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Kunqu Opera enchants young converts with music, culture
November 2, 2009, Monday
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ZENG Jie wowed young audiences recently with his performance in the Kunqu Opera play "Peony Pavilion," and then delighted them with a popular song by pop singer Leehom Wang that echoed the opera's dream lover imagery:
"Waiting beside the plum tree, I don't know when my love will show up, either in reality or only in a dream," he sang in modern-vibe "Zai Mei Bian" ("Beside the Plum Tree").
"I perform a modern song to cater to young audiences, and to remind them that we Kunqu actors can also sing pop, we're young people too," says Zeng, a Kunqu Opera actor, at a recent show in Shengli Theater by Zhejiang Kunqu Opera Troupe.
Around two-thirds of the audience were young people.
Zeng is known for playing the gentle roles of refined scholars. Because he performed briefly at the opening of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he is known as "Olympic xiaosheng." Young male characters in traditional Chinese operas are known as xiaosheng.
Many Kunqu Opera fans in the audience had become acquainted through the Internet and QQ instant messaging, and some decided to come from far away to attend the performance in Hangzhou.
One young man took an original libretto of "Peony Pavilion" to follow the lines and learn the arias. A couple of young women could follow the score.
Mou Xuan is a postgraduate in Chinese classics and classical bibliography at Zhejiang University. She has collected many recorded performances.
Whenever Kunqu Opera performances are given in Hangzhou and nearby cities, she tries to attend.
She says many young Kunqu fans are college students or white collars.
They fall into two categories: those who learn by listening and studying audio visual records of the masters, and those who are members of Kunqu clubs and learn from professional teachers.
Hangzhou has two main Kunqu clubs - Dahua and Qinglian Kunqu Opera societies.
Dahua's members are of all ages, young and old. Qingliang appeals more to young people.
Young fans discuss performances and connect on QQ and their Douban Webpage (it represents a large online community providing users reviews and recommendations for movies, music and books).
When they meet in class many prefer to wear hanfu, traditional Han clothing. At other times they practice and instruct each other on Skype.
Lu Yinluan, a 30-year-old office worker, is a founding member of Qinglian Kunqu Opera Society. Late last year she and several Kunqu fans called upon Dahua, with mostly older members, for cooperation. They suggested older fans help teach younger ones by putting up posts on forums.
"We decided to set up a new Kunqu society since the number of learners is large and beyond our expectations," says Liu.
That resulted in formation of Qinglian Kunqu Opera Society founded in February. It now has more than 50 members and holds activities every Sunday. Sometimes there are classes with teachers, shows and competitions.
Kunqu Opera dates back 600 years and is one of China's oldest traditional operas. It combines drama, song and dance, as well as literary refinement. Thus, a performer needs to grasp the nuanced culture; imitating arias is just a first step.
To understand the story and the poetic imagery, a learner needs to study the libretto and the qupai (titled tune) written to a sequence of tunes. Learners learn the tunes of different qupai and imitate the arias of masters. Later posture and dance is studied.
It takes a good voice, flexible body and good figure, but the study of the theater culture and poetry is demanding. Some people gave up.
"The learning drives us to learn classical tradition and culture like poetry, calligraphy and painting, and we are proud of studying the ancient skills," says Lu.
"Singing Kunqu outdoors is exhilarating. Once we were singing Kunqu and wearing Han costume near the West Lake when rowers went by," Lu says. The guys were enthusiastic and shouted "Fairy! Fairy!" apparently meaning their performance was out of a fairy tale.
Many people learn Kunqu to relax mind and body, as does Lian Zi, 23, who is the cofounder of the young people's club. She has more than 20-gigabyte Kunqu videos and music in moveable hard disk.
Lian says learning Kunqu in a hectic society is a way to fill her heart with Chinese culture and to feel a sense of pride and belonging.
Lian aims to provide a gathering place in Hangzhou for fans to communicate, study and extend the opera culture.
