Chinese kunqu opera star Zhang Jun talks about his life’s passion

If we were to put a face to traditional Chinese opera, it would not be that of Zhang Jun.

Sporting clothes, hairstyle and looks fit for a pop star, it is hard to associate the 42-year-old kunqu performer with the 600-year-old operatic genre. But with his unconventional approach – and well-honed skills and charisma – Zhang is an earnest crusader to keep the ancient art alive.

The recipient of the Unesco Artist for Peace award (2011) was recently in town to perform in Zuni Icosahedron’s experimental piece Sigmund Freud in Search of Chinese Matter & Mind.

For that show, which explored how “love and passion” are perceived, interpreted and understood in Eastern and Western literature and theatre. Zhang uses a well-known kunqu classic, The Four Dreams of Linchuan by Tang Xianzu to explore the relationship between himself and the theatre.

Whether it’s instilling new elements or bringing back lost traditions, Zhang has a way of surprising audiences with his radical ideas. The Zhang Jun Kunqu Art Centre, which he founded seven years ago, has put on only four original productions so far. But they are all groundbreaking performances that challenge the boundaries of how kunqu can be presented.