17-18 June 2011(Fri-Sat)  7:30pm
Theatre, Hong Kong City Hall
Tickets: $240, 160, 100

Lyrics and dialogue with Chinese and English surtitles

17 June 2011 (Fri)
Exceprts
Wu Dalang Peddles Cakes
Wu Dalang, or ‘Wu the Elder’, is a peddler of cakes. He is short and plain looking. His wife, Pan Jinlian, is having an affair with Ximen Qing. It is discovered by a young neighbour, Yunge. So he tells Wu about it, and Wu, flying into a rage, imagines what he would do when he catches the adulterous pair. After many arms’ waving and legs’ kicking, he goes with Yunge to catch the pair in the act.

Wu the Elder is performed by an actor in chou (comic) roles. Throughout the performance, he has to dwarf himself by half-kneeling and alternately kicking out his feet. It is therefore a physically demanding role. The entire scene is performed with humour and fun, accentuated by the sonorous accompaniment of the suona. The dialogue between the two actors is also full of the witty play on words suggestive of plebeian life.

Cast: Su Kai, Li Mengjiao

The Wandering Busker
This is an excerpt from the traditional repertory of Qi Opera, which tells the story of Xue Pinggui and Wang Baochuan. Xue has gone on an expedition to Xiliang, leaving his wife to lead a destitute life at their cave dwelling. Now eighteen years later, he comes home, having been knighted by the Emperor for his military feats. He goes looking for his wife all over the hills. On finding her, he tests her for her faithfulness and chastity by teasing her as a stranger.

This excerpt is one of the ‘fun and witty plays’ in Qi Opera. The singing forms an important part of the duo performance, and there is much humour in the répartée between the husband and the wife.

Cast: Jiang Shenguo (Guest), Huang Wenjuan

Lady Zhaojun Going Beyond the Great Wall
When the Huns invade Han land, the weakling emperor only wants to appease them by setting up a political marriage. Wang Zhaojun, who is an unnoticed beauty in his harem, is made a princess and sent to the frontier in the north. As she takes the long journey, she expresses her sadness, her longing for home, as well as indignation for the country under the fatuous ruler. She finally throws herself into the water as she approaches the frontier.

This is considered a tour de force for any dan (female) actor. The singing must contain all the nuances, changes and depths of feelings of the heroine. One of the most famous interpretations was by Xie Meixian, a senior virtuoso in Qi Opera of the 1950’s, which took the whole country by storm, and won the admiration of many fellow artists and critics such as Tian Han, Mei Lanfang, Ouyang Yuqian and Hong Xian Nu (or 'Hung Sin Nui' in Cantonese).

Cast: Xiao Xiaobo, Zhang Xiaobo (Guest), Huang Honghua

Fan Zhongyu Beaten and Thrown into a Crate
This is an excerpt from Wreaking Havoc at the Ge Residence. The story goes like this: the wife of a scholar, Fan Zhongyu, is abducted by Ge Dengyun, a former Grand Tutor of the Imperial Court. Fan suffers such a big shock that he loses sanity. The servants of Ge give him a good beating with the rods before throwing him into a crate and discarding it in the suburbs. But at that time, Fan is already named Top Scholar at the National Civil Examination. The two officers who are responsible for bringing the Imperial Appointment to him cannot find him. Now running out of money, they see the Ge servants carrying the crate and think there must be valuables inside. They tail them to a deserted spot and intercept them with the intention of robbing what is inside. But as they open the crate, they discover that Fan is still alive, and he has lost his sanity. Fan pulls some tricks on them before he trips off.

The crate used in this excerpt is what the travelling troupes use for holding weapon props. There is a tie string on the lid to keep it closed. The actor playing Fan Zhongyu needs to curl up in the crate before the act. When the two officers yell, “Open up the crate!”, he would pop up, lie horizontally across the opened crate in a flash, fall back into the crate and close the lid. This series of actions is repeated three times, allowing the actor to demonstrate this masterly act of amazing dexterity, performed with great bodily and limb control.

