Yueju Crossover - Again!

Well browsing the web randomly and came across this picture which made my eyes almost dropped out of their sockets.

Yes, it's a Yueju crossover act again. Nothing new already, I supposed, but then again, having Zhao Zhigang as Lin Daiyu and Qian Huili as Zi Juan just seems very weird!

Interesting Du Ma Diao Song

I'm not sure if I've blogged about this before or not, but very long ago, there was this Taiwanese singer by the name of Lin Jun that sang a very interesting song based on the melody of "Du Ma Diao" (one of the major melodies of Taiwanese opera). Recently I happened to chanced upon a MV (self-made one of course) of this song on Youtube, and hence I'm sharing with all the Taiwanese opera fans out there. Enjoy!

Red Mansion Blow Wind Blow

Lately I saw this clip on Tudou.com featuring old-time Yueju partners Qian Huili and Wang Zhiping singing arias from "Dreams of the Red Mansion". However, they did not reprise their respective roles as Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu. For example, Wang Zhiping sang the role of Jia Baoyu and Jia Zheng, while Qian Huili sang the role of Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai. How do you think they would fare? Watch on to find out!

Orchestral Nan Yin

Previously I have blogged about fusion of liyuan opera and western orchestra. Well, now nan yin had done the same thing.

Recently, Xiamen Jin Lian Sheng Gaojia Opera Troupe's Wu Jingjing and Li Li had teamed up with Xiamen's philharmonic orchestra and choir to put up an orchestral version of nan yin drama "Chen San and Wuniang". Well, strictly speaking it is not really nan yin drama, but gaojia opera being staged as a musical concert. So you see the orchestra playing in the background and the main characters playing in the foreground, each having almost equal amount of limelight on stage. Unfortunately I couldn't get hold of the video footage of the actual show, but here's a news clip of this event:

And here're the pictures of the actors in action. The costumes are nice!

Thai Drama, Chinese Opera Theme 2

Gee, now I'm spoilt for choices. So it appears there is another remake of "Saneh Nang Ngiew", although I suspect the storyline is not entirely the same, that is done by Channel 7.. a glimpse of it here:

That Drama, Chinese Opera Theme

Okay this is a very old drama serial titled "Saneh Nang Ngiew", roughly translated as "The Charm of the Chinese Opera Actress" (according to my understanding of the Thai characters to the title; I could be wrong!), but it only caught my attention just recently.

I haven't watched the whole thing yet, but I know the main plot revolves around a touring Teochew opera troupe in Thailand. A glimpse of it for you guys:

Riding On The White Horse... Again...

Not long ago I've posted about this singer Xiao Hongren who incorporated "Riding On The White Horse" (身骑白马) in a pop song.

Quite some time back, Amai had posted about Guo Chunmei who had done a Electronica version of "Riding On The White Horse" as well.

A few months back, a female singer by the name of Xu Jiaying had done a similar act as well (though she'd already sang it in a singing competition last year), which coincidentally was produced by the same person who did the Guo Chunmei version. Take a look at the MV here:


It's rather surprising how a simple 4-liner song in the tune of "Qi Zi Diao" can become so immensely popular among the Gezi opera scene, so much so that it is almost a representation of the whole genre itself. If Gezi opera is a nation, then this song will definitely be it's national anthem!

The Fashionable Miss Tao

No, I don't know any lady whose surname is Tao. This title is but the main gist of a song from modern Yueju "Early Spring in February" featuring Xu Biaoxin, Zhang Weizhong and Zhang Yongmei. I quite like this song, titled "I Like You, Fashionable Miss Tao" because I think it is really cute and funny, especially the way Xu Biaoxin used English in his song (though it's only one word - "Miss", which was repeated over and over again as he sang about his infatuation with Miss Tao). Enjoy!

Familiar Faces

This is a Xiangju opera clip by an unknown troupe (actually I didn't bother to find out what is the troupe that performed in this show), but I was pleasantly surprised to see a few familiar faces. Of course, these actors had matured a lot in terms of acting and singing, hence this production could jolly well be their graduation showcase in opera school. How many faces can you recognise?

Hainanese Opera "Traveling Down South"

"Traveling Down South" is a very new modern Hainanese opera production by Haikou City Qiongju Opera Troupe. Having just been showcased in Beijing not long ago, it is going to take part in nationwide drama festival at Xiamen next month.



