WUXI OPERA "THE PEARL PAGODA" PRESERVES TRADITIONAL CHINESE OPERA VALUE

Wuxi Opera "The Pearl Pagoda"

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 29 (Bernama) -- The classic Wuxi Opera "The Pearl Pagoda" was performed in Nanjing, featuring seven generations of distinguished opera artists from Wuxi Opera Troupe of Jiangsu Performing Arts Group on Dec 27.

The opera was held in conjunction with the 70th anniversary of the troupe's establishment, according to the Information Office of Jiangsu Province in a statement.

The new version of Wuxi Opera "The Pearl Pagoda," creatively interpreted by Jiangsu Wuxi Opera Troupe in the year of 2000, features excellent script and seamless cooperation among performers, blending the common with the refined, satisfying the aesthetic needs of audiences at different groups, and this classic production, after adaptation, has been hailed as the "Pearl Pagoda Phenomenon".

Jiangsu Performing Arts Group Chairman, Zhou Dongliang mentioned that the successful innovative adaptation of "The Pearl Pagoda" implies the need to move beyond traditional plays or specific scripts.

"In recent years, Wuxi Opera has been developing in a positive direction, and I am confident in its future," said Zhou.

As one of the most representative regional opera genres in east China's Jiangsu Province, Wuxi Opera originated from the southern shores of Taihu Lake, with a history of over two centuries.

It is included in the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of China. Rooted in the Wuxi dialect, Wuxi Opera possesses a rich cultural heritage of Wu culture and continues to captivate audiences in the Yangtze River Delta.

"The Pearl Pagoda" tells the story of a young man, Fang Qing, who, facing family decline, is ridiculed after borrowing from his aunt, while his cousin gives him the family heirloom, a pearl pagoda, to help him succeed in his studies.

Rich in traditional Chinese values and distinctive local characteristics, the story has been widely spread through various traditional Chinese artistic forms including Pingtan, Wuxi Opera, Kunqu Opera, and farce, over 400 years.

Founded in 1953, Jiangsu Wuxi Opera Troupe has cultivated a large number of Wuxi Opera performing artists, such as Yao Cheng, Wang Lanying, Shen Peihua, Ni Tongfang, Zhou Dongliang, and more, having excavated, created, and performed over 200 productions.

-- BERNAMA