The famous Monkey King exists not only on the screens of TV and cinema, but also on the time-honored stage of traditional Chinese operas.

In Peking Opera alone, there are five major styles of Monkey Opera, namely the Yang style created by Yang Xiaolou (1878-1938), the Li style by Li Wanchun (1911-85), the Hao style by Hao Zhenji (1871-1945), the Zhang style by Zhang Yingjie (1888-1971), and the Zheng style by Zheng Faxiang (1892-1965).

Yan Qinggu is a 45-year-old veteran wuchou (acrobatic-fighting comic lead) in Shanghai Peking Opera Troupe and a third-generation inheritor of the Zheng style of Monkey Opera.

In the Year of the Monkey, Yan is presenting a series of Monkey Opera shows at Tianchan Yifu Theatre (701 Fuzhou Road, 6322-5294).

The upcoming shows include Sun Wukong after 500-year-long Captivity (May 14 and 15, 1:30 pm), The Real and Fake Monkey Kings (September 3 and 4, 1:30 pm), and a compilation of three short Monkey Opera productions Havoc in Heaven, Borrowing the Plantain Fan, and Golden Blades Tactics (December 31, 1:30 pm).

Recently, Yan has been visiting different venues in the city to promote his shows and the art of Monkey Opera.

Last Saturday, his troupe went to China Art Museum and interacted with about 200 people there, many of whom were children and parents.

Yan appears more like a peaceful and elegant scholar than a restless comic.

But once he absorbed himself in a mimicry game with the audience, he immediately turned into a naughty Monkey King with his rolling eyeballs and agile movements.

Yan Qinggu is a 45-year-old veteran actor in Shanghai Peking Opera Troupe and a third-generation inheritor of the Zheng style of Monkey Opera. Photo: Courtesy of Shanghai Jingju Theater Company

King Kong in Chinese opera

"Zheng style is a very independent performance style, because it doesn't borrow anything from other existing performing arts," said Yan.

Monkey Opera belongs to martial opera, thus other Monkey Opera styles such as Yang style have absorbed the movements of wusheng (men with martial skills). Meanwhile, Hao style takes inspiration from the movements of monkeys.

However, Zheng style neither uses traditional wusheng movements nor mimics our primate cousins. Instead, it treats the Monkey King as a god or a mighty power. In Yan's words "it's more like the King Kong from American film."

The facial makeup for the Monkey King in the Zheng style also differs from others, as it takes inspiration from a Buddha statue. It's more plump while it features a butterfly-shaped alae of the nose and a row of black strokes above each eye that reveal a sense of solemn majesty.

According to Yan, the showcase of Zheng style Monkey Opera shows this year will provide a conclusive view on the classical scripts about the Monkey King in Peking Opera, thus the story will not be changed too much.

But in terms of stage and lighting designs, they will employ contemporary methods to make the show more enjoyable for audience who have been coddled by special effects in TV and film.

Art on the wane

Shanghai used to be a prime place for martial art opera in China, known for not only its excellent martial arts and acrobatics but also its complexity and refinement in mechanic device and stage sets. But in recent years the art has been on the wane.

According to Yan, there used to be many wusheng and wuchou practitioners in Shanghai Peking Opera Troupe that could present Monkey Opera productions, such as Xiaogao Xueqiao, Xiaowang Guiqing and Tang Junliang.

But now only he and his one disciple, Hao Jie, can play the Monkey King.

"Not only Monkey Opera, but also the whole of martial opera in the Peking Opera scene is sort of weak now," Yan told the Global Times.

"Many events only feature wenxi (operas highlighting singing and acting), if they ever invite Peking Opera performers. Martial opera performers rarely have a chance to somersault on the stage as a sort of ornament, even though the art also has singing and acting besides acrobatics."

The reasons why martial opera is weak, according to Yan, include the high cost of martial opera compared to wenxi because it often involves more teamwork and longer rehearsal times.

Often there's not enough funding to support martial opera performers in giving them practice time and allowing them to develop new plays.

Zhang Fan, deputy director of Shanghai Jingju Theater Company, told the Oriental Morning Post that they have been thinking about presenting one martial opera each month in the future, but they're concerned about whether they'll be able to attract a large enough audience for the show.

"But if the martial opera gets fewer and fewer performances, enthusiasm for martial opera actors will decrease, and it will be difficult to produce good-quality shows. Meanwhile, if the actors don't have enough practice, they're more likely to get hurt during performance," added Zhang.

But the Year of the Monkey is seen as a perfect chance for Yan, a first-class actor (the highest rank for an actor as accredited by the Chinese government) who has been in show business for 30 years.

He usually has about 50 performances each year, but mostly in a support role. This Monkey Opera showcase will see him take the lead.

Besides the show, Shanghai Peking Opera Troupe has also launched a year-long plan to arouse public interest in Monkey Opera and Peking Opera in general.

A short film depicting Yan performing the Monkey King at Hongqiao International Airport has received more than 190 million views online.

Meanwhile, Yan is expecting to take to the streets to interact with people during festivals and holidays.

"Traditional Chinese culture is relatively distant from the general public, and many people may not take the initiative to get in touch with us, so we should do something that can catch their attention. And once they know us, they can decide whether they like us or not," said Yan.