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September 21, 2019

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Peking Opera tradition, evolution, innovation

AFTER 100 years of prosperity Peking Opera has faced several historical hurdles but arguably its biggest obstacle has been to revitalize and attract a younger audience with each passing generation.

Peking Opera artist Shi Yihong, renowned for her versatility and elegance, has for many years been dedicated to staying true to the tradition of Peking Opera but also its evolution and innovation.

Shi has raised the bar repeatedly with her avant-garde initiatives, from a new opera adapted from the “Hunchback of Notre-Dame,” to the chamber concert version of “Farewell My Concubine,” to the cross-genre performance themed “Mei, Shang, Cheng, Xun” (four famous Peking Opera artists).

The 47-year-old’s innovative fusion of tradition and novelty has proved to be popular with the younger generation while more classical Peking Opera lovers believe the original spirit of the genre should be respected.

Recently, she has been rehearsing a new production, “New Dragon Inn,” which made its second preview at the National Center for the Performing Arts, Beijing on September 13.

In the story, a hero named Zhou Huai’an and his fiancee Qiu Moyan are trying to protect two orphaned children, being chased by a powerful eunuch’s army, and smuggle them out to safety.

At the Dragon Gate Inn, they meet a charming, seductive innkeeper Jin Xiangyu, who later falls in love with Zhou and becomes involved with his cause.

The show, centered around themes of love and righteousness, features fast-paced action scenes and martial arts stunts, which provides a fascinating aesthetic and visual experience.

Another highlight is the heroine Shi playing two roles — the passionate Jin Xiangyu and the coldly elegant Qiu Moyan.

At the rehearsal, Shanghai Daily caught up with Shi Yihong to talk about her new show and the innovation of Peking Opera.

Q: What’s the essence of the “New Dragon Inn”?

A: It is more a comprehensive musical drama than a pure Peking Opera. However, it keeps the essence of a traditional opera as the main body — which is the most important thing for new operas. What is the essence? Four skills: singing, dialogue, acting and acrobatics; five methods: hand, eye, body, footwork and the overall manner. Only if the actors are equipped with those skills can they shape their characters in a vivid way.

The establishment of characters is always the backbone of a show. A challenge for new Peking Opera is how to combine the use of digital art with traditional performance — let modern technology assist the actors, not overshadow the Chinese aesthetic tradition.

Q: “New Dragon Inn” is adapted from a 1992 movie of the same name. Is the character in the opera different from the movie version?

A: Jin Xiangyu is an unprecedented character in Peking Opera who attracts me. She is a multi-faceted anti-heroine, a fierce rose in the desert. She knows a secret passage which can smuggle people out of the desert. Making money while struggling to survive is crucial to her, since she has no one but herself to rely on.

The movie highlights her emotions and desire. In contrast, the Peking Opera highlights her sense of justice and sacrifice for love. Initially, she was just attracted to Zhou Huai’an, and actively pursued him. The change happened when Zhou told her about the government’s persecution of the two children. She resonated with him in his commitment to justice and took up his mission as her own because of both admiration and righteousness.

Q: You have tried many new operas as well as new forms of performance. What is your attitude toward Peking Opera innovation?

A: I never confine myself to traditions. The development of Peking Opera has infinite possibilities. In the early years, the four famous performers (Mei Lanfang, Shang Xiaoyun, Cheng Yanqiu, Xun Huisheng) were all devoted to innovation. Along with innovation inevitably came criticism and failures. For example, many modern dramas failed. However, had they not been bold and forward-looking, there would have been no progress.

Late opera masters Yang Baosen and Yang Baozhong added violin techniques into the jinghu (a bowed string instrument used primarily in Peking Opera) performance, largely enriching the musical expression. Now, many of my audience say that adding violins and cellos make the music more beautiful.

Peking Opera needs changes. It should follow the spirit of the times and add more new elements. I hope today’s audience can be more open and tolerant of experiments, which matters a lot for the vitality of the opera. I also believe that Peking Opera artists should be the most “modern” people — who dare to integrate good elements of contemporary culture into their creation.

Q: Last year, the Yihong Theater, named after you, was founded in the Wisdom Bay Innovation Park of Baoshan District. The theater produced a Peking Opera drama textbook titled “The Legend of Mid-Autumn.” What motivated you to produce a drama textbook for children?

A: Peking Opera needs a steady flow of people. Giving them a story and inviting children to the theater is a wonderful way to attract an audience, which is different from bringing traditional operas into classrooms.

Once children love a story, they can choose whether to view it or not. Going to a theater cultivates a sense of ritual and respect for art.

Q: As you have performed in Japan, US and many other countries, what kind of response did you receive abroad? What do you want to say to our foreign readers?

A: I have been performing in Japan frequently since the 1990s. Japanese people love Peking Opera, even when it was not so popular in China then. They have a lot of respect for traditional art and culture, which I really appreciate.

The audiences in the East and the West have different responses which reflect cultural differences.

In 1994, we produced a new show “The Water Margin Heroes: Hu San Niang and Wang Ying,” a romance in ancient China. We used (Felix) Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March” as the music for the heroes’ wedding. Japanese and Chinese audiences laughed: How could this be possible? But Swedish audience considered it as normal.

Peking Opera tells a lot of Chinese stories and shows how the Chinese express their emotions. For those foreigners in Shanghai, who are interested or at least fascinated by Chinese culture, I suppose they do give it a try.

It’s OK if they do not know a lot about it. Art does not have a high threshold. The emotions Peking operas convey are common to people all over the world.




 

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