Kunqu Opera still flourishing despite fears for future

Support of society

Ding Mingzhi, who runs the Langyuan Vintage Creative Art Zone in the central business district of Beijing and puts on Kunqu Opera performances, said the average age of those who see them is 32, with 60 percent of them being female and 95 percent with bachelor degrees.

Since 2017, Ding has managed eight Kunqu Opera pieces in the art zone every year. For each performance the 200-seat theater is sold out, and sometimes, by audience request, he adds a few seats. He also organizes lectures on Kunqu Opera.

"The idea is to build the Kunqu cultural brand through these activities," Ding said.

During the pandemic, with all offline activities on hold, Ding used livestreaming to organize competitions among fans who could sing Kunqu Opera. He invited Kunqu performers to evaluate the fans' performances and give them tips on how they could improve. The competition attracted about 660 fansto participateand more than 6,000 peopleto watch. Online lectures were also held.