿上了军装之后。1952年，她从业的“玉兰剧团”被编入了中国人民解放军总政文工团行列，成为总政文工团越剧团。在解放军这个大学校的艺术团体里，经常由著名戏剧家宋之的给她们分析剧本内容与主题思想，分析人物环境与性格形成的因果，分析角色的内心世界与外表行动的关系等等，这些分析讲得绘声绘色、丝丝入扣；特别是导演陈其通，他是个思想境界很高的老红军，在艺术上有很高的造诣，这对她掌握人物的内心世界和对角色的性格把握帮助很大，加之人民军队的人际关系，自然给周宝奎以“如沐春风”之感。1953年春节，越剧团以志愿军政工干部身份入朝慰问演出，她经历了“演出中警报声响，演出场地顿时被炸成平地”的惊险情景，她那历时8个月在坑道里、在简易舞台上、在隆隆炮声中赶场子的血与火的战地演出，锻炼了艺术，更锻炼了意志，她获得了朝鲜民主主义人民共和国军功章。1954年全团回国后，她随团由北京回上海，在改编后的上海越剧剧院里成为戏剧改革中的重要一员。
　　当然，周宝奎的成就也离不开她自身的努力和她对观众、对艺术的责任感与使命感，来源于她对自身职业的敬与爱。她几十年如一日地对戏艺的刻苦钻研，直到晚年出国演出，还被海外的华人报纸惊呼：“越剧瑰宝、宝刀不老、浑身是戏!”
　　2001年初春，这位年届80岁的老人与她的老伴，兴致勃勃地来到了她的故乡与学艺之地——浙江嵊州市长乐镇，乡亲们喜出望外，探视不绝，大家为这只飞出故乡多年的越剧金凤凰感到骄傲，她十分理解乡亲们对自己的情意，她深情地说：“我的生命是父母和家乡给的，我的艺术生命是观众给的!”
　　今日周宝奎已经离开越剧舞台安度晚年，然而她仍一往情深地视越剧如生命，平日曲不离口，只要有演唱场合和机会，她总会到一处就唱一处，从不摆艺术家架子。从某种意义上来说，如今她的艺术舞台更为宽广了，她不像往昔只在舞台上演出，眼下整个社会都是她的舞台。
　　（作者为浙江省作家协会原副主席、著名儿童文学作家）
　　
　　The Gold Phoenix of Yueju Opera
　　By Shen Hugen
　　
　　Born in Shengzhou, Zhejiang Province in 1920, Zhou Baokui is an eternal legend of Yueju Opera. Before she retired, she created many vivid characters of old women in the best known plays of the traditional opera that originated in the province and bloomed into brilliance in Shanghai in the first few decades of the 20th century. She appeared on films and performed abroad, which has made her a well known Yueju Opera artist even among overseas fans.
　　Unlike those who play an old female character in Peking Opera and have an opportunity to become famous, few girls in Yueju Opera become popular by personifying an old woman. But Zhou Baokui is the only exception in Yueju Opera. Her radiant performance and skillful singing captivated audiences. Her aria of he flesh on the palm and the back of the hand is equally dear to me?in The Green Jade Hairpin is her signature performance. Every Yueju Opera enthusiast knows the aria and loves it. Actresses of new generations have tried to emulate her and there are good ones, but none has surpassed her.
　　Zhou began to learn the role of an old woman at the age of 11. At the age of 15, she began to appear on the stage acting as an old woman.
　　In addition to the rigorous training from her teachers, Zhou also owes her success to the learning she received after New China was founded. Before that time, what she had learned most was about performing techniques. She was not perfect in understanding and exploring the minds of the roles she played. She joined the PLA in 1952, which proved to be a turning point in her career. She was able to work with knowledgeable directors who would analyze and explain to her the themes, connotations, characters, interaction between characters and the surrounding society, and the external interpretation of the inner world, etc. The learning and the different life experience she had in New China helped her to peep into a great art world. When the Korea War broke out, she volunteered for the front as a Yujue Opera actress. She even stayed in a tunnel for eight months in the front. She was awarded a medal for her heroic deeds in Korea. She came back to China in 1954 and then moved to Shanghai with the troupe. She became a key person in the traditional Chinese opera reform at the Shanghai Yueju Opera Theater. It was in Shanghai that her career bloomed.
　　Highly dedicated, Zhou never stopped honing her performing skills. For decades, she worked hard to improve herself. Even in the last years of her stage career, her performances in the foreign countries and regions wowed audiences and critics. That was definitely not just because she was an old woman acting as an old woman.
　　Now in her 80s, Zhou Baokui is retired from the stage, but she would like to sing her arias whenever possible. The whole world is still her big stage.
　　 (Translated by David)