The gongs and drums are sonorous, and the lingering sound echoes around the beams. On the evening of September 15, the series of performances celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Chongqing Peking Opera Theater and the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Li Jia Ban, "Sailis·Chinese Youth", officially kicked off.
Famous Peking Opera masters from all over the country gathered in the mountain city to look back on the Li Family Troupe's 90-year history in the Liyuan Theater in the form of a celebration party called "Mountains and Rivers Enter the Opera, Long Songs of Loyalty and Bravery" to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Chongqing Peking Opera Theatre, kicking off a five-day performance of high-quality operas.
According to reports, the history of the Chongqing Peking Opera Theater began with the "Renewal Stage Children's Actor Class" founded by opera art educator Li Yanzhi in Shanghai in 1934. In 1936, it was officially named the "Li Family Class". In 1938, the Li Jiaban traveled up the Yangtze River to Chongqing, sowing the seeds of Peking Opera in the southwest. In 1956, the entire Li Jia Ban was converted into a state-owned organization, thus starting a chapter in the development of Chongqing Peking Opera Theatre. Ninety years of continuous firepower, seventy years of spring and autumn, and six generations of Liyuan people have continued to work hard, allowing the art of Peking Opera to take root in Bayu and become an important position for the inheritance of Chinese quintessence in the southwest region.
In the form of a series of scenes, the entire evening party is divided into chapters such as "Prologue·Clouds Rising from the River", "Iron Bones Lingshuang", "Blue Blood and Heart", "Haina Baichuan", "Changfeng Wanli" and "Epilogue·Long Songs of Mountains and Rivers", telling the magnificent development history of the troupe.
Among them, the fourth chapter "Wind and Wind" pushed the party to a climax, with three generations of old, middle and young people sharing the stage, fully demonstrating the continuing power of the Peking Opera industry.
Peking opera performing artist Cheng Lianqun and young actor Wang Bowen sang excerpts from "Spring in Yutang". Cheng Lianqun said that sharing the stage this time is not only a tribute to and deep memory of the ancestors of Peking Opera art, but also shoulders the practical significance of the continuous development of opera and promotes the continuation of traditional Peking Opera art from generation to generation.
Li Hongtu, a famous Ye School master, performed the classic play "Luo Cheng Jing Guan" with his two apprentices. In his view, the inheritance and development of Peking Opera art cannot be separated from the continued efforts of the younger generation. Young people are not only the new force in the inheritance of Peking Opera, but also the hope for the future of opera. Only by allowing more young people to take up the artistic baton can the ancient Peking Opera maintain its vitality forever.
Li Li, a famous Shangpai artist who is in her 80s, took the stage to sing an excerpt from "Dragon and Phoenix Presenting Auspiciousness". Her mellow singing voice attracted continuous applause from the audience. Li Li lamented that looking back on the 70-year development of the Chongqing Peking Opera Theatre, many older generation artists have passed away, but the good news is that a group of young actors have grown up rapidly, giving people hope for the troupe's vigorous development. She expressed her hope that the Chongqing Peking Opera Company will continue to take root in Bayu, create and perform more high-quality operas, and help the art of Peking Opera shine more dazzlingly in the southwest.
It is worth mentioning that this series of performances is not only a "Chongqing Good Show" Chongqing Peking Opera Theater's high-quality cultural resources direct to the grassroots project, but also a series of Chongqing Peking Opera Theater's "Meeting Famous Actors" series of performances.
Keep the roots of inheritance and create new realms. Wang Xiaoping, Secretary of the Party Branch of Chongqing Peking Opera Company, said that Chongqing Peking Opera Company came from Li Jiaban and took root in the fertile soil of Bayu. Generations of senior artists respected morality and art and worked hard, which laid the foundation for the development of the troupe. Standing at the new starting point of the 70th anniversary of its founding, the Chongqing Peking Opera Theater will grasp the development direction of "keeping integrity and innovation", continue to use the "old to guide the new, and pass on the new" mechanism to consolidate the construction of the talent echelon and build a display and practice platform for young actors; polish the "Chongqing Famous Actors" performance brand, deepen cross-regional collaboration with theaters, polish masterpieces based on the local culture of Bayu, do a good job in popularizing and disseminating, and contribute to the prosperity and development of Southwest opera.
It is reported that from September 16th to 19th, the Chongqing Peking Opera Theater will successively launch four high-quality dramas to achieve "famous actors in every scene and good shows every day." The majority of opera lovers can enter the theater and immerse themselves in the unique charm of the quintessence of Chinese art. (over)
