Kunqu Hustle

Once every twenty years, masters from the Jiangsu Province Kunqu Opera Company travel around the primary schools of northern China. They are looking for beautiful faces, strong bodies and pitch-perfect voices; they are looking for the next generation of Kunqu opera stars.

Kunqu opera is considered the mother of all Chinese opera forms. While the origins of its music can be traced to the third century B.C., its style was standardized in the 16th century. The composers set the rules for the rhyme, tone, pronunciation, notation and staging of the operas, which are still followed today by modern companies. Hence the need to recruit young students – it takes approximately eight years for performers to learn even the basics of the art form. The hard work pays off though, as Kunqu is one of the most sophisticated forms of Chinese opera - and fascinating to watch.

Anyone who has had a brush with some local opera performances and come off the worse for wear may need some convincing that Kunqu opera is actually worth experiencing. But it’s excellent – it’s not often you go out of a Chinese opera humming the theme song. Kunqu still uses the original Chinese libretto, which is built on rhythm and rhyme and, like Shakespeare’s plays, is laced with enough bawdy humor (most stories are about prostitutes) to remind you that people in the 16th century were people too. The lyrics are delivered in style that is a combination of spoken poetry and opera – making it a little easier on the ears than some other opera forms.

The plots of Kunqu opera are also more interesting than the simple boy-meets-girl storyline of other Chinese operas. As it was created at the height of the Ming dynasty, each opera provides a window to the daily lives of the scholars, courtesans and warriors who lived during the period and continue to inspire Chinese popular culture today (consider all the contemporary Chinese films that are set in the 16th century).
“The Peach Blossom Fan” is essentially a love story between a young, idealistic scholar and an even younger courtesan. The story is set on the banks of the Qinhuai River in Nanjing. Like any university town, it is a place for ideological debates, political plots and a bit of debauchery. On one side of the river is our hero, the famous Revival Society poet Hou Fanyu and on the other, the lovely and talented courtesan Li Xiangjun. The two meet, fall in love and a “marriage” is arranged. But the union is undone by warring factions, political intrigue and a corrupt court eunuch named Rua Dacheng. While the lovers struggle to reunite, the audience is treated to a behind-the-scenes expose about the secrecy and corruption that flourished during the Ming Dynasty.

The story is a well-known one and since its creation in 1699 has been retold and adapted in numerous different operas. The production coming to the Hong Kong Arts Festival in February is something a little different. At the helm of this production is Tian Qinxin, known as somewhat of a renegade director and currently the resident director at the National Theater Company of China. This young director has brought a fresh but respectful approach to this ancient text – but what made China’s avant-garde director pick up an opera from 1699? “I love that period in time,” says Tian. “I would have liked to live during that period, when things moved more slowly and people had the time to enjoy all aspects of life. That’s why I did this production – so that I can experience this and share it with other people.”

Tian’s reverence for the text is obvious and her knowledge of the history of the period is impressive. That said, she hasn’t treated the opera as sacred material and has instead reintroduced several long-lost stage elements and characters to this production. For example, as the audience enters the auditorium, they see a stunning yet simple set around which actors wander as they get together their costumes and props and take their seats at the edge of the stage. Throughout the production, all scene and set changes are done in view of the audience; the full scale of the costumes and makeup, therefore, does not go unappreciated.

Tian also reintroduced the character of the “Mo.” Much like Shakespeare’s fools or any of Brecht’s storytellers, the Mo speaks directly to the audience throughout the play, providing plot updates and commentaries. These techniques were once typical of opera productions in the 16th century but were fazed out when staging became more elaborate in later years. Their reintroduction invokes a sense of fun and playfulness, but also fulfils the original function of helping the story flow smoothly.