"We will still perform," she says, "when our hair is white."
Douban Webpage: www.douban.com/group/179328/
QQ group number: 81268018
"Waiting beside the plum tree, I don't know when my love will show up, either in reality or only in a dream," he sang in modern-vibe "Zai Mei Bian" ("Beside the Plum Tree").
"I perform a modern song to cater to young audiences, and to remind them that we Kunqu actors can also sing pop, we're young people too," says Zeng, a Kunqu Opera actor, at a recent show in Shengli Theater by Zhejiang Kunqu Opera Troupe.
Around two-thirds of the audience were young people.
Zeng is known for playing the gentle roles of refined scholars. Because he performed briefly at the opening of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he is known as "Olympic xiaosheng." Young male characters in traditional Chinese operas are known as xiaosheng.
Many Kunqu Opera fans in the audience had become acquainted through the Internet and QQ instant messaging, and some decided to come from far away to attend the performance in Hangzhou.
One young man took an original libretto of "Peony Pavilion" to follow the lines and learn the arias. A couple of young women could follow the score.
Mou Xuan is a postgraduate in Chinese classics and classical bibliography at Zhejiang University. She has collected many recorded performances.
Whenever Kunqu Opera performances are given in Hangzhou and nearby cities, she tries to attend.
She says many young Kunqu fans are college students or white collars.
They fall into two categories: those who learn by listening and studying audio visual records of the masters, and those who are members of Kunqu clubs and learn from professional teachers.
Hangzhou has two main Kunqu clubs - Dahua and Qinglian Kunqu Opera societies.
Dahua's members are of all ages, young and old. Qingliang appeals more to young people.
Young fans discuss performances and connect on QQ and their Douban Webpage (it represents a large online community providing users reviews and recommendations for movies, music and books).
When they meet in class many prefer to wear hanfu, traditional Han clothing. At other times they practice and instruct each other on Skype.
Lu Yinluan, a 30-year-old office worker, is a founding member of Qinglian Kunqu Opera Society. Late last year she and several Kunqu fans called upon Dahua, with mostly older members, for cooperation. They suggested older fans help teach younger ones by putting up posts on forums.
"We decided to set up a new Kunqu society since the number of learners is large and beyond our expectations," says Liu.
That resulted in formation of Qinglian Kunqu Opera Society founded in February. It now has more than 50 members and holds activities every Sunday. Sometimes there are classes with teachers, shows and competitions.
Kunqu Opera dates back 600 years and is one of China's oldest traditional operas. It combines drama, song and dance, as well as literary refinement. Thus, a performer needs to grasp the nuanced culture; imitating arias is just a first step.
To understand the story and the poetic imagery, a learner needs to study the libretto and the qupai (titled tune) written to a sequence of tunes. Learners learn the tunes of different qupai and imitate the arias of masters. Later posture and dance is studied.
It takes a good voice, flexible body and good figure, but the study of the theater culture and poetry is demanding. Some people gave up.
"The learning drives us to learn classical tradition and culture like poetry, calligraphy and painting, and we are proud of studying the ancient skills," says Lu.
"Singing Kunqu outdoors is exhilarating. Once we were singing Kunqu and wearing Han costume near the West Lake when rowers went by," Lu says. The guys were enthusiastic and shouted "Fairy! Fairy!" apparently meaning their performance was out of a fairy tale.
Many people learn Kunqu to relax mind and body, as does Lian Zi, 23, who is the cofounder of the young people's club. She has more than 20-gigabyte Kunqu videos and music in moveable hard disk.
Lian says learning Kunqu in a hectic society is a way to fill her heart with Chinese culture and to feel a sense of pride and belonging.
Lian aims to provide a gathering place in Hangzhou for fans to communicate, study and extend the opera culture.
"We will still perform," she says, "when our hair is white."
Douban Webpage: www.douban.com/group/179328/
QQ group number: 81268018
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