Kunqu performers at the event Photo:Courtesy of the event

A week of performances of Kunqu opera is set to be held at the end of April in Beijing, presenting a lineup of works including traditional classics and revolutionary stories, which shows how the 600-year-old art has evolved in modern times. 

The Kunqu week, which will be held from April 28 to May 3 at the Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center, is set to highlight the classic adaptation of Butterfly Dream, a Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) story that focuses on the conflict between emotion and trust between the two protagonists, and the modern Chinese Revolutionary Kunqu opera Qu Qiubai, an innovative combination of modern themes and classical art.

The performance Qu Qiubai, which shares the same name of the heroic figure Qu Qiubai, an early CPC leader and a revolutionary hero in 1920s who went to Moscow in search of ways to salvage China, is said by the critics to be the perfect combination of the classical beauty of traditional art and modern stage vocabulary.

The week of performances will include five pieces brought to be staged by the Jiangsu Provincial Kunju Theatre from three principles: The classics that have been passed down from generation to generation, the creatively adapted historical dramas, as well as original modern dramas. 

"That is what the Kunqu opera artists have been doing in the last few years. They innovated and tried to bring along very creative works with modern themes in the form of Kunqu, in order to better inherit and protect the ancient art," Jia Yixing, a traditional Chinese opera critic, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Throughout the last few years, various Kunqu opera troupes have launched their new works linked to the current hot topics in modern times including themes around anti-epidemic efforts.

"Many of these new works have been loved and admired by the audience. But the innovations should never deviate from the core of Kunqu opera," noted Jia.

Kunqu opera was originated in the Kunshan area at the end of the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty. With a history of more than 600 years, this art form is famous for its elegant and delicate performances, melodious tunes, and its highly stylized performances.

Kunqu opera topped the list of 19 items selected from all over the world after a unanimous vote in the first batch of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity proclaimed by UNESCO in 2001.

Global Times