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Introduction of Opera Heritage Showcase
With over 400 years of history, Yu opera was one of the brightest stars in the galaxy of China’s opera world. It was a decent way for people to express their feelings and enjoy art from the past to nowadays. Stories as famous as Mulan and Monkey King also were telling in this very unique art style. The most famous Yu Opera play “Cheng Ying Rescues the Orphan” was the very first Chinese opera that ever shown on the stage of Broadway ( Studio 54, 2013) and Dolby Theatre ( Oscar Award Home in Hollywood) in 2016. With great success in the US, “Cheng Ying Rescues the Orphan” ended with being shown in more than 28 countries and areas. At the same time, countless other excellent plays couldn’t wait to be known internationally. In Henan Province, there are many more small genres such as Daxian Opera, flower Drum Opera, Siping Tone, Daoqing Opera, etc. However, with the extremely fast speed of the development of the entertainment industry, less and fewer people still stayed with these traditional species. All those fabulous plays that were passed by generations and generations are in danger now. To save these in danger opera species, the leader and also the leading role in “Cheng Ying Rescues the Orphan”, Mr. Li Shujian, this year brought back a new group of different opera minor genres to the audiences in the US. Among these species, some of them even have more than 1300 years of history since the Tang Dynasty. This time the show will be presented by Maeya Culture Exchange Group and St. Culture Advocacy, please capture this precious opportunity before all these vanishing arts have gone.
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Siping Tone Opera “Youth Bao Qing Tian”
Synopsis: Bao Qing Tian was a famous role both in Chinese Opera stage and Chinese history. This play was about his early years of personal story. Bao lost his mother at a very early age, and he had been abused by his very mean second sister-in-law Bai. His first sister-in-law, Wang, was very kind and generous. Bao studied very hard under Wang’s help. Next year, despite the sarcasm from Bai, Bao tried his best in the national examination to earn the title of a governor. However, after Bao arrived in the capital city, he got sick and missed the date of the examination. Hopelessly, Bao started selling his poems on the street. The general Yanling Wang saw his talent from his poems and recommended him to the emperor. After the emperor tested Bao in person, he assigned him to be the new officer of Dingyuan County. On Bao’s way to his position, he traveled pass by his hometown and revealed the immoral behaviors of Bai. To repay his kind-hearted sister-in-law Wang’s favor, Bao took her to Dingyuan County with him.
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Daoqing Opera “Jindou Wang Borrow Rice”
Synopsis: In Wangwan Village of Taikang County, Jindou Wang was engaged with Aijie Zhang since childhood. Unfortunately, after baby engagement, Wang’s family collapsed after a fire accident. Zhang’s father despised Wang’s family for their poor status and he wanted to cancel the engagement, but Zhang was loyal to the engagement with Wang. By the end of the year, Wang was too poor to have rice to cook. He came to Zhang’s family to see if he could borrow some rice. Because of being afraid of Zhang’s father, Wang tried to enter from the backyard but accidentally found Zhang’s room. Zhang warmed some alcohol for her fiancé and brought her father’s leather coat to Wang as a gift. Zhang’s sister-in-law, Liu, ran into these two love birds. She pulled Wang out of the closet, made some fun of him, and gave him some new year’s presents then let her husband sent him |
Big String Opera “General Yang Pick Soldiers”
Synopsis In the Song Dynasty, Emperor Guangyi Zhao went to Wutai Mountain to pray. He was trapped by his enemy, the Empress of Liao with countless soldiers. Emperor Zhao assigned his guard Yong to sneak back to the capital and ask for help. Yong went back and meet General Pan to bring the army to save the emperor; however, General Pan slandered him for running away from the front line and threw Yong to the prison. General Yang’s family also was slandered by Pan’s fake order from Pan’s daughter, Empress of the Song Dynasty. The order required the Duke of the Song Dynasty to monitor Yang’s family’s death. Duke found out the truth and changed the order, saved Yang’s family from death. |
Flower Drum Opera “A Couple at the Lantern Festival”
Synopsis:This play described a loving couple went to a Lantern Festival, making jokes with each other through the lyrics and dances. It’s a singing and dancing play, represents the local tradition in Guangshan County of participating in the Lantern Festival and the vivid mood during the festival. |
Yu Opera "Mulan"
During the North-South Dynasties in China’s history, Mulan’s father was assigned to join the military for the national war. After a serious consideration, Mulan knew that his father couldn’t make his way back from the battlefield and her brother was too young, so she took her brother’s name and joined the military as Muli. “Muli” did a great job in the military and became a general after 12 years. The Emperor wanted to assign the marriage for “Muli” with the princess. “Muli” kindly rejected this assignment, instead of a royal marriage, “Muli” asked for returning to hometown and visiting the family. After arriving home, “Muli” changed the clothes and met the Grand General that was sent by the Emperor for the rewards for “Muli”. Mulan confessed to the Grand General about the whole story, the Grand General praised Mulan as “A Great National Female Hero.” |
Yu Opera “Lifting Sedan for the Bride”
“Lifting Sedan for the Bride” was one of the most famous plays in Yu Opera, was well-known among the Yu Opera audiences and fans.
During the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, the new national martial art competition champion and Fenglian Zhou, the daughter of Provincial Officer Ding Zhou, had an engagement. On the day of the wedding, Fenglianwas sent to the groom’s family by her cousinJinbao. In the groom’s house,Jinbao surprisingly found that Dingyun, his fiancée who committed suicide in the past now was a maid there. Dingyun worried that there is a huge gap between her and Jinbao’s background now, the families won’t accept them as a couple again. Fenglian tried her best to convince the parents to respect the young lovers’ decision, and finally helped Jinbao and Dingyun to become a happily married couple |
Yu Opera “ Cheng Ying Rescuers the Orphan”
Synopsis: As the Spring and Autumn Period descends on the State of Jin, trouble brews in Duke Jing's court. The treacherous General Tu Angu is intent on destroying his rival, the honorable Minister Zhao Dun. He manages to frame the Minister and orders that over 300 members of the Zhao family be put to death. Princess Zhuang Ji, pregnant with a Zhao child, manages to narrowly escape into the palace and safely deliver a son. Knowing that her child will be hunt down by Tu Angu, the Princess Zhuang Ji entrusts her newborn to imperial physician Cheng Ying. Angered that even one living descendent of Zhao has escaped him, General Tu swears to kill all newborns born at that time if the orphan of Zhao is not brought forth. Deeply worried, Cheng Ying consults Gongsun Chujiu, an old friend. Together they agree that this mindless slaughter must stop. Cheng Ying decides to have his own newborn son masquerade as the Zhao orphan. Gongsun Chujiu agrees to take Cheng Ying's child and pretends he was the one to smuggle the infant out of the palace. In this double act of self-sacrifice the orphan of Zhao and all newborns of the kingdom are spared. Because of this act, Cheng Ying wins the trust of General Tu Angu and takes the Zhao orphan to lodge at Tu's mansion. Cheng Ying swallows his pain and labors hard to bring up the orphan. After the orphan has grown into a young man, Cheng Ying decides that the time has come to reveal the tragic history of the Zhao family and the orphan's true heritage. After learning the truth, the orphan of Zhao kills General Tu Angu and is able to avenge his family |
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