2-3 July 2011 (Sat - Sun) 7:30pm
Concert Hall, Hong Kong City Hall
Tickets: $240, 180, 160, 100

Lyrics and dialogue with Chinese and English surtitles

2 July 2011 (Sat)
A Historical Play - Wu Zetian: Usurper to the Tang Throne
Born Wu Meiniang, Wu Zetian is a fifth-ranking imperial concubine of Emperor Taizong (r. 626 - 649) of the Tang Dynasty.  She has an illicit relationship with his son, Prince Li Zhi, who promises to create her as Empress on his ascension to the throne.  When later he does succeed as Emperor Gaozong and for years shows no sign of keeping his promise, Wu takes matters into her own hands.  She frames Empress Wang, who, like herself, is pregnant at the time.  Wu gives birth first, and as the Empress comes to pay her courtesy visit, she kills her own daughter to incriminate her rival.  The suspect is quickly deposed by the deceived Emperor and banished from the main palace grounds.  But it does not keep Wu, now created the new Empress, from issuing a secret order to have the expected baby killed at birth.  Its unhappy mother commits suicide after leaving a note in blood entrusting her newborn, as yet spared, to the care of her survivors.  Soon after, Wu removes her own son from the throne, and establishes her reign as the Heavenly Ruler of Zhou Dynasty.

This production features a strong cast playing a comprehensive gamut of Gaojia opera role-types, and puts on full display the characteristics of a ‘court play’ in the genre.  The story tells how Wu Zetian – the only female Emperor in the history of China – came into power in the 7^th Century.  Through wiles and ruses, she first usurps control of the Tang Dynasty and finally establishes her own reign under Zhou Dynasty.  The formidable historical figure comes to life with the vivid and insightful interpretation by actress Wu Jingjing.  From immaculate stylized movements, commanding stage presence to awe-inspiring regality, Wu is an impressive Empress Wu in this historical play.

Cast: Wu Jingjing, Zhuang Weiwen, Li Li

3 July 2011 (Sun)
Excerpts
A Galaxy of Comic Role Actors in Gaojia Opera
In humorous and varied depictions, actors perform the unique body movements used to portray kuileichou (puppet comic), budaixi chou (‘glove puppet’ comic), gongzi chou (highborn comic male), and nu chou (‘male in female garb’ comic) roles in Gaojia opera, showcasing the genre’s comic role-types in their rich, colourful diversity.

Cast:  Wu Boxiang, Li Li

Meeting at the Cave Dwelling from How a Dead Cat Was Substituted for a New-born Prince
During the reign of Emperor Zhenzong (r. 997-1022) of the Song Dynasty, the wicked imperial concubine Lady Liu, vying to become Empress, substitutes a skinned dead cat for Lady Li’s newborn son.  The news of Lady Li having given birth to a monster leads to her banishment to a remote part of the palace grounds.  In a narrow escape from a treacherous fire, Li becomes a commoner.  Her son survives however, and eighteen years later, ascends the throne as Emperor Renzong.  Li chances to hear that Judge Bao, who is famous for his judiciousness, has come to town on his inspection tour, and invites him to the dilapidated cave dwelling where she has made her home.  She tells him about the wrongs she has suffered all these eighteen years and asks Bao to see that justice be done.

In a departure from other opera genres, this operatic excerpt explores in detail the traditional characteristics of laodan (old female) and hualian (painted face) roles in Gaojia opera, which are known for their candid portrayals and meticulous movements.

Cast: Wu Jingjing, Ji Yafu

Going on a Visit Arranged by a Matchmaker
A witty and chatty matchmaker accompanies a young man to Jieyang on a matchmaking visit.  They are so inspired by what they see along the way that they break into a philosophical discussion about various aspects of life.

This excerpt showcases the caricature movements and humorously varied expressions of nanban’nu chou (‘male in female garb’ comic) and gongzi chou (highborn comic male) of the Ke school. The routines for these comic roles were invented by Ke Xianxi (1908 – 2002), and carefully categorized by the characters’ age, background and social status, and form a unique aspect of Gaojia opera.

Cast: Chen Bingcong, Luo Jingzhong

Lady Zhaojun Going Beyond the Great Wall
Lady Zhaojun is selected to join the harem of the Emperor of Han.  When she refuses to pay the bribe the court painter, Mao Yanshou, asks for, he maliciously adds an inauspicious mole onto her face in the portrait.  She has therefore lost her chance to be favoured by the Emperor.  On hearing that a bride for the Hun prince is needed to cement the political relations between the two countries, Zhaojun volunteers to go.  Clad in travelling attire and holding her beloved pipa close to her side, she mounts a fine steed and embarks on her long, arduous journey.  Along the way, she expresses her disconsolate sorrow and longing for home.

