Together with Tianjin, the Hongqi Theatre strives to keep Pingju Opera alive

In the rehearsal room of the Red Flag Theatre — with the accompaniment of the band playing the pipa, erhu, suona, guzheng, yangqin, and cello — young actors practiced basic skills such as water-sleeve flipping and handkerchief throwing.

"Pingju Opera and the city of Tianjin have mutually enhanced each other," Zeng Zhaojuan, the director of Tianjin Pingju Opera Theatre, said. "Tianjin people have a strong sense of loyalty. The Pingju Opera is good at depicting daily life stories and human emotions, it perfectly aligns with the temperament of Tianjin. The inclusiveness of this city and the applause of the audience have become the driving force for the actors of Pingju opera to keep striving."

With many similarities to the costumes and makeup of Peking Opera, Pingju Opera is one of the five major Chinese opera genres. As a national intangible cultural heritage, Pingju Opera is popular in Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, and other areas in the northeast. Its themes are usually close to people's daily lives — such as the imperial examination and the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, Li Xuanjie, a young male lead of Tianjin Pingju Opera Theatre, said.

The Tianjin Pingju Opera Theatre, also known as the Hongqi Theatre, was established in 1958 and has been passed down to the seventh generation. With a diverse range of styles, the theatre's classic plays — including "The Legend of the Seal", "Zhao Jintang", and "Revolutionary Family" — have all won the "Splendor Award for Professional Theatrical Artworks".

"Among the founders of the four major schools of Pingju Opera, Li Jinshun, Liu Cuixia, and Ai Lianjun were all from Tianjin, highlighting the city's irreplaceable role in the development of Chinese Pingju Opera," Zeng said.

Recently, over 20 foreign journalists from countries including the United States and Italy visited the Tianjin Pingju Opera Theatre. A makeup artist picked up a costume adorned with intricate designs and explained the roles and plot symbols represented by each pattern. Nearby, journalists imitated the actors' stage walks, seeking advice on adjusting their steps and postures.

Through interactions with well-known actors and makeup artists both backstage and on stage, they learned about the development history of Pingju Opera, experienced the costumes and makeup of the opera, and even learned to sing some classic Pingju Opera excerpts.

"This is truly amazing; the costumes and makeup of Pingju Opera are so exquisite," Tom, an American journalist, said. "I never imagined there would be so many details in the makeup and costumes of traditional Chinese opera."

Tom discovered that classic plays such as "Tea Bottle Stratagem" and "Du Shiniang" tell touching stories of star-crossed lovers — similar to the classic Western play "Romeo and Juliet", written by William Shakespeare. On the stage, Li taught Tom the basic gesture of "Cloud Hand" or yunshou in Chinese. "Yunshou is one of the commonly used gestures in opera," Li explained while demonstrating. "It requires the arms to be smooth and round, like floating clouds and flowing water."

Li mentioned that Pingju Opera has grown rapidly in recent years. Initially, there was only one or two actors for each performance. But now, for the play "Revolutionary Family", the number of actors has exceeded 150.

"We attach great importance to the cultivation of young actors," Li said. "Each actor undergoes six years of professional training before their debut performances.

The Tianjin Opera Theatre has carried out the "Opera Entering Campus" activities at multiple schools in Tianjin, such as Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin Normal University, and Tianjin Chengjian University, receiving enthusiastic applause from teachers and students.

The staff also invites students to the 700-seat theatre and brings drama classes onto the stage and showcases the behind-the-scenes processes of makeup application and costume dressing up.

"This performance style is very appealing to students, and we're seeing more young people develop a liking for Pingju Opera," Zeng said.

Furthermore, Zeng has actively promoted the popularization of Pingju Opera among young people through new media such as short videos and live-streaming, insisting on both preserving classics and creating modern works that reflect the spirit of the times.

"How to attract more young actors to join the Pingju Opera has been a question we have been constantly pondering," Zeng said, expressing hope that over the next decade, more outstanding Pingju plays would emerge, attracting more young audiences and nurturing more young actors.

"We actively explore cross-border integration. In July, we collaborated with Guo Degang, the leader of De Yun She, to hold a re-performance celebration for Taiping Opera Society," Zeng said. "We hope to pass on the art of Pingju through the revival of classic plays."

Chen Yijun contributed to this story.

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