Playing wise women

Peking Opera veteran Yuan Huiqin has embarked on a foreign tour to spread the traditional Chinese art form

A group of Swedish students came to the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts in Beijing in 1987 to study Peking Opera.

Some learned the technique of playing lao dan, or older female roles, in the Chinese art form. Yuan Huiqin was one of the Chinese students on the same course.

As one of the top students in her class, Yuan was chosen to demonstrate the singing and physical movements of lao dan roles to her Swedish classmates.

"The roles are usually performed in a rich and low-pitched voice. They mostly show female warriors and mothers with authority, so they look serious and respectful," says Yuan, who is one of the most famous lao dan actresses in the country and one of the winners of the Plum Blossom Prize, the highest theater award in China.

"I recall a beautiful female Swedish student not being able to play the role initially. We spent a lot of time explaining to her what it is about and also helped her understand Peking Opera better."

In July, when Yuan was invited by the Ministry of Culture to launch a lecture tour to introduce Peking Opera overseas, she suggested visiting Sweden.

"It's been 30 years since I spent three months with the Swedish students (in Beijing)," the 51-year-old says, adding that they were eager to learn Peking Opera even back then.

"I believe that there are many around the world who still don't know much about Peking Opera. So, I want to bring it to them and let them appreciate the beauty of the ancient art form."

Yuan is currently leading a team of young Peking Opera artists from the National Peking Opera Company on a tour of Kazakhstan, Russia and Sweden.

Peking Opera has a history stretching back more than 200 years and was declared a world intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2010.

During the trip, Yuan will be giving two lectures in each country, combining history and techniques of Peking Opera with demonstrations of classical pieces such as San Cha Kou (Divergence) and Ba Wang Bie Ji (Farewell My Concubine).

She will also introduce another Chinese art form, the Kunqu Opera, in her lectures, and artists will perform parts of The Peony Pavilion, a play by Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) writer Tang Xianzu.

Students of theater in the countries they visit are expected to be in the audience.

"I have performed abroad many times but I have never been to these three countries. It will be a new experience for me," says Yuan, who will visit St. Petersburg, Astana, Goteborg and other cities.

She has taught traditional Chinese operas at Peking University and Wuhan University in China. But Yuan says she will use a different approach in the three countries where students need to know more about Chinese culture.

"Peking Opera is more than a performing art. There is a profound culture behind it, especially the traditional Chinese philosophies and values, such as patriotism, loyalty and honesty," says Yuan, who has been working with the Beijing-based National Peking Opera Company since 1993.

"I want to share these great cultures with Western audiences."

Yuan, who was born in Yichang, Hubei province, is credited with reviving the performing style of lao dan roles and is well-known for her performances.

At the age of 10, Yuan, the only child of her intellectual parents, was chosen to study Peking Opera at a local art school thanks to her talent for singing and dancing.

Her parents didn't set goals for her and only hoped that she could enjoy the art along with other children of her age.

Unlike other such opera roles - hua dan (young female roles) and wu dan (martial arts female roles) - the performers in lao dan roles don't look beautiful and the actresses usually wear gray wigs and makeup giving the appearance of wrinkles.

"But my mother persuaded me to practice the lao dan roles," recalls Yuan. "She told me, if you portray women who are much older than you, you could become a great actress."

Yuan became an apprentice of Peking Opera master Li Jinquan in 1983 and frequently traveled to Beijing from her hometown.

"I stayed in a small hotel near the Forbidden City while in Beijing and learned the opera. I would sing from early morning until evening. My master was very strict. I had to repeatedly sing one word for a whole day until he nodded. My biggest entertainment was to watch Peking Opera performances at a small theater near my hotel."

In 1990, when Peking Opera celebrated its 200th anniversary, Yuan played the lead role in the piece Empress Dowager Xiao, which focuses on the ethnic nomadic Qidan tribe during the Liao Dynasty (916-1125).

In 2001, this piece was adapted into a six-episode TV drama, which combined Peking Opera with contemporary TV and featured Yuan in the lead role of the royal woman.

"The TV drama enabled more audiences, especially the young people, to appreciate Peking Opera," says Yuan.

In 2008, Yuan initiated the idea of shooting a film, the first of its kind in the country, based on the Peking Opera piece Dui Hua Qiang (Silver Spear) and she played the lead role of Jiang Guizhi, a loyal wife.

"In all the roles that I play, I try to present women with sophisticated characters and rich emotions. It's not just about the gestures and singing the lyrics," Yuan says.

Now, Yuan teaches at the National Academy of Chinese Theater Arts and she hopes to inspire the next generation with her knowledge and experience of playing lao dan roles.

chennan@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 09/15/2017 page20)