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Kevin Kwong

The Peach Blossom Fan (1699)

Jiangsu Province Kunqu Opera

HK Cultural Centre Grand Theatre

Reviewed: Feb 24

A quick  glance at the cast list reveals that most of the actors in this production are in their early 20s, with one of  the leads still in her teens.

As part of the  Arts Festival programme, The Peach Blossom Fan (1699) is as much about reviving a kunqu classic as it is passing on an ancient operatic genre  to  a new generation.

Staged by the Jiangsu Province Kunqu Opera and directed by  Tian Qinxin, this version of the 17th-century piece by Kong Shangren is a lot shorter than  the original, which has about  40 scenes. There are, instead, six scenes and the production lasts a modest three hours.

The Peach Blossom Fan is a  love story set against  the turbulent  final days of the Ming dynasty.  Scholar Hou Fangyu (played by Shi Xiaming, below, right) falls in love with courtesan Li Xiangjun (Shan Wen [left, with Shi] and  then Luo Chenxue  after the intermission)   at a time when the emperor and his people's loyalty are being challenged.

Thanks to her righteous character, Li has offended the treacherous Ruan Dacheng (Zhao Yutao),  who plots to thwart her romance with Hou. When he succeeds, Li attempts suicide  and her blood is  spattered  onto a white fan over which the pair  had pledged their love.  Hou's friend Yang Wencong (Zhou Xin)  draws with the bloodstains to  depict a peach blossom twig  on the fan  (hence the title).

In parts, Tian's treatment  of the opera is  modern and unconventional - for instance, placing the waiting actors and orchestra in full view of the audience. Her shortened version  is  pacy,  but not at the expense of the opera's dramatic and tragic tensions.  And the minimalist  stage aesthetic  works surprisingly well.

The young cast has yet to fully master the craft - some of the vocals were weak and there were  a few tumbles on stage - but  the future of kunqu is in good hands.



The Peach Blossom Fan (1699)