This is a classic performance in Gaojia opera that shows at the same time a ‘barbaric’ dance and the female protagonist singing and accompanying herself on the pipa.  While the Hun soldiers welcome their new princess from Han with a dance featuring tambourines and rattlers, Lady Zhaojun sits melancholically plucking her pipa and sings a sorrowful tune.  The playlet also features the popular Southern tunes, Leaving the Han Frontier Gate and Manoeuvring the Treacherous Terrain.

Cast: Li Li

The Messenger
Taken from the Gaojia opera The Love Story of Chen San and Wu Niang, this excerpt describes a servant, Xiaoqi, on an errand to deliver a letter for his master.  The movements are reminiscent of marionettes, and vividly depict how Xiaoqi dutifully overcomes the hardships of the journey in order to deliver the letter into the hands of the recipient.

The kuileichou (puppet comic) role is characterized by marionette-inspired movements and gait.  The performing routines were invented by Chen Zongshu, veteran performer of the Jin Liansheng Gaojia Opera Troupe of Xiamen City and one of the four celebrated comic role actors in southern Fujian.  The Messenger stars Chen Bingcong, third in the line of kuileichou actors, who imports his own artistic insight into the role-type’s established forms so as to bring characters alive in greater depth and detail.

Cast: Chen Bingcong

Taohua Crosses the River
A perky and quick-witted maidservant, Taohua, is anxious to deliver a letter for her mistress.  As she arrives at the river crossing, she meets a friendly boatman who offers his help.  In an engaging call-and-response singing dialogue, the two create a highly entertaining playlet.

This extremely popular Gaojia opera classic is widely known throughout southern Fujian, and is a celebrated piece in the repertoire of renowned comic role actor, Chen Zongshu.  Light-hearted and melodious folk ditties complement the frisky footwork of xiaohuadan (young flirtatious female) roles, while the tune, Lights Burning Bright in the First Lunar Month, further captures the vernacular charm.

Cast: Ji Yafu, Lin Liya

Finding the Rat
Lou the ‘Rat’ steals fifteen strings of cash, killing You Hulu in the scuffle.  He runs off to hide in the East Mountain Temple.  Prefect Kuang Zhong disguises himself as a fortune-teller to lure the Rat to surrender himself to the court.

Finding the Rat demonstrates the routines specific to the poshan chou (‘tattered clothes’ comic) roles, which require nimble limb movements and exaggerated facial expressions.  Using a bench as the prop, the actor playing the ‘Rat’ jumps up and down and crawls under to portray manifestations of a bad conscience.

Cast: Chen Bingcong, Wu Boxiang

The Prison Superintendent
In this excerpt from the Gaojia opera, The Love Story of Chen San and Wu Niang, the maidservant Yichuan accompanies Wu Niang to visit the imprisoned Chen San.  The superintendent of the prison guards sees in it an opportunity to extort money from them.  The actor who plays the superintendent uses the ‘glove puppet’ routines in stylized movements to portray his cunning and avaricious character.

The budaichou (‘glove puppet’ comic) role in Gaojia opera was developed by Lin Cifu, veteran performer of the Jin Liansheng Gaojia Opera Troupe of Xiamen City and one of the four celebrated comic role actors in southern Fujian.  The performing routines of budaichou imitate the glove puppet’s limb movements and rich expressiveness.  The art has since been passed down to five generations of actors, and has garnered many awards.

Cast: Ji Yafu, Zheng Ping

The Closet as Matchmaker
After Yue Fei, one of the heroes in Chinese history best known for his valour and loyalty, is framed and executed under false charges by the treacherous prime minister, his son Yue Lei soon also finds the enemy close on his heels.  Luckily, the clever and good-hearted young girl, Yulian, hides him in her closet at home and helps him escape the predators.

The Closet as Matchmaker captivates at every turn with its surprising plot developments, and showcases the endearing, witty performances of the han chou (simpleton comic) role.

Cast: Lin Liya, Chen Yuhong

Three Thousand Taels of Gold
A young scholar, Zheng Yuanhe, travels to the capital to sit for the imperial examination.  There, he meets a courtesan, Li Yaxian, and the two fall in love at first sight.  However, the procuress at the brothel cunningly cheats Zheng out of his three thousand taels of silver, and then throws him out.  Penniless, Zheng joins the ranks of homeless beggars, and in bitter sorrow, turns his miserable tale into a song.  He and his fellow mendicants brave the wintry chill as they beg along the streets, lamenting their hapless lot.

This short piece written specially for Wu Jingjing casts her in the ‘civil’ and ‘military’ male roles of xiaosheng and wusheng, displaying stylized postures of debonair charm and the crafting of emotions at their most intricate.  It also features kuileichou (puppet comic), poshan chou (‘tattered clothes’ comic) and nu chou (‘male in female garb’ comic) performances which radiate with the regional charm of Gaojia opera.

