Theater singers from China, Vietnam meet and compare notes

HANOI - As two heavily madeup Chinese men fought with each other fiercely yet quietly in the darkness, using machetes and bare hands on stage in Vietnam on Dec 13, the people watching either clapped their hands enthusiastically or burst into laughter.

The two men were performing San Cha Kou, or The Crossway, a classical Peking Opera piece that was recognized as world intangible cultural heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 2010.

The performance of San Cha Kou and five other traditional plays by Chinese and Vietnamese artists was part of the China-Vietnam Traditional Stage Exchange Week, held by the Chinese embassy in Vietnam and the Vietnam Stage Artists Association from Dec 10 to 14 in Hanoi.

The activities of the exchange week included an exhibition about the life and work of Mei Lanfang, one of the most outstanding figures of Peking Opera and a pioneer who introduced the art form to the world, an international seminar on inheriting and developing traditional stage productions of China and Vietnam and performances of traditional plays by artists from the two countries.

The event "helped strengthen exchanges in experience and mutual learning between literary and art circles of Vietnam and China," especially in inheriting and developing traditional stage productions in the new era, and contributed to the closer friendship and cooperation between the two countries, Le Tien Tho, president of the Vietnam Stage Artists Association, former vice-minister of culture, sports and tourism, told Xinhua.

At the seminar, Chinese and Vietnamese scholars and artists discussed measures to preserve and popularize traditional stage performances, which are increasingly getting the cold shoulder from young people.

"If we do not introduce our youth (to) the goodness and the beauty of traditional stage performances, they will further shun them," Tho said.

According to Tho, in addition to the annual exchange activities between stage artists associations of Vietnam and China, the culture ministries should build up relevant plans for artists from the two countries to beef up exchanges and cooperation.

"Exchange programs will create favorable conditions for developing traditional stage performances in the information age, positively affecting young generations," said Tho, who holds the People's Artist title.

Peng Shituan, cultural counselor at the Chinese embassy in Vietnam, echoed Tho's remarks, saying that China and Vietnam should bolster cooperation and exchanges, and seek directions for their traditional stage performances so that they will receive more affection from young theatergoers.

"Youth is the key to inheriting and developing traditional stage performances," Peng said.

Like the Vietnamese and Chinese officials, artists expressed their desire for more opportunities to improve their performance skills and promote the beauty and uniqueness of traditional stagecraft, contributing to greater friendship and solidarity between the two nations as well as with the rest of the world.

"We would like to have more opportunities such as joint performances like this, seminars and festivals to perform Vietnam's traditional stage productions, including Cai Luong (modern folk opera), Tuong (classic drama) and Cheo (traditional operetta) in China and other countries in the world," Thuy Dung from the Vietnam National Cai Luong Theater told Xinhua after playing a female lead in the famous Vietnamese Cai Luong play Cung phi Diem Bich, or Diem Bich Concubine, on Dec 13.

Dung said she wants to perform in China and learn more from Peking Opera artists.

"Peking Opera and Vietnam's traditional stages have some things in common, including makeup, props and singing," Dung said, adding that Peking Opera artists perform confidently and subtly with few simple props, such as tables and chairs.

After the performances, many Chinese and Vietnamese young people rushed to the stage to congratulate artists and talked with them eagerly.

"I was most impressed by San Cha Kou because the two artists performed spectacular fights at night with swordplay and acrobatics," Nguyen Dinh Khai, a freshman at the Electric Power University in Hanoi, told Xinhua while standing on stage next to the Chinese artists.

Another Vietnamese student, Nguyen Thi Kim Phuong, at the Thuong Mai University in the capital city, also expressed her love for San Cha Kou, stating that the swordplay and hand combat in the Chinese play were not only swift and flexible but also humorous.

Of all the Vietnamese plays, both Vietnamese students like Cung phi Diem Bich best, stating that the artist Thuy Dung acted very well and sang very sweetly.

"I want to go to Beijing to watch Peking Opera plays with my own eyes. Now I can only watch them on YouTube," Phuong said, noting that she has studied Chinese for two years so she can basically understand what the characters on stage are saying.

Pan Yilin, a Chinese citizen studying Vietnamese at Hanoi University, said studying foreign languages is a way of better understanding each other in all fields, including traditional stage performances.

"I hope that China and Vietnam will have more live stage performances like this. Watching the artist perform directly is much better than through online channels," Pan said.

Xinhua

(China Daily 12/20/2018 page17)