Unfortunately, I am unable to fly over to Xiamen to watch, but I hope this show will come to Singapore, for after all, this is a production about Hainanese ancestors traveling down south to Singapore to look for work. Hopefully the Hainanese clan association will bring it in soon. The pictures I've found on the net for this production looks promising enough for me to spend my money on the ticket.

Gezi Opera "Love of the Butterflies" Wins the Hearts Of Xiamen Audience

The very high profile production of "Love of the Butterflies" co-presented by Xiamen Minicipality Gezi Opera Troupe and Taiwan's Tang Meiyun Opera Company was finally staged on 29 October and winning the hearts of many Xiamen audience members.



Written by famous Gezi opera playwright Zeng Xuewen, this opera tells the story of a pair of Gezi opera actors in the 40s. Yu Qinlin is a male Gezi opera actor from Taiwan while Yun Zhongqing is a female Gezi opera actress from Xiamen. (I'm not sure if Yun Zhongqing is a real figure, but for those who had watched "Shao Jianghai" before, Shao had a opera teacher who was also called Yun Zhongqing, but she was from Taiwan) They were in love and were about to get married, but Yu had to return to Taiwan to raise money for the marriage ceremony. It was during his absence that the relationship between Mainland China and Taiwan got strained and the ill-fated lover became the victims of the political situation. In 1987, when family members from both sides of the straits finally get the chance to meet again, Yu, who had waited patiently for his lover, was shocked to know that Yun had married to someone who had loved her, but whom she did not love after a long 30-year wait.

This production might have a chance to be showcased in Taiwan next year. I hope this show will have a chance to staged here too, but somehow I just have a feeling that it will never be materialised. So for now, I just wish that a DVD of this show will be available soon..

Lady Precious Stream Waiting For Her Husband For Eighteen Years

It has been ages since I last bought a Mandarin pop album, and recently, I actually bought the debut album of Xiao Hongren. Interesting for me, I've never heard of him before, and never have I ever heard of his songs in anywhere. Some more, I bought it off the net.


Okay, you might be asking now, what does it got to do with Chinese opera (with such a heading for this post some more), and why did I even post this in my blog instead of my other one? Well, the reason why I bought this album is because of one song which caught my attention, and the title is "王宝钏苦守寒窑十八年", which translated into English is as per my title for this post. No, it is not a Hokkien opera song, but this song is somewhat inspired by Gezi opera, and in particular the plot for "Lady Precious Stream". Take a look at this MV for this song:

[KTV] 蕭閎仁 - 王寶釧苦守寒窯十八年
Uploaded by asiacitybeat.

Only a short segment of the song is sung in Gezi opera, but then I think it's a beautiful fusion of the opera with Mandarin pop, and I think he sings the Hokkien part very nicely. What do you think?

Tony Leung and Carina Lau Singing Cantonese Opera

Just saw this video on youtube, featuring Tony Leung and Carina Lau singing Cantonese opera. Alright, their actions may appear awkward and funny, but nevertheless, I think they'd put in quite a lot of effort already. So, enjoy!

Xiamen and Taiwan's Collaborative Gezi Opera "Love of the Butterflies"

This is a major news in the Hokkien (Gezi) opera scene, but apparently nobody has covered this before in English, and so I shall have the honour of doing it.

Taiwan's Tang Mei Yun Taiwanese Opera Troupe and Xiamen Municipality Gezi Opera Troupe has signed a contract last year to produce a collaborative performance titled "Love of the Butterflies", which would be staged as the finale for 2009 Cross-straits folk art festival held in Xiamen at the end of this month.



This excerpt here is performed by Xiamen's Zhuang Hairong and Taiwan's Lin Fangyi for CCTV's mid-autumn festival gala not long ago. For those who understand Mandarin or Hokkien, do not be mistaken that this production is a readaptation of "The Butterfly Lovers", although the lyrics did mention the names of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai. From what I've researched upon, this production is about the half-century long love story of a pair of Gezi opera practitioners who were separated by the Taiwan straits. Whether or not this production has got any political undertones to it, I'm not sure, but nevertheless I feel this is a major breakthrough for the development of Hokkien opera. No doubt troupes from China had frequently performed in Taiwan and vice versa in recent years, but as far as I can remember, there has never been a case of total collaboration between troupes from both sides of the straits, other than once a few years back whereby Tang Meiyun performed a duet with Huang Juanjuan (also from Xiamen) for a TV concert.