Cast: Wu Jingjing

Gaojia opera originated as a masquerade parade in the early 17^th Century, i.e., during the Ming and Qing transitional years, as improvised performances accompanied by live folk ensemble music.  Professional performing troupes grew out of this, and the first repertory consisted of plays surrounding Song Jiang, one of the main characters in the Water Margin saga, which gave it the categorical name as ‘Song Jiang Plays’. It was followed by Hexing opera, towards the middle of the Qing Dynasty – plays that featured both civil and military theatrical depictions as a breakthrough from the limitations of the Song Jiang Plays.  Towards late Qing Dynasty, as the genre absorbed influences from Yiyangqiang of Jiangxi, Hui opera and Peking opera, it evolved into a new style and acquired its current appellation.  The term ‘gaojia’ is said to have derived from the tall (i.e. gao in Chinese) stages often constructed and the armour (i.e. jia) worn as part of the costumes in performances of the ‘military’ category.

Gaojia opera is a regional operatic genre popularly found in areas of southern Fujian where the Minnan dialect (e.g. Hokkien) is spoken, in Taiwan, Kinmen County, and areas throughout Southeast Asia where ethnic Chinese communities are found.  The libretto is delivered in Quanqiang, or vocal style of Quanzhou.  Its set tunes come from the ‘southern tune’ music system, and are mostly of the ‘southern singing’ style with some ‘puppet tunes’ and folk ditties.  Singing is characterized by strength and robustness, or a quick liveliness.

Chou (comic) roles are best known: in particular, kuileichou (puppet comic) roles are an invention of Gaojia opera, and remain unique to the genre.  Kuileichou roles trace their heartwarming humour to the region’s cultural psyche, and find in the caricature depictions of puppets a singular aesthetic fitting for imitation.  Performances are witty and lively, and contain a strong element of dance.  Since the 1950’s, the genre has seen the rise of four celebrated comic role actors: Ke Xianxi, Chen Zongshu, Lin Cifu and Xu Yangchuan.  Chen and Lin, both also veteran performers of the Jin Liansheng Gaojia Opera Troupe of Xiamen City, developed the marionette-like kuileichou and glove puppet-like budaichou, fully realizing these role-types in their unique characteristics.

Jin Liansheng Gaojia Opera Troupe of Xiamen City was formerly known as ‘Tianfuxing’ Gaojia Opera Troupe.  In 1931, restructuring brought together two artist troupes from Jinmen (now Kinmen County) and Lianhe of Tong’an District respectively, and the group adopted its current name in 1953.  Active mainly in southern Fujian and in the areas around Jinjiang city, the troupe was the first performing arts group from mainland China to perform in Kinmen County, now administered by Taiwan.  The troupe’s performance attracted an audience of 80 000, and won the troupe commendations from the Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China as well as the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council PRC.  The troupe also performed in the Philippines and Hong Kong to enthusiastic reception, and was invited to perform at the festivities celebrating the 8th Anniversary of the Handover of Macao and the founding of the Macao Xiamen Overseas Association.

Over the years, the troupe has nurtured many talents, including Wu Jingjing, National Class One Performer and winner of the Plum Blossom Award for Chinese Theatre; and Ji Yafu and Chen Bingcong, who are representative exponents of Gaojia opera, a genre inscribed as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of China at National Level.  Its members have garnered over a hundred awards at the various theatre competitions and showcases.  The troupe has preserved many theatre classics in its stock repertoire, including Wu Han Kills His Wife, The Closet as Matchmaker and Meng Lijun; and its original productions Heroes of the Golden Broadsword, Shangguan Wan’er and Madam A’da have won the Outstanding Repertory recognition on many occasions.  In 1999, the troupe performed Heroes of the Golden Broadsword at a performance gala showcasing outstanding repertoire in Beijing, in celebration of the 50^th Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China.  In 2003, its new historical drama Shangguan Wan’er won a Cao Yu Repertory Award at the 8^th China Theatre Festival, while clinching nine other prizes in the individual categories.

Wu Jingjing
Wu Jingjing is a National Class One performer and Company Director of the troupe.  She is a representative exponent of Gaojia opera, a genre inscribed as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of China at Provincial Level; and a winner of the Plum Blossom Award for Chinese Theatre.  She has played the lead in The Love Story of Chen San and Wu Niang, The Trial of Chen San, Wu Zetian: Usurper to the Tang Throne, Heroes of the Golden Broadsword, Shangguan Wan’er and other plays.  Wu was named one of the Ten Outstanding Young Civil Servants in Xiamen City, a ‘Young Theatre Practitioner of Integrity and Artistic Excellence’ in her native province, and has won Outstanding Performer awards at the Fujian Province Theatre Showcase and the China Theatre Festival.

