Peking Opera: School curricula should include education in plays and dramas

Two major Peking Opera actors assured the press yesterday that when young people are introduced to Peking opera, they will gain a deeper understanding of and attraction to this art form.

On tour in Macau, two leading Peking Opera actors – Yu Kuizhi and Li Shengsu – both leaders at the China National Peking Opera Company, met with the press yesterday despite a busy schedule that included visits to local schools.

Yu said that on Wednesday, they visited the Tong Sin Tong Secondary School and yesterday afternoon, they were set to visit the Sam Yuk School.

Yu added that many students fell in love with the art form after close engagement with it. Li added that school visits often involved applying traditional make-up on the students and transforming them into various roles.

Yu disclosed that some students expressed an interest in attending shows after school visits. When students embraced Peking opera, they became more receptive to this classic art form. Li suggested that nurturing a seed of interest in students’ hearts is crucial for the regeneration of Peking opera.

The Company conducts 40 to 45 campus visits each year and currently comprises about 70% of members born in the third millennium, according to Yu, who explained that the Company is bringing the art forward to new generations.

Regarding the preservation of the artform, Yu suggested that school curricula should include education in plays and dramas, including all forms of opera across China. This is the fifth year and marks the fourth time that the company has toured Macau. Last year, the same shows were set to take the stage of the Macao Cultural Centre. However, due to disease control measures, the tour was cancelled and postponed to this December.

The troupe will stage two different shows today and tomorrow as part of this year’s tour to Macau. Today, the troupe will present The Fiery Red Horse, a 170-minute production, highlighting a legend that immerses the audience in ancient imagery so often displayed in theatres across China. Taking place during the Tang dynasty, this story transcends historical and geographic boundaries, touring in cities like London and New York.

Tomorrow, another performance will depict the historical and devastating story between an emperor and his concubine during the post-Qin Dynasty era. In the face of military defeat, the leader’s faithful concubine will dance for him one last time before using his sword to end her own life, to great dramatic effect. In the 1990s, this widely known classic was featured as a colorful backdrop in an award winning film with the same title, featuring the late Hong Kong star Leslie Cheung.

Founded in 1955, the National Peking Opera Company has long nurtured a line of accomplished artists, playwrights, directors and composers from across the country.