Cast: Zhou Shijie, Wang Wen, Su Kai

Sima Shi Purges the Court
Cao Fang is the puppet emperor under the powerful regent, Sima Shi. He attempts to take back state power by seeking the help of Zhang Ji, the father of his trusted consort, Lady Zhang. Zhang calls forth four squadrons to come to the palace in an attempt to rid the Sima brothers. But Sima Shi gets suspicious. He orders the squadron leaders to block the palace gate, and finds the imperial edict issued by Cao, written in blood, on Zhang. So he kills him with a swipe of his sword.

This is one of the bravura pieces for actors in hualian (painted face) roles in Qi Opera. The actor must externalise his conflicting emotions through stylised movements, such as the shaking of the court robe on his body, the flicking and holding of his beard, the eye movements, and the body movements etc..

Cast: Guan Guoxing, Wei Xiaoyong

A Dumb Man Carries His Crippled Sister
This is an excerpt from the play, The Mute Girl Files a Petition. The background to the story is like this: Zhang Shangzhu is betrothed to Chen Guangzhu. But Chen’s family runs into hard times, and Mrs. Zhang, the girl’s stepmother, refuses to let them marry. Shangzhu secretly helps Chen to go to the capital to sit for the national civil examination, which he passes with flying colours and becomes the Top Scholar. On hearing that, the stepmother arranges to have her own daughter, Saizhu, to marry in her step-sister’s place, while on the other hand, instructs her half-wit son, ‘the Dumb Boy’, to set fire to the mansion where Shangzhu is staying, with the intention of silencing her forever. Shangzhu jumps off the mansion, and the Dumb Boy, realising the truth, saves her and carries her on his back to go to the capital in order to petition for justice.

In this excerpt, it only takes one actor to perform the two characters through vivid mime and a clever costume-prop design. But the audience is able to feel the hardships of the long journey by the sensitive portrayal.

Cast: Zhang Shaojun (Guest)

Dong Hong Falls into a Pit
Dong Hong is the Civil Governor of eight municipalities. On one of his inspection tours in which he travels incognito, his true identity is discovered by Liu Yinglong, a rogue who preys the neighbourhood. Liu sets a trap and makes him fall into a water-logged cell. Dong is determined to break from it and see that justice is done.

This is a bravura piece for actors in wusheng (military male) roles in Qi Opera, as it calls for excellence in all four aspects of traditional theatre – singing, delivery of lines, acting and martial art. The abhorring condition of the water-logged cell is vividly conveyed by sheer miming and action of the performer.

Cast: Chen Huan

The Yellow Crane Tower
The story is taken from The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Zhou Yu, Prime Minister of Wu, sets a trap to force Liu Bei of Shu to return Jingzhou, the land he claims to ‘borrow’, by inviting Liu to come to his camp for a banquet to celebrate their joint victory at Chibi. His intention is seen through by Zhuge Liang, political adviser to Liu. He gives Liu’s aide, the young general Zhao Yun, a bamboo holder, and tells him not to open it until there is an emergency. When Liu and Zhao cross the river and arrive at the Yellow Crane Tower, where the purported banquet is held, they are detained by Zhou Yu. As the situation gets out of hand, Zhao opens the bamboo holder and finds in it a military pass issued by none other than Zhou Yu himself, when he was Commander of the Fleet at the joint battle against Wei and Zhuge has kept it for a rainy day. With this, Zhao is able to escort Liu back to Shu safe and sound.

This excerpt is from the traditional repertoire of actors of xiaosheng (young male) roles in Qi Opera. The scene in which Zhou, Liu and Zhao engage in a battle of wits is highly interesting to watch. The actor playing Zhou needs to use some ‘masterly skills’ to bring out the strong-headed, self-important personality of Zhou Yu, such as the agile use of fingers, eye-darting, and wiggling the 'wings’ of the headgear.

Cast: Liu Dengxiong, Zhang Chaoguo, Zhang Xiaobo (Guest), Wei Xiaoyong

18 June 2011 (Sat)
Full length opera – Mu Lian Rescues His Mother
Cast: Liu Dengxiong, Xiao Xiaobo, Chou Ronghua, Zhang Chaoguo, Shen Guitao, Li Heping, Guan Guoxing.

