Promotional material for Zheng Banqiao Photo: Courtesy of Yangzhou Opera Research Institute

Yangzhou in East China's Jiangsu Province is not only known for its cuisine and well-designed gardens, but also for the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou, a group of eight well-known Chinese painters active in the eighteenth century during the Qing Dynasty(1644-1911). The story of Zheng Xie also known as Zheng Banqiao, will be staged at Beijing's Mei Lanfang Grand Theater on November 28 in the form of Yangzhou opera. 

Zheng, also an honest official, expressed himself through art and was noted for his drawing of orchids, bamboo and stones. Being able to play the role of Zheng has helped Li Zhengcheng, a famous Yangzhou opera performer, finally fulfill his dream of playing Zheng, a household name in Yangzhou.

"I hope that through our performance, everyone will be able to know the real story of Zheng Banqiao and experience the charm of Yangzhou opera," Li told the Global Times on Sunday. 

Zheng was also the calligrapher who created a new calligraphy style inspired to his orchid drawings. Additionally, he had an interest in literature and poetry, preferring to write about ordinary people in a natural style.

According to Li, the Yangzhou opera, which made the national intangible cultural heritage list in 2006, is a form of Chinese opera with Yangzhou local characteristics and has spread to neighboring regions due to its popularity. 

Promotional material for Zheng Banqiao Photo: Courtesy of Yangzhou Opera Research Institute

The opera not only displays its profound artistic achievement, but also focuses on the artist's ethics and thoughts on how to serve people as an official. As shown in the play, his lifelong ambition was to "contribute to the world and nourish the people with his writings."

"In recent years, the Yangzhou Opera Research Institute has repeatedly produced a series of popular dramas onstage. As a local art in Yangzhou, I hope that this Yangzhou opera will be liked by the people," said Gu Hongxia, deputy director of the Yangzhou Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism.