On 23rd December, 2018, a special evening gala featuring a mix of genres of traditional Chinese operas was staged at Fudan University. The show attracted nearly 700 staff and students as well as residents across Yangpu District.
The gala lasting 120 minutes had a rich repertoire of operas of different genres: Peking Opera, Pingtan(storytelling and ballad singing in Suzhou dialect), Hu Opera(also known as Shanghai Opera, typically sung in Shanghainese) and Huai Opera(a Chinese opera genre originated from Anhui and flourished in Jiangsu). Reputable performers from Shanghai Peking Opera Theatre, Shanghai Pingtan Troupe, Shanghai Huai Opera Troupe and Shanghai Wenhui Hu Opera Troupe were invited to put on plays such as “Li Kui Visits His Mother” (with a theme on filial piety), “Judge Bao and the Qin Xianglian Case” (with a theme on honesty and integrity), “The Taste of Truth” and “Wang Xiaohe” (with a theme on communist culture and revolutionary spirit) and “Rise up upon Hearing the Crow of a Rooster and Practise with the Sword” (with a theme on patriotism and ambitions). Characters from stories came alive through the performers’ singing, speaking and acting accompanied by tinkling sounds from the Chinese classical instruments they played. The whole audience was mesmerized from the very beginning and the music seemed to linger in the air as the evening drew to an end.
The gala received wide acknowledgement from the audience. “It feels great to attend a Chinese opera performed on campus!” Jiao Tong, a Chinese Opera fan and freshman from the School of Journalism thumbed up for the university’s initiative to bring in performances given by professional performers. Anita, an international student form Russia said, though she could not fully understand what the performers were singing, she was drawn into the performance and for her it was another step closer to the essence of Chinese culture.
Yuyin (meaning Lingering Sound), a Fudan student society assisted the organization of the gala. Two members of Yuyin Society, and twin sisters, Qiao Chu and Qiao Qing, are fans of Chinese operas. Learning how to sing operas themselves, they also volunteered to promote Chinese operas to fellow students and across the whole society. They believe that putting on Chinese opera shows on campus allowed the students to enjoy the charm of these national treasures by a closer reach and the superb performances by professional troupes provided the students an amazing audio and visual experience. The society genuinely welcome more of such events on campus.
Vice Director Tao Qing from SMG(Shanghai Media Group) Radio Centre offered her assistance in making the gala a success. She spoke highly of the gala: the stage had a bright and elegant backdrop, and the performed operas were well chosen, tapping into themes such as filial piety, diligence, patriotism, faith, integrity and dutifulness.
Both newly choreographed and classic segments, featuring protagonists of both ancient scholars and contemporary founders of Fudan University, were carefully arranged to infuse both a sense of history and relevance in the contemporary era. She would like to see more high-quality performances as such to be put on stage in universities.
