Wife in Hock (Dian Qi), a play in the Yongju Opera genre won the Chinese Opera Association Award, the highest academic award in Chinese traditional opera that is only occasionally won by innovative dramas.

And this was the first time for the award to go to a Yongju opera, a lesser-known form of local opera from the Ningbo area.

In the past 17 years, only seven plays from the "big four local operas," namely, Peking Opera, Pingju Opera, Shaoxing Opera and Yuju Opera, survived the very strict and critical examination of a panel of opera experts to get the award.

Small but smart

The Ningbo Yongju Opera Troupe is the only survivor of this withering traditional opera genre.

Originating from the hill songs in the areas around Ningbo, in east China's Zhejiang Province, in the late 19th century, Yongju Opera went through many changes and was finally officially recognized as a genre in its own right in 1950.

It features chanting and story-telling, but it also brings in elements from other opera forms, such as Peking Opera, Kunqu Opera and even modern drama. This had an influence on its finally being recognized as a performing art with its own traditions, not just a form of countryside entertainment.

The actors and actresses are often dressed in Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) costumes and Western-style suites, and the plays usually reflect life in modern times. The genre has gained popularity not only in the Ningbo area but also in Shanghai.

But with advancing globalization bringing more and more entertainment choices to Chinese people, the number of people who like to go to the theatre to watch ancient and traditional operas is dwindling.

"Small traditional opera troupes all try their best to preserve the dying traditions, but most have difficulty in adapting their art form to meet the demands of modern society. Ningbo Yongju Opera Troupe, however, has done a good job in this respect and can serve as a good example to other local operas," said Xie Boliang, a professor at Shanghai Jiaotong University.

In 2002, the Ningbo Yongju Opera Troupe decided to produce a major modern play Wife in Hock based on the novel My Slave Mother, by Rou Shi (1902-1931), a modern novelist born in Ninghai County of Zhejiang Province.

They invited many famous theatre experts from Beijing and Shanghai to help the local opera sharpen its presentation. The expert team included playwright Luo Huaizhen from the Shanghai Art Creation Center, director Cao Qijing from the Central Academy of Drama, stage designer Zhou Benyi from the Shanghai Academy of Drama and composer Ru Jinshan from Shanghai Opera Troupe.

"Yongju Opera is a young and living art and we can put many new things into our play to make it more interesting, but of course we must keep its traditional characteristics," said Wang Jinwen, who plays the wife in the production and is also the director of the troupe.

"We want to create a new Yongju opera," said the play director Cao Qijin. "We had to give up outdated aspects of the form and try to add new things in every part of the play."

Cao combined elements from Peking Opera, Kunqu Opera and modern drama with the play, and also added more dancing parts for the female lead.

To help audiences, especially non-natives, better understand the Ningbo dialect in the play, the troupe set up electronic board on both sides of the stage to display the lines.

"We have also made some adjustment in the lines to help audiences understand the play more readily," Wang said.

Big success

The curtain raises on a tranquil and peaceful village scene with a beautiful woman washing clothes by the river. A light blue morning fog floats among the mountains, birds are singing, and the audience can hear the rush of the flowing waters of the river.

Applause burst from the audience when they saw the first scene of the play.

"It is the first time I have seen a Yongju Opera. It is really beautiful," said Chen Qiao, 18, a high school student.

"I watched the news on TV, it looked beautiful and interesting, so I invited some friends to come to the theatre. I never expected our local opera could be so brilliant," said Wang Nannan, 39, the manager of a business.

But many members of the audience were senior citizens. "We often watched Yongju opera in the past. This play is different from the old ones, it's very modern," said Xu Xiuhua, 70.

A senior couple from North China also liked the show. "In the beginning we were afraid that we would not be able to understand the local dialect, but it wasn't a problem at all. They (actors and actresses) sing slowly and the display boards are a great help."

"'Wife in Hock' absorbs elements from modern drama, which lifts the Yongju Opera genre to a new level," said Liu Housheng, consultant to the Chinese Opera Association.

"This play has a strong local flavor and is also very poetic, very modern, very creative. It represents a breakthrough in playwrighting, direction, stage design, lighting, music, costume design and performance skills, but also lets audience feel the rich culture of Zhejiang Province," commented dramatic critic Liao Ben.

The play Wife in Hock has toured the country, giving more than 60 performances in Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Xi'an and Hong Kong and has been very popular.

The success of Wife in Hock has inspired other small local troupes, as well as putting some pressure on them.

Liang Weiping, a famous Huai Opera performer (a local opera popular in northern Jiangsu Province), said that all the opera troupes in Shanghai went to watch the play.

"Our Huai Opera Troupe felt some pressure after watching the play," he said, "The Ningbo Yongju Opera Troupe has developed into a big company and their performance reached a very high level. They learn from other major opera genres but successfully keep the characteristics of their own. Their innovations have challenged us and also given us great inspiration."

But the success of the Yongju Opera depends on support from the local government.

"Our troupe cannot fully support itself, just like other local troupes, but fortunately we get financial support from the local government," said Yang Liuding, 58, actor and a former director of the Ningbo Yongju opera troupe.

The local government poured about one million yuan (US$125,000) into the production.

"The local opera is a part of our area and helps bind us together. The development of Yongju Opera reflects the development of the city," said Xu Funing, deputy secretary of Ningbo municipal government.

"Yongju Opera is part of the local culture we must keep and develop it. Producing good plays is the only way to survive," Yang said.

"The success of 'Wife in Hock' is a historical breakthrough for our local opera and marks the beginning of a new era for the 100-year-old art," Xu said.

He added that it also proves that a small local opera troupe can create excellent plays and contribute to the preservation of traditional operas, just as the big companies do.

(China Daily July 16, 2004)