Mu Guiying (played by Yingzi) dances while wearing a long-sleeved crimson dress before going to the battlefield to carry on the glory of her husband's family. [File photo]

In "Mu Guiying,'' an innovative new Peking Opera, the traditional Peking Opera set of "one table, two chairs'' was turned into "one tub, two chairs.''

The tub in this case is a symbol for the private life of Mu Guiying, a well-known woman general who served during the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127).

Mu Guiying has come across in history and in traditional Chinese theatrical productions as a gallant army general who, as the daughter-in-law of another general, carried on the family's glorious legacy and led her army from victory to victory.

From September 2 to 21, a Mu unfamiliar to most theatre-goers was presented at the Experimental Theatre of Beijing People's Art Theatre.

Inner world stressed

The play never went into the realistic deeds of the heroine, but depicted the psychological movements of Mu through her dialogue with three men of different generations of the Yang family -- her husband Yang Zongbao, her father-in-law Yang Liulang and grandfather-in-law Yang Jiye, all of whom had died in battle.

In the beginning scene, Mu took a bath before going on a battle campaign. She stepped onto a sacrificial altar to pray for blessing and protection. Suddenly, the spirits of the three men appeared.

The spirit of Yang Zongbao (played by Wang Lijun) tries to encourage his wife Mu Guiying to be a heroine in battle.

The black, grey and white beards showed their different ages. A lingering trio singing of "ku-ah'' (which means "bitter'') by the three men at different pitches was their opening address, which sounded enchanting, but at the same time created an oppressive atmosphere.

Yang Zongbao encouraged Mu to fight and defeat the enemy. Yang Liulang regarded death on the field of battle as a glorious end. Yang Jiye, the eldest character, hated war and hoped Mu would lead the Yang family to live farmers' lives in the countryside. Hearing that his wife She Taijun led the army to fight at the age of 100, Yang Jiye couldn't help sighing "A 100-year-old woman still fights!''

Dawn broke the darkness. The sky was clear and boundless. The three vanished abruptly. War drums were thunderous. Having seen through life and death, Mu left for a campaign.

A popular figure in Chinese historical novels and traditional operas, Mu lived at a time when her country was facing invasion. Mu was originally the daughter of a bandit. After marrying Yang Zongbao, she became a member of the Yang family, which has been lauded in historical records for their role in protecting the country.

Many famous Peking Opera actors have played the role of Mu Guiying, such as Mei Lanfang, Mei Baojiu and Du Jinfang. In Peking Operas, Mu is always depicted as brave and resourceful, such as in "Mu Guiying Da Po Tianmen Zhen"(Mu Guiying Assumes Her Generalship), and "Mu Guiying Da Po Tianmen Zhen" (Mu Guiying triumphs over Tianmen Zhen Battle).

She still led the army to fight when she was pregnant, and she even gave birth to her son Yang Wenguang on the battlefield.

However, few seem to have cared about the inner world of Mu as a woman.

"Almost all the men of the Yang family had died, leaving a group of women alone,'' said Li Liuyi, author and director of the play. "They would certainly miss those who were gone, and must have longed for love and peace. Mu Guiying is no exception.''

Yingzi, who played the title role in "Mu Guiying,'' said that this Mu Guiying was "very female.''

"In traditional Peking Opera, I can play Mu Guiying well as long as I am physically competent,'' said Yingzi. Being adept at martial arts is a hallmark of the role of Mu Guiying.

"Now I have to concentrate on the psychology of Mu,'' she said.

To give a heroine a more feminine side is what Li Liuyi tries to do in his "Trilogy of Heroines in War,'' of which "Mu Guiying'' is the first work. The other two plays of the trilogy will be "Hua Mulan,'' a well-known heroine who disguised herself as a man and joined the army and "Liang Hongyu,'' wife of another famous army general during the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

New adventure

Li is perhaps one of China's most versatile directors in terms of different genres of traditional opera. He has directed Peking Opera, Pingju Opera, Yuju Opera, Kunqu Opera, Luju Opera, Chuanju Opera, Meihu Opera and Liuqin Opera.

"Local operas are vivid representations of local cultures, which have always spurred me to learn,'' said Li.

However, Li also found that the singularity of traditional Chinese opera in narration, music and performance could not satisfy modern audiences.

Director Li Liuyi (centre) moves the tub to a better position on stage with Yingzi inside.

Labelled as a "new drama,'' "Mu Guiying'' attempted to construct a more comprehensive system for the text and performance of Peking Opera.

One of the highlights of "Mu Guiying'' was its original music, scored by famous composer Guo Wenjing. Employing basically the same traditional instruments for Peking Opera, such as jinghu (two-stringed bowed instrument), yueqin(four-stringed plucking instrument) and gongs, Guo developed a new style Peking Opera music, which is highly subtle and dramatic.

For example, continuous playing on the jinghu produced long and lyrical sounds, which cannot be heard in the traditional set tunes (qupai) of Peking Opera. The composer also sometimes used a timpani in the score, varying the original rhythmic patterns.

Both Guo and Li have been searching for an artistic language that is rooted in tradition while oriented towards modern thinking, though in different fields. Now they have the chance to co-operate with each other. Guo will also compose music for the other two plays of the "Trilogy of Heroines in War.''

Compared to traditional Peking Opera, "Mu Guiying'' employed a new narrative form. Li deliberately weakened the element of plot and strengthened the psychological perspective of the characters.

However, "Mu Guiying'' did not overthrow the general principles of Peking Opera, but rather provided an extension of the hypothetical aesthetics of traditional Chinese opera.

After all of this experimentation, "Mu Guiying'' still treated the audience to an enjoyable performance, especially of the beauty of Peking Opera's stylized dramatic movements.

This is ascribed to the professional training of the four Peking Opera actors: Yingzi (Mu Guiying), Wang Lijun (Yang Zongbao), Han Jianguang (Yang Liulang) and Liu Ziwei (Yang Jiye).

"The cream of Peking Opera must be preserved before we can make any innovation,'' said Yingzi.

In another recent play called "Tianshang Renjian" (Celestial Human World), which was also performed by four actors of traditional Chinese opera, the director tried to borrow some external characteristics of traditional Chinese opera for use in a modern play.

In contrast, "Mu Guiying'' had a modern spirit injected into Peking opera. Li's exploration is obviously more serious and more fruitful.

A Peking Opera fan may find "Mu Guiying'' an abuse of the authentic art of Peking Opera, but Li's innovation presents a way of revitalizing Peking Opera, an old art already in decline.

In the history of traditional Chinese opera, Peking Opera had more external influence than most of the other schools of Chinese opera, which in part resulted in Peking Opera's popularity.

"Mu Guiying'' may not represent the future trend of Peking Opera, but is definitely a positive move for its development.

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