'Mulian’ is the Sinitic name for ‘Mahamaudgalyayana’, one of the ten enlightened disciples of Buddha, famous for his super powers and in particular, his efforts in saving his mother from the underworld. The story goes like this: Mulian’s family has been avowed Buddhists for three generations. When his father died, his mother breaks her fast and eats meat, thereby causing the loss of life of many living creatures. When she dies, she is sent to the most abysmal hell where she suffers perpetually for her sins. Mulian, her son, being unable to obtain her deliverance by his own powers, goes to the Buddha and pleads for help. The Buddha gives him the Avalambana Sutra and the khakkara staff. With these, Mulian goes through protracted journeys in the underworld and overcomes many tribulations before he finds his mother, converts her to good, and wins her release from hell. She is able to join other members of the family through rebirth.

As far back as the Warring States Period (~475BCE – 221BCE), Qiyang was an area in southern Chu, or what is present-day northern Hunan and Hubei. The land cultivated an entrenched belief in the spiritual realm and in religious rites, spawning theatrical and acrobatic forms that served as invocation to the gods and diversions of sorts for the people. That was how the ancient ‘Monk Mulian’ series came into being. Since it had so many episodes, the full spectrum of human character, experiences and emotions could be presented dramatically, with the aid of special effects, allusions to supernatural beings, portrayals of human beings from all walks of life, emphasis on the Divine Rules (such as Heaven and Earth, Yin and Yang), and all kinds of strange happenings imaginable were enacted on the theatre stage. The performers were more than actors, but versatile acrobats who could walk on stilts, play fan tricks, wield broadswords and spears, carry out combat routines with heavy forks, perform the ‘human pyramid’ act etc.. The display of masterly skills was typical of the variety show genre of theatre (or ‘baixi’) that dated back to the Han and Tang periods. In terms of music, apart from the traditional set tunes that number more than a hundred, there were also folk songs, Buddhist music, ‘Brahma Voice’ tunes, etc.. With its breadth of content, the Monk Mulian series is therefore regarded as the ‘mother of Chinese theatre’ by the older generation of performing artists.

Out of the various existing regional operatic genres in Hunan, the series was first performed as a Qi opera, and accordingly, has come to be considered the canon for studying the genre’s origins and development. Records have indicated that the whole work would span seven days if performed non-stop, with each show comprising about 200 scenes without a single repetition. On its visit to Hong Kong, the Qi Opera Theatre of Hunan will showcase the unique artistry and ethnic charm of Qi opera in its production, Mu Lian Rescues His Mother, a condensed version of the celebrated canonical work. Eleven episodes are selected from the original saga which, by tradition, could be performed over a seven-day period, with emphasis on only the main storyline. The performance encompasses many features unique to the genre as well as to the vernacular background. The production won an Award for Preserving an Intangible Cultural Heritage at the 2006 Hunan Arts Festival.

Qi opera, also known as Qiyang opera, is one of the major operatic genres of Hunan province. It boasts a history of more than five hundred years, and has been classified as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage. The music of Qi opera is reputed for its sonorous, impassioned qualities, and features three singing styles – gaoqiang, kunqu and tanxi – across a wide repertoire of tunes. Traditionally, performers of the laodan (old woman) and chou (comic) roles perform in their natural singing voice, whereas other role-types employ the yu-jia-xue technique (literally ‘rain alternating with snow’), a combination of singing in natural voice and falsetto. Stringent performance standards demand from singers’ excellent diction and delivery in round, unadulterated tones. The genre places an emphasis on visual impact and stylized movements, as seen in Dong Hong Falls into a Pit and The Drunken Lu Zhishen Wreaking Havoc at the Monastery. There are relatively less spoken lines and sung verses; instead, character portrayal and storytelling depend heavily on physical dramatization. Each role-type distinguishes itself through a characteristic set of finger gestures, footwork, eye and stylized body movements, assimilated with martial art techniques of boxing and sword-fighting. The use of the wrist is underscored in ‘hand-wrist work’, as in ‘reverse palm’ where the palm faces outward to bend fingers to touch the arm, and in elaborate gestures demonstrating wrist flexibility. Varied expressions of the eyes convey a spectrum of emotions, including shock (cross-eyed), rage (stare), deep contemplation (darting glance), anger (glare), and circumspect observation (google-eyed).