Hopefully there'll be more of such collaborations following this, and who knows, many other new possibilities can spark out of such collaborations, pushing Hokkien opera to greater heights.

American Singing Yueju

I was searching the net for information regarding adapting an existing theatrical work into Chinese opera for History of Visual Arts module in school a few moment ago and chanced upon this video of an American singing Yueju:



I think he sounds great, not just his diction sounds authentic, his Yin-style flavour is strong too, much better than a particular "famous" Yin-style actress who always appear in the annual CCTV Chinese opera gala. Come to think of it, if someone of a foreign origin can sing Chinese opera so well, does that make us Chinese, regardless of whether amateur or professional Chinese opera actors, without an excuse not to learn to sing well?

Another "Thunderous" Chinese Periodic Drama Serial: "The Lotus Lantern: the Prequel"

I believe many people (local) will probably know that our Mediacorp is having a rerun of "The Lotus Lantern" on channel 8 at 5.30pm on weekdays. Now, apparently, there's a prequel to this serial and is already showing on China's national TV.

As if "Dream of the Red Mansion" is not "thunderous" (Mainland Chinese slang for shocking) enough, this production is equally thunderous, at least to me. Here're the pictures I've found:

Didn't people complain about the half-evolved-monkey-like and "opela"-flavoured hairstyle of Er-lang Deity (human form) simply too ugly? 

I personally find this outfit and hairdo acceptable, but I think she simply don't have the classic out-of-the-world look required for Goddess of Huashan (Er-lang Deity's sister)

Is she acting in Madam White Snake again? No, this is Goddess Yaochi, Er-lang Deity's mother!

This Yang Tianyou (Goddess Yaochi's husband, Erlang Deity's mortal father) looked too much like a beggar than a poor scholar

I think this personal maid of Goddess of Huashan looked too sci-fiction; a cross breed of Species and Cirque du Soleil?

On a side note, this show is like a "rojak" as well, as it incorporated plots from "Journey to the West", "Seventh Fairy and Dong Yang", "Ne Zha Creates Havoc in the East Sea" and "Investiture of the Gods". How imaginative TV producers in China are!

Anhui Luju opera: The Teacher's Salary

Recently I saw this Luju short opera titled "The Teacher's Salary" as below:

This show has been adapted into Xiangju decades back by the late Shao Jianghai, but it is no longer performed for a very long time already as many traditional shows had been gradually forgotten since it's reform in the 60s. If not because of Xiamen Municipality Opera Troupe's "Shao Jianghai", in which a small section of this piece was featured, maybe nobody would even remember there's such a show in Xiangju repertiore.

"Old Skool" Yueju

Yueju has been around for a century already. Since the 50s when Yuan Xuefen started her own style of singing, many other her peers followed suit, and then started a revolution in Yueju. In present day, Yueju has already shed its "regional opera" status and became one of the major opera genres in Chinese culture.

However, in recent years, there has been growing concern within the Chinese opera circle of trying to preserve the traditional style of Yueju opera, which can no longer be found in major cities like Shanghai, but still triving in small towns and rural areas.

Below here is a portion of a traditional Yueju opera show performed in the traditional style by an unknown troupe in recent years. The relevant authorities had originally wanted to archive 100 of such shows in the form of VCDs, but due to lack of fundings, the project was stopped after producing about 30 odd shows.

Chinese Opera Myths and Facts: Wang Kui the Unfortunate Scholar

In Zhaoyuan city of Yantai, Shandong province, there is a street called "Street of the Scholar". Not many natives know how this street was named, but historical record showed that this street was named after a top scholar of the region in the Song dynasty named Wang Junming, better known as Wang Kui now.

