Raohe drama wins applause

By Liu Fei & Liu Qiang
0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, October 31, 2016
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Chinese opera, or Xiqu, is one of the world's oldest performing arts and never stops evolving. With over 300 regional varieties, it embodies folk songs, dance, martial arts and distinctive music, and has captured the love of millions of fans across the nation.

"Xia Hedong," a masterpiece of Raohe drama, debuts at China Ping Ju Theater in Beijing on Monday night. [Photo by Liu Qiang / China.org.cn]



Gan Opera is one of its major genres.

Gan Opera is a classical drama style from south China's Jiangxi Province with a history of about 500 years. Characterized mainly by high-pitched singing, it is named after the Gan River that runs through Jiangxi from south to north.

On a rainy Monday night, Gan Opera fans in Beijing had the opportunity to get a taste of the high-pitched singing through a dance-drama called "Xia Hedong" that was staged at China Ping Ju Theater.

"Xia Hedong" tells a story of Emperor Zhao Kuangyin, founder of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), who was tricked into killing his loyal general Huyan Shouting and ended up ensnared in a dangerous situation. The wife, son and daughter of Huyan Shouting overcame their personal grudge against the Emperor and rescued him from danger.

The three-hour drama pulled at the heartstrings of the audience who applauded and cheered time and time again.

"The performance is fabulous. I can't believe it is performed by actors from a county-level opera house. The performance is nearly nation-class," said an elderly opera fan.

"Xia Hedong" is a masterpiece of Raohe drama, one of the major branches of Gan Opera. The drama was orchestrated and performed by actors from the Gan Opera House of Poyang County.

Founded in a small county located on the eastern side of China's largest freshwater lake, Poyang Lake, in Jiangxi, the opera house has been active in performing for people in the province's rural areas.

Raohe drama originated during the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799) in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) and is named after the Rao River, which runs through Poyang County.

Among the audience sat an 80-year-old artist Hu Ruihua who has devoted her life to Raohe drama.

"For the first time in 63 years since the opera house was founded in 1953, Raohe drama has been staged in Beijing. The people of Poyang County, including the actors and me, are very excited. It is a dream come true," said Mrs. Hu who now serves as honorary president of the opera house.

When it was opened, the opera house had only over 20 actors. Now it has 136 and has become the largest county-level opera house in Jiangxi province. Each year, it stages 400 performances for a combined audience of over 3 million, mainly in rural areas.

Due to its deep connections with the people, the opera house has been dubbed "Flower by the Rao River."

"In the 1950s, we performed in villages for free. Now things have changed. As living standards are much higher than before, more and more people are willing to buy tickets to enjoy Raohe drama in theaters," said Mrs. Hu emotionally.

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