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Since its founding, the troupe has performed across China and in a
number of countries abroad. Its members have visited Japan, the
US, Australia, South Korea and many other places. Wherever they
go, they always are warmly welcomed.
Just
recently, they came to Beijing to take part in a national
competition for young Peking opera performers. The competition was
held in the prestigious Chang¡¯an Grand Theater, and the troupe
played to a full house.
The
star of the Nanjing troupe's show was Fan Lexin. She began to
learn Peking Opera when she was nine. Twenty-two years of diligent
study and hard work have passed, but her commitment to her art has
never changed. Fan Lexin is now the best female performer in the
troupe, and has won dozens of prizes in the past few years. In
1999, she held her own recital in Nanjing. It was very successful,
and was highly praised by experts and laypeople alike.
Despite
her great success and popularity, Fan also realizes that pop music
and other forms of modern entertainment pose a threat to Peking
Opera.
¡°Pop
music has greatly reduced people¡¯s interest in Peking Opera,
especially young people. They say Peking Opera is too slow. And
many of the lyrics are very old, in classical Chinese, and very
difficult for them to understand.¡±
But
she still has confidence in the future of the Peking Opera.
¡°I
think that Peking Opera will regain its popularity. Although it
won¡¯t be as popular as it was in the old days, it will certainly
be more popular than it is now. As for myself, I will continue my
efforts to improve my performance. I won¡¯t quit halfway, and I
will do my best to hand down this art to the generations that
follow.¡±
Fan
also suggested that reforms in Peking Opera are necessary to make
this art more appealing to young people.
Two
girls studying at Nanjing¡¯s Jiangsu Traditional Opera School
also came to take part in the troupe's performance. Both of them
enrolled in the school three years ago, when they finished their
primary education. One of them is 16-year-old Bi Lu.
¡°I
decided to learn Peking Opera because I love it. Everyone in my
family loves it. They recommended that I go to opera school. I
hope I can sing Peking Opera well in the future. I have chosen it
as my career, and I have no other plans. Of course, learning it is
very hard work, but my interest in it is much stronger.¡±
Both
the girls admit that they also love pop music, but they said
Peking opera brings them a special feeling that is very difficult
to describe.
Zhang
Jianqiang is a director of the Nanjing Peking Opera Troupe. He
said the entire company has worked hard to develop Peking Opera.
¡°First
we try to give more performance opportunities to young actors, to
train them. We have changed the scripts, and begun to use simpler
language. We've also done a lot of publicity among young people,
even creating some plays aimed at school students, which use
stories to which the youngsters can relate.¡±
Zhang
added that although Peking Opera may never have a predominant
position in the world of opera and music, it will continue to
develop healthily.
(china radio international) |
