Rebirth of an ancient art

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of its rebirth, a special Kunqu concert was recently held at Changyinge, or the Pavilion of Cheerful Melodies, in the Forbidden City in Beijing.

Now known as the Palace Museum, the Forbidden City was China's imperial palace from 1420 to 1911.Built in 1772 during the reign of Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the three-story pavilion used to be a venue where the ruler and his successors enjoyed the finest operas from across the nation.

After a century of silence following the end of the monarchy, performances finally resumed on Changyinge in 2017 after extensive renovations. Still, the stage was only reserved for a handful of performances on the most important occasions. This also marks the first time a full Kunqu performance was staged there since the pavilion's reopening.

"Changyinge had witnessed Kunqu fading away after its peak in the imperial years," Tian says. "It's thus remarkable to present a show here for the anniversary."

Wei Chunrong is from the Northern Kunqu Opera Theater in Beijing, the troupe that organized this performance. Before stepping onto the pavilion, the 49-year-old actress became emotional.

"I once experienced tough times when performing Kunqu, but extensive change has happened in the last 20 years," says Wei, who first began performing the opera when she was 10. "Seeing its good days now, I cherish this stage. It is also a stage that once witnessed many of my predecessors' excellent performances in the old days."

But unlike her predecessors who gave exclusive performances to the royal family, the troupe performed in front of many lenses in the auditorium. Their performance was broadcast via the China Central Television network to a much wider audience.