For those who have not watched "Wang Kui Abandons Guiying", the story is about a talented young men Wang Kui who was too obsessed with courtesan Jiao Guiying that he used up all his money initially meant to finance him for the imperial examination. In order to let Wang Kui sit for the imperial examination, Jiao Guiying gave him a sum of money she had secretly saved. Wang Kui felt indebted to Jiao Guiying initially, and vowed at the Temple of the Sea God that he would return to marry her if he made it through the imperial examination. However, the moment he became the top scholar, his character changed drastically and started to despise Jiao Guiying for her low status. He then wrote a divorce letter and had it sent back to Jiao Guiying. Jiao Guiying was devastated, and went to the Temple of the Sea God, begging the Sea God to punish the heartless man. The Sea God told Jiao Guiying that he was unable to do anything to Wang Kui because he was the top scholar and was blessed. Shocked that the Gods were not helping her, she decided to end her life and take revenge on Wang Kui personally as a ghost. After becoming a ghost, Jiao Guiying turned up at Wang Kui's mansion. Wang Kui thought that Jiao Guiying was still a human and tried to chase her away. Jiao Guiying showed her true self and had Wang Kui's spirit chained away.


Based on the above-mentioned plot (it should be noted that the Yueju version is slightly different in some of the scenes, but the general plot and the ending are the same), why on earth is a notorious baddie like him being honoured in such a way? The truth is, Wang Kui was wrongly slandered. The real Wang Kui is named Wang Junming, who lived in the era of Renzong Emperor. He was a capable official with a upright character. However, one day, he suffered from some strange illness (I believed should be stress and depression), which caused him to scream at pillars for no reason. He was under medication, but passed away within the next few years. His sudden rise to fame and subsequent death became topic for speculation, and the most "believable" reason for his death later became what we now know as Jiao Guiying coming back to seek revenge on Wang Kui (The word "Kui" is often used to refer the top scholar). What was unknown to them at that point of time was that Wang Junming had died due to wrong usage of medication and not of supernatural causes.

30 years after Wang Junming's death, renowned physician Chu Yushi, friend of Wang Junming, got frustrated with the slander made against his friend and wrote in one of his medical journals about the side effects of a particular drug, warning people that if they consume it, they might end up just like Wang Junming dying a "mysterious" death and being slandered for a crime that wasn't even commited in the first place.

Chinese Opera Myths and Facts: When One Person Became Two - Xue Ren'gui and Xue Ping'gui

Since young I was quite confused with Xue Ren'gui and Xue Ping'gui due to their almost identical sounding names. Both are even generals from the same era, adding on to my confusion.

Xue Ren'gui is usually portrayed as the father of Xue Ding'shan in "Thrice Begging of Fan Lihua", and is a historically famous general in the Tang dynasty. Xue Ping'gui on the other hand is a well-known character in "Lady Wang Baochuan", a Tang dynasty general who was forced to serve the army, got caught by the Princess of Western Liang Kingdom and made the Princess Consort while his wife Lady Wang was waiting for his return by a broken hut.


There is no Xue Ping'gui in history, so how did this figure came about in Chinese opera? The fact is, Xue Ping'gui is derived from Xue Ren'gui himself. As a young man, Xue Ren'gui was a very poor man, and on the advice of his wife Lady Liu, he decided to join the army. Lady Liu had not expected that this move would meant that Xue would be away for many years, and before Xue was to return to his hometown in glamour, Lady Liu had already died of starvation by their broken hut.


This story was adapted into Yuan opera "Xue Ren'gui Returns in Glamour", and was subsequently revised into various folk opera shows. There are two rather possible sayings as to how the original opera became "Lady Wang Baochuan" as we know now. The first was that once upon a time, a wealthy family once invited an opera troupe to perform, and one of the shows was a revised version of "Xue Ren'gui Returns in Glamour". After the show ended, the matriarch of the family went up to the troupe leader to ask about how the story of Xue Ren'gui and Lady Liu ended, and was disappointed that Lady Liu had such a tragic ending. She was so grieved that soon after she fell ill. In order to make her well again, the family started seeking playwrights to amend the ending to a more joyous one. An unnamed playwright did just that, and in order not to twist the historical facts around, he decided to change the names of the lead characters, but still giving out hints on who the original reference was by retaining two out of three characters in the male leading role's name. Surprisingly, the martriarch's illness was cured completely after watching the new revised opera.


Another version of the saying was that after Xue Ren'gui's return in glory, the native folks in his hometown of Shanxi were very proud that a famous general was born in their district and hence wrote operas about him to sing in his glory. People in Shaanxi were dissatisfied with that, because Xue Ren'gui moved to Shaanxi after his rose to fame but it was the people from Shanxi that received all the attention. Therefore, people in Shaanxi wrote a new play based on Xue Ren'gui's story as a retaliation, but in order not to rewrite history, they decided to change the name of the leading character slightly.