Presenter: Tianjin Youth Peking Opera Troupe
Lead cast: Dong Yujie, Chen Xiqiang, Meng Guanglu, Gu Lina and Sun Liying, etc
Venue: National Centre for the Performing Arts-Theatre
Dates: March 05, 2009 19:30
Price: VIP 280 200 160 120 80 RMB
Programme Introduction
Synopsis
Xiaoshang River
It happened in the Song Dynasty. Yue Fei ordered Yang Zhaixing to resist the intruders of the Jin Kingdom. Near Xiaoshnag River Yang Zhaixing and his military forces had an all decisive battle with the troops of the Jin Kingdom. During the battle Yang Zhaixing fought bravely and killed four generals of the Jin Kingdom. When Yang Zhaixing led his soldiers to chase the enemy, they fell into the enemy’s ambush. At a bridge across Xiaoshang River, Yang Zhaixing was shot to death by enemy’s arrows.
Beating the Royal Robe
It happened in the Song Dynasty. When Bao Zheng provided almsgiving of food to the common people in Chenzhou, he met a blind woman beggar who filed a lawsuit. Her statement and a poem written in a yellow handkerchief proved she was one of the imperial concubines during the period of the Emperor of Zhenzong, and mother of the emperor regnant. Bao Zheng told her that he would redress it when he backing the capital. After backing the capital, when the emperor and his chancellor enjoyed fancy lanterns in the night of Lantern Festival, Bao Zheng asked others specially to set up Lei Qiang and Zhang Jibao fancy lanterns so as to point out that the emperor was not a dutiful son. The Emperor of Renzong got angry and ordered to kill Bao Zheng. That moment an old eunuch named Chen Lin told a true story “Changing the baby prince with a cat”. Bao Zheng was remitted. So the Emperor greeted Queen Li’s returning to imperial palace. Queen Li criticized the unfilial emperor and ordered Bao Zheng to beat the Emperor. Bao Zheng didn’t dare to do it and asked the Emperor to take off his robe and beat it instead.
Tianjin Youth Peking Opera Troupe
Tianjin Youth Peking Opera Troupe was established in 1984, an art group with a powerful line-up of performers full of green vigor and an optimized structure of talents as well. Since its founding it has been paid attention to by the leaders of all levels. Guided by the idea “inheriting first and then developing” and “with an eye to bringing up young and mid-aged performers, and bring into full play the old artists’ roles of guiding, helping and teaching” put forward by Comrade Li Ruihuan, former chairman of CPPCC, this troupe always tries its best to bring up young performers, and many of them have become famous Peking Opera artists. This troupe has over twenty first-class national performers or players, who have won Peony Award for Chinese Dramas, prize for performance of Lotus Award, gold award of Mei Lanfang Prize for Chinese Dramas, prize for excellent performing of China TV Peking Opera Match, and the title of “The Star of Peking Opera Art”.
In the past national opera performance or major competitions, Tianjin Youth Peking Opera Troupe has won many kinds of collective and individual awards. In the first to the fourth China Peking Opera Art Festival (held respectively in 1995, 1998, 2001, 2004), Qin Xianglian and Romance of the Western Chamber of this troupe were both awarded prize for demonstrating performance, Gold, Broken, Thunder won Creative prize for excellent repertoire and honorary award for adaptation, Hatred of the Palace of the Chu Kingdom won four kinds of prizes such as Creative prize for excellent repertoire and honorary award for playwright. Besides, some plays such as A Silk Gown, Cao Cao and His Sons, Yue Fei respectively won prize for excellent play by young performers and Wenhua Prize for excellent plays awarded by the state ministry of culture. In 2005 this trope was rewarded the title as one of “The Major Peking Opera Troupes in China”.
In the past twenty years, the troupe’s footprint can be found all over China, including Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, and had visiting performances in Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Peru, Argentina, Mexico, Cuba, Chile, Brazil, Costarica and other countries.
(Source: ebeijing.gov.cn)
