Zhejiang Jingkun Art Center Kunqu Opera Troupe celebrates its 70th anniversary

China News Service, Hangzhou, September 17th (Cao Dan, Zhou Xi, Zheng Yiyi) On the evening of September 16th, the 70th anniversary theme party of Zhejiang Jingkun Art Center (Kun Opera Troupe) (hereinafter referred to as "Zhejiang Kun Opera Troupe") was staged in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. Classic plays such as "Fifteen Strings", "Palace of Eternal Life" and "Peony Pavilion" were on the same stage as the original new plays "Strong Young Man" and "Prosperity Red Makeup", starring young actors from two generations of "Wan" and "Dai".

The 70 years of Zhejiang and Kunming are closely related to the play "Fifteen Guan". In the mid-20th century, Kun Opera was in decline. The predecessor of the troupe, the Guofeng Kunsu Opera Troupe, adapted and performed "Fifteen Guan" with artists of the "Chuan" generation such as Zhou Chuanying and Wang Chuansong as the core. In 1956, the play was performed in Beijing for 47 consecutive performances, and was praised as "a play that revitalized a genre of drama". In the following 70 years, "Fifteen Strings" has been performed by six generations of artists, with a total of more than 1,600 performances.

Zhejiang and Kunming adhere to the eight-character pedigree of "Chuan, Shi, Sheng, Xiu, Wan, Dai, Chang, and Min", and six generations of actors have inherited the opera through "famous masters passing down plays and acting as training". After the generation of "chuan", the generation of "shi" and "sheng" compiled the repertoire and taught the exercises; the generation of "xiu" and "wan" took on regular performances and popularized them on campus; now, the generation of "generation" of "post-00s" can play the role of the entire drama.

In terms of repertoire, the troupe has formed a parallel system of classic plays, excerpts and new plays. "The Story of the West Garden" has been sung for about half a century and performed more than 400 times. It has been selected into the classic repertoire of Zhejiang Province. The troupe has re-performed complete plays such as "The Peony Pavilion" and "The Palace of Eternal Life" and compiled and recorded more than 200 excerpts of classic plays. The newly adapted martial arts drama "Gongsunzidu" won the "Wenhua Award" at the 8th China Art Festival, and ranked first among the "Top Ten Excellent Repertoires" of the National Stage Art Excellence Project.

The play "Red Makeup in the Golden Age" as a tribute to the troupe's 70th anniversary was created based on the historical data on Shangguan Wan'er's epitaph. It adopts a dual heroine structure and has sold out many performances since its premiere. "The Strong Boy", which was created for young actors, has been featured in the China Kun Opera Art Festival many times, and the proportion of young audiences has continued to increase in recent years.

It is reported that in 2026, the theater company will arrange activities throughout the year with the main line of "reviving classics, renovating original works, and touring people-benefiting", including a special performance to commemorate the 70th anniversary of "Fifteen Strings", the premiere of version 2.0 of "The Golden Age", a special series of "Searching for Dreams and Listening to the Heart" and performances of more than ten traditional plays. There will be nearly 100 performances throughout the year, and public welfare tours will be arranged.