Ji Yafu
Ji Yafu is a National Class One Performer, and a representative exponent of Gaojia opera, a genre inscribed as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of China at National Level.  His performing career in the genre spans more than forty years.  He is highly versed in portraying both civil and military roles, with a specialization in the chou (comic) role.  He has played the lead in Heroes of the Golden Broadsword, The Trial of Chen San, Sunset on Qi Mountain among other plays.  Ji was awarded a Silver Medal in the Competition for Outstanding Young to Middle-aged Performers in Fujian Province, a Class Two Performer’s Award at the ‘Azalea’ Theatre Festival, and a Performer’s Award at the China Theatre Festival.  He also won a Performer and Outstanding Performer’s Award with his stage role in Shangguan Wan’er and Madam A’da in the Fujian Province Theatre Showcase.

Chen Bingcong
Chen Bingcong is a National Class One Performer, Associate Company Director of the troupe, and a representative exponent of Gaojia opera, a genre inscribed as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of China at National Level.  His training from a young age has formed a solid groundwork for his skills, and he specializes in the portrayal of Gaojia chou (comic) roles.  In The Messenger, Chen successfully gave a thorough interpretation of the kuileichou (puppet comic) role, while injecting his innovation to the form.  In 2000, he furthered his training in Directing at the Shanghai Theatre Academy.  Chen was awarded an Outstanding Directing Award at the Fujian Province ‘Narcissus’ Competition, and won Outstanding Directing awards at the Fujian Province Theatre Showcase and the China Theatre Festival with the productions Shangguan Wan’er and Madam A’da.

Lin Liya
Lin Liya is a National Class Two Performer, and a representative exponent of Gaojia opera, a genre inscribed as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of China at Provincial Level.  She began training in Gaojia opera in 1978, specializing in the roles of servant maids and xiaodan (young female) roles.  Her stage persona is known for its charming appearance, beautiful stylized movements and refined acting.  She played the lovable, young servant maid Yichun in The Trial of Chen San and Yichun Makes Her Case to the Emperor, as well as the role of young Chuncao in Chuncao Barging Into the Courtroom, a quick-witted young maid who is unintimidated by the powerful.  Lin was the winner of a Performer’s Award at the Fujian Province Theatre Showcase and a Class One Performer’s Award at the ‘Azalea’ Theatre Festival.

Li Li
Li Li is a National Class Two Performer and the diva of the troupe.  She trained in the roles of guimendan (high-born, unmarried lady) and xiaohuadan (young flirtatious female) at the Chinese Opera Dance Academy of Xiamen City.  Li has a charming stage persona, and sings in sweet, full-bodied tones.  She has appeared in Heroes of the Golden Broadsword, Shangguan Wan’er, Lady Zhaojun Going Beyond the Great Wall, Wu Song Killing His Sister-in-law, Marriage Aspirations.  Her numerous awards and accolades include Outstanding Performer at the China Theatre Festival, a Gold Award at the Competition for Outstanding Young to Middle-aged Performers in Fujian Province, Outstanding Performer at the Xiamen City ‘Golden Heron’ Awards, and Outstanding Performer at the Fujian Province Theatre Showcase.

Jin Liansheng Gaojia Opera Troupe of Xiamen City
Exceprts: The Three Auspicious Stars, The Trial of Chen San, The Messenger, A Dandy on an Outing, Crossing the River, Ziliang Seeks A Wife, A Galaxy of Comic Role Actors in Gaojia Opera
Performers: Wu Boxiang, Li Li

3 July 2011 (Sun)  5:00-6:00pm
Foyer, Hong Kong Cultural Centre

Free Admission

The Unique Features of Gaojia Opera of Southern Fujian
Speakers: Wu Jingjing, Chen Bingcong

1 July 2011 (Fri) 2:30pm
AC1, Level 4, Administration Building, Hong Kong Cultural Centre

Free Admission. Limited seats available on a first-come-first served basis.

The Art of Qi Opera and Gaojia Opera
21 April – 10 May 2011 Foyer, Hong Kong City Hall
3 June – 3 July 2011    Foyer, Ko Shan Theatre

Free Admission

Tickets will be available from 8 April onwards at all URBTIX outlets, on Internet and by credit card telephone booking

Half-price tickets available for senior citizens aged 60 or above, people with disabilities, full-time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients (Limited tickets for full-time students and CSSA recipients available on a first-come-first-served basis)
Group Booking Discount – 10% off for each purchase of 4-9 full-price tickets; 15% off for 10-19 full-price tickets; 20% off for 20 or more full-price tickets
"Chinese Opera Festival 2011” Package Discount – 10% off on full-price tickets for each purchase of 3-4 different performances; 15% off for 5-9 different performances; 20% off for 10 or more different performances

Patrons could enjoy only one of the above discounts for each purchase, please inform the box office staff at the time of purchase

Programme Enquiries：2268 7325
Ticketing Enquiries：2734 9009
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Internet Booking：www.urbtix.hk

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