TV show combines tradition with youth

A reality show, in which established performers of traditional Chinese operas guide younger followers and celebrities with an interest in the time-honored art form to collaboratively create innovative performances, has been aired recently.

The show, Nashou Haoxi (roughly translated as "dab hand at traditional Chinese opera"), on CCTV-3, a channel of China Central Television, encourages participants to interpret traditional operas from the perspective of the younger generation.

They draw upon their own experiences and expertise to help bring the highbrow art form to a wider audience.

Singer-actor Yu Haoming is among the participants. He once dabbled in Peking Opera when he was playing the role Du Mingli, an aficionado of the time-honored art, in the costume drama Nothing Gold Can Stay, which was released in 2017.

"The experience sparked my interest in the art," Yu says. "This time, the reality show provides me with a great chance to further probe into it."

Another participant, singer-songwriter Shang Wenjie, agrees. In her songs, she has combined the opera art form with pop music and it's time, she says, to systematically learn the genre from professional teachers in the field, especially theoretical knowledge and their unique styles of singing.

In the show's first episode, participants give solo performances to display their abilities in singing, dancing and the martial arts. Based on their performances, a panel of experts, who act as team leaders throughout the show, choose their respective team members to study the genre that they are adept in. The experts include Peking Opera master Tan Xiaozeng; Qinqiang Opera actress Hui Minli; Yueju Opera actress He Saifei; Wu Qiong, an experienced actress of Huangmeixi, a local opera of Anhui province, and Yuju Opera actress Chen Bailing, better known for her stage name Xiaoxiangyu, among other renowned veteran performers.

Later, each team studies a certain genre and collaboratively stages a performance in that style.

For instance, in the show's second episode, Shang, pop idol Zhang Yanqi, singer-dancer Li Sidanni and Liu Shuaiyi, a young performer of Yuju Opera, which originated in Henan province, join the team of Xiaoxiangyu.

Together they stage a Yuju Opera piece that tells the story of legendary heroine Hua Mulan. Apart from using cutting-edge technology to create impressive audiovisual effects on stage, the team also includes the musical style of rap in their work.

Zhang, 24, enthusiastically raps the praises of heroines in history and in today's China, adding more sparkle to their performance.

Yin Xiaodong, head of the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts, praised the performances in the show, saying that as time goes by, traditional Chinese opera performers have been boldly integrating innovative elements into their artistic creation that can meet the requirement of young generations for better audiovisual effects and better connect the public to the ancient opera art form.