Curtain rises on Wanping Theater's new season
A scene from a Zide Guqin Studio performance
The 2022 season at Wanping Theater will bring audience closer to the charm of Chinese culture through an array of traditional theatrical classics and modern makeovers.
The theater reopened in June 2021 after a five-year renovation. Since then, 58 performances and 22 art lectures have been held, attracting 60,000 people.
Seventy cultural performances will take place this season.
The Shanghai-based Zide Guqin Studio is dedicated to preserving and spreading the art of guqin, a seven-string plucked instrument similar to a zither that dates back more than 3,000 years). In 2003, UNESCO proclaimed guqin music one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
On YouTube, Zide's guqin video clips have been viewed 50 million times, and the studio has 650,000 followers from across the world.
"We have received many messages from foreign fans who are enchanted by the elegance of guqin music," said Zhu Liyue, a founder of the studio. "A Russian woman told us she bought the instrument but had difficulty finding a guqin teacher in Russia, so she asked us for help."
"What is Qin: A Tang-style Concert" will take place at the theater on August 26 and 27. Set to the backdrop of the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), it features the studio's adaptations of ancient Chinese musical scores as well as new creations.
The performers, clad in distinctive costumes from the Tang era, will showcase the dynasty's prosperity and tolerance of different cultures through various styles of guqin music.
"What Is Qin: A Tang-style Concert" will take place at Wanping Theater on August 26 and 27.
Five new stage productions covering Yueju Opera, drama, crosstalk and musicals will debut. Among them are two Yueju Opera plays – one about ancient Chinese scientist and scholar Xu Guangqi's cultural-exchange achievements, the other covering the Good Eighth Company of Nanjing Road of the People's Liberation Army – Jin Fei and Chen Xi's crosstalk show, the spy drama "The 51st Station" and the musical "Hamlet."
Classics to be presented include Pingtan artist Gao Bowen's interpretation of Shanghai writer Jin Yucheng's award-winning novel "Blossoms," Huju Opera "Chen Yi in Shanghai," featuring stories about the first mayor of Shanghai, and the Peking Opera performance "Silang Visits His Mother."
Pingtan artist Gao Bowen (left) will present "Blossoms," based on Shanghai writer Jin Yucheng's award-winning novel.
According to Xia Tian, Wanping Theater's general manager, the venue will also host a diverse array of cultural events to attract younger people.
Children can attend camps and workshops of cultural products where they can visit the theater's backstage area and interact with artists.
"We will also partner with nearby Dong'an Park to develop a traditional Chinese opera theme park," Xia said.
A scene from Huju Opera's "Chen Yi in Shanghai"
