(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-04-07 07:02

Opera troupes rarely give performances in the rural areas, says an article in People's Daily. The following is an excerpt:

In today's countryside, farmers can easily watch movies and read books backed by government support. But it is still rather difficult for them to watch operas.

It is not enough to depend only on a few State-run opera troupes. We must increase the number of troupes that visit the rural areas.

In fact the lack of opera troupes has existed from the 1950s. The few in existence have to cater to both urban and rural audiences. Every county has only one or two State-owned troupes. Even if they performed all year round, the rural areas are not given priority. With the increase in population the gap between supply and demand has been widening.

Since China launched its reform and opening up, private opera troupes began to resume their performance and can give three or four performances a year in some rural regions. But these troupes have not grown in numbers so most rural areas are missing out on such performances.

We should encourage the establishment of more opera troupes in the rural areas even if they lack the skills of the State-run troupes. With rural backgrounds these troupes will be able to better satisfy the cultural needs of farmers.

We already have some experience in setting up private troupes in Zhejiang, Henan and Guangdong provinces. Local governments must get rid of their prejudice against private opera troupes and encourage their growth.

In some of the rich regions, the governments should subsidize private troupes so that the art form can be better promoted and enjoyed by more people.

(China Daily 04/07/2008 page4)