PROMOTING PEKING OPERA

The China National Peking Opera Company is holding Ode to Spring, an event which will run till April 16, to promote the traditional art form in Beijing

Spring is the main season for Peking Opera fans in the capital as the China National Peking Opera Company - the top national ensemble which founded in 1955 - always presents shows featuring both established and young Peking Opera artists as well as programs ranging from traditional to contemporary works.

Now, in its fifth year, the event, titled Ode to Spring, which kicked off on March 2 and will run till April 16 features nearly 20 programs.

The highlights of the event which will be staged at the Mei Lanfang Grand Theater in Beijing include a new Peking Opera piece, titled Song of the Silk Road, which make its debut over March 22 and 23.

According to Song Chen from the National Peking Opera Company, the piece was inspired by the ancient Silk Road and is divided into two sections.

With Peking Opera, the 200-year-old art form, facing a decline, Song says that the company is trying to revive it with new approaches.

In Song of the Silk Road, Peking Opera artists perform songs which combine pop elements and Peking Opera - an experiment to appeal to a contemporary audience - says Song.

Speaking about the company's work, Song says: "In 2017, we staged more than 400 shows at home and abroad.

"Peking Opera is a sophisticated art form, which contains various performing styles and various roles. And what we do is to keep the tradition alive with creative ideas. But, besides staging traditional pieces, we need a new repertoire."

In 2017, the company revived three classic Peking Opera pieces, including You Sisters in the Red Chamber - a story from Dream of the Red Chamber by Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) writer Cao Xueqin; The Legend of the White Snake and Zhu Hen Ji.

These three newly-choreographed pieces will be staged from April 12 to 16.

Meanwhile, Song says that the two-week event has been expanded to more than a month this year to offer audiences more shows, as well as to give young Peking Opera artists a platform to display their skills.

"We've selected eight top young artists from our company to perform at the event. These actors, in their 20s and 30s, are taking the responsibility of keeping the tradition alive," says Song.

One of the young actors is Guo Fanjia, who will play the lead role in the contemporary Peking Opera piece, Daughter of the Party, which premiered in 2016, marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Long March, a strategic operation undertaken over 1934-36 by China's Red Army.

In the piece, Guo, who graduated from the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts and now focuses on doing dan (female) roles, plays Guiying.

Speaking about the role, Guo says: "Unlike the roles I played earlier, such as brave female warriors and pampered princess, the Gui role is challenging.

Young actress Fu Jia, who has been training with veteran Peking Opera actress Du Jinfang for three years, plays Xie Yaohuan in the classic Peking Opera piece of the same title.

The opera is based on the story of a female official named Xie Yaohuan from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) who served Empress Wu Zetian.

The Xie Yaoyuan role is the third one Fu is learning from Du, who has done these female roles earlier.

Song says that to popularize Peking Opera among the young, the China National Peking Opera Company will do about 140 shows at primary schools in Beijing.

And the company also plans to turn Peking Opera pieces into cartoon films besides offering training to students across the country.

chennan@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 03/10/2018 page20)