The Qi Opera Theatre of Hunan was founded in 1960. During the early years, the Theatre boasted a brilliant cast of virtuosi in the genre, such as Xie Meixian, Li Wenfang, He Shaolian, Luo Wentong and Li Yuanjun, who performed in traditional opera classics like Lady Zhaojun Going Beyond the Great Wall, Huang Gonglue, Wreaking Havoc at the Yan Residence, The Case of the Beheading of Pan Hong, The Drunken Lu Zhishen Wreaking Havoc at the Monastery, Waylaying the Horse, and Jin Long Paying a Visit to the Prison to popular and critical acclaim all over China. The Theatre’s modern opera production, Sending Food Supply, was made into a movie by Zhujiang Film Studio for national release. Since then, it has been staged by many other theatres and opera troupes. In 2006, the Theatre’s staging of Mu Lian Rescues His Mother at the 2nd Hunan Arts Festival was presented an Award for Preserving an Intangible Cultural Heritage, a Tian Han Grand Award and nine other individual awards including Director, Music, Choreography and Performance awards. In the following year of the Festival, the Theatre’s production Becoming a Butterfly in a Dream won another Tian Han Grand Award and thirteen individual recognitions.

Liu Dengxiong
Liu Dengxiong is a National Class One Performer specialized in wenwu xiaosheng (civil and military male) roles, and is a recognised Exponent of Qi Opera as an Intangible Cultural Heritage at National Level. He joined the Qi Opera Theatre of Hunan at age 15 where he has worked ever since, and is currently Company Director and General Secretary of the Theatre. Awards he has won include the ‘Hibiscus Award’ for Theatre of Hunan Province and the Tian Han Performance Award. Liu is acclaimed for his performances in Mu Lian Rescues His Mother, The Yellow Crane Tower and Jiepai Pass. In 2009, he was presented with the title of ‘A Spearheading Cultural Worker at National Level’ by the Ministry of Culture.

Xiao Xiaobo
Xiao Xiaobo is a National Class Two Performer specialized in dan (female) roles. She was winner of the ‘Leading Cast Performer’ title in the Hunan Opera Excerpts Competition for Young Performers, and the Gold Award at the ‘Star of the Yangtze’ All China Competition of Opera Excerpts for Young Performers. Xiao is acclaimed for her performances in Mu Lian Rescues His Mother, Becoming a Butterfly in a Dream and On Broken Bridge.

Zhang Shaojun (Guest)
Zhang Shaojun is a National Class One Performer and currently the Associate Company Director of the Qi Opera Theatre of Hengyang City. Her teachers include Li Yanfei, Gao Yugui (stage name ‘Jiu Sui Hong’) and Huang Jin’e, and she also came under the coaching of renowned dan performers such as Xie Meixian, Zhu Jianhua, Liu Qiuhong and Hua Zhongmei. She has, therefore, received a systematic and all-round training in the performance techniques and styles of dan roles in the genre. Zhang has performed in close to forty productions of various scales, including Lady Zhaojun Going Beyond the Great Wall, The Mute Girl Files a Petition, and the serialised operas Meng Lijun and The Saga of the Yang Family. Other productions she wrote and performed are The Poet Bai Juyi, A Girl Named Mo Chou and A Chronicle of the Transition from Ming to Qing. In 1993, her portrayal of Chen Yuanyuan in A Chronicle of the Transition from Ming to Qing won her a Performance Award at the All China Artistic Exchange Showcase of Regional Operatic Genres. The production itself garnered eleven awards including Outstanding Repertory and Performance awards, and was awarded a Wenhua Award for New Stage Productions in the same year.

Li Heping
Li Heping is a National Class One Performer specialised in wuchou (military comic) roles. He is a graduate of the Hunan Arts School, and is a recognised exponent of Intangible Cultural Heritage at Provincial Level. Li was winner of the 'Hibiscus Award’ for Theatre of Hunan Province and the Tian Han Performance Award. His stock repertoire includes Waylaying the Horse, Yang Bajie Launches an Attack on the Land of Youchou and Vengeance at the Lion’s Pavilion.

Shen Guitao
Shen Guitao is a National Class Two Performer. She graduated from the Hunan Arts School with a specialism in wudan (military female) roles in Qi Opera. Awards she has won include a Performer’s Award at the ‘Hibiscus Awards’ for Theatre of Hunan Province and a Tian Han Performance Award. She is acclaimed for her portrayals in The Female Burglar, Wu Song Checking in at an Inn and Jiepai Pass.

Huang Honghua
Huang Honghua is a National Class Two Performer specialized in wusheng (military male) roles. He was winner of a Performer’s Award at the ‘Hibiscus Awards’ for Theatre of Hunan Province and a Tian Han Performance Award, and is acclaimed for his performances in Dong Hong Falls Into a Pit and Wu Song Checking in at an Inn.

Jiang Shenguo (Guest)
Jiang Shenguo is pecialized in laosheng (old man) roles. He joined the Qi Opera Theatre of Hengyang City upon his graduation from the Hunan Arts School in 1984, and has been a performer with the Theatre ever since. In 2008, he won a Performance Award at the Hengyang City New Stage Productions Accreditation Competition for Professional Performing Arts Companies with his portrayal of Xue Pinggui in The Wandering Busker. His performance went on to win him an Outstanding Performance Award presented by the Hunan Cultural Bureau at the Showcase of Qi Opera Classics and Showcase of Opera Excerpts for Young to Middle-aged Performers in Hunan in 2010.

Zhang Xiaobo (Guest)
Zhang Xiaobo is a National Class Two Performer specialized in wenwu xiaosheng (young civil and military male) roles. He joined the Qi Opera Theatre of Hengyang City in 1977 where he has remained since, and presently heads the Theatre as Company Director. In 2008, he won an Outstanding Performance Award with his portrayal of Pei Ruiqing in Saving Scholar Pei at the Hengyang City New Stage Productions Accreditation Competition for Professional Performing Arts Companies. The following year, he won the Tian Han Performance Award at the 3rd Hunan Arts Festival playing the lead of Prince Chu in Becoming a Butterfly in a Dream.

Guan Guoxing
Guan Guoxing is a National Class Two Performer specialized in hualian (painted face) roles. He has been named one of the ‘Ten Outstanding Young to Middle-aged Performers’ in Hunan province. Guan’s stock repertoire includes Capturing Xue Gang at Si River, Risking One’s Life at the Qin Residence, Choosing a Suitor at Rainbow Mansion, and Sima Shi Purges the Court.

Huang Wenjuan
Huang Wenjuan is a National Class Two Performer and an Outstanding Performer of the Young to Middle-aged Category at Provincial Level, with a specialism in dan (female) roles. Huang has been with the Qi Opera Theatre of Hunan since she joined at age 16. She has won numerous awards and accolades at competitions for young performers at the city and provincial levels, and is acclaimed for her performances in Under the Umbrella, Lady Zhaojun Going Beyond the Great Wall and Breaking through the Army Formation in Front of the Palace.

Chen Huan
Chen Huan is an outstanding young performer specialized in wusheng (military male) roles. He has given impressive performances in Dong Hong Falls into a Pit, At the Crossroad and Waylaying the Horse.

Su Kai
Su Kai is an outstanding young performer trained at the Shaoyang City Arts School in 2009. He has given impressive performances in Wu Dalang Peddles Cakes, At the Crossroad and Waylaying the Horse.

Zhou Shijie
Zhou Shijie is a 17-year-old outstanding young performer trained at the Shaoyang City Arts School, leaving in 2010. Zhou is currently furthering his training at the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts in Beijing. He has given an impressive performance in Fan Zhongyu Beaten and Thrown into a Crate.

The Vernacular Theatre of Qi Opera of Southern Hunan
Introduction on the vocal styles of gaoqiang, tanqiang and kunqiang, as well as the musical features and performing routines of Qi opera.
Speaker: Chen Shu (Critic of Chinese Traditional Theatre)

30 April 2011 (Sat)  2:30pm
AC2, Level 4, Administration Building, Hong Kong Cultural Centre

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

The Theatrical Art of Qi Opera
Introduction of Qi opera music and performing art with excerpt demonstration.
Host: Wong Wai-man
Speaker: Liu Xilin
Demonstrated by: Xiao Xiaobo, Huang Honghua, Zhang Chaoguo

16 June 2011 (Thu)  7:30pm
Theatre, Hong Kong City Hall
Tickets: $50 (Free Seating)

Running Time: Approx. 1 hr 30 mins without intermission

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

Note: Discounts for full-time students, Group Booking Discount and Discount Schemes for Chinese Opera Festival 2011 are not applicable to the tickets of Lecture Demonstration

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