Venue: Theatre
Dates: October 13-14, 2018
About
The opera is written by FAN Zidong based on the story of paternity testing with blood in Notes of the Thatched Abode of Close Observations by JI Yun, an influential scholar of Qing dynasty China. ZHOU Renrui’s younger brother ZHOU Renxiang refuses to admit the identity of his nephew ZHOU Tianyou because of his intention to dominate the family property. ZHOU Renxiang thus files a suit in the country government office, where the magistrate JIN Xinshu denies ZHOU Tianyou as ZHOU Renrui’s biological son through paternity test with blood. ZHOU Tianyou’s twin brother LI Yuchun is LI Sanniang’s adopted son, to whom LI Sanniang has betrothed her daughter LI Wanchun. Young ruffian RUAN Ziyong makes a fake marriage contract and forces LI Wanchun to marry him. LI Wanchun files a suit in the country government office, where the magistrate JIN Xinshu, however, identifies LI Yuchun and LI Wanchun as brother and sister through blood test, and therefore awards LI Wanchun to RUAN Ziyong. ZHOU Renrui and Tianyou’s wet nurse, who appeal against the judgement, go to the country government office together for a confrontation. JIN Xinshu uses the paternity test with blood again, concluding that ZHOU Renxiang’s son Niuwa is also an adoptive one. Later, Tianyou and Yuchun become sworn brothers and join the army, where they make contributions and get promoted. Then, they bring JIN Xinshu to trial, redress the injustice, and have a family reunion.
Creative
Playwright: FAN Zidong
Composer: ZHENG Rong
Orchestrator & Conductor: LU Dongsheng
Revival Directors: ZHENG Rong, ZHANG Baowei
Set Director: TAO Long
Set Designers: PANG Peng, ZHANG Chaohui
Lighting Designer: YANG Yuanli
Cast
JIA Lianxiang: HUI Minli
JIN Xinshu: LI Honggang
ZHOU Renrui: WANG Hongyi
Lady WANG: HAN Lixia
LI Yuchun: CHEN Chaowu
LI Wanchun: ZHU Hai’e
ZHOU Tianyou: LI Dongfeng
JIA Liancheng: QU Peng
Lady ZHEN: FAN Xiaoxing
ZHOU Renxiang: LI Weiping
Mrs. ZHOU: TONG Sha
LI Sanniang: YIN Xiaolian
RUAN Ziyong: WANG Yi
Niuwa: ZHAO Lulu
Presenter
Xi'an Qinqiang Opera Theatre
Xi’an Qinqiang Opera Theatre, founded in 2005, is constituted by four Qinqiang Opera troupes including Xi’an Yisushe, Xi’an Sanyishe, Xi’an Qinqiang Opera Troupe I and Xi’an Wuyi Troupe. In 2009 and 2012, the theatre was named advanced reformer of the national cultural system by the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China and the Ministry of Culture respectively. In recent years, the theatre has made outstanding artistic achievements and won 176 national, provincial and ministerial-level awards. Of the national award winners, HOU Hongqin, HUI Minli, LI Shufang and ZHANG Tao have won the “Plum Blossom Prize”, “Wenhua Award” and/or “The Magnolia Award”. The theatre has divisions including an operation and management center, which is responsible for managing the Xi’an Yisu Theatre and Yisushe Theatre, as well as two time-honored theaters—Yisushe and Sanyishe.
Xi’an Qinqiang Opera Theatre persists in “producing competitive operas for the sake of both commercial and public interests”, and doing its best to inherit and develop the Qinqiang Opera culture and to promote it.
Hundred Years Easy Customs Society
Hundred Years Easy Customs Society was founded by LI Tongxuan and SUN Renyu, members of the T’ung-meng Hui (also known as Chinese Alliance), in collaboration with more than 160 community leaders in 1912. In 1924, when Mr. LU Xun gave lectures at Northwest University, he often watched performances at Hundred Years Easy Customs Society. He donated his scholarships to the theatre and gifted to it a horizontal inscribed board with his handwritten words, “Unique Player of the Ancient Tunes.” Over the past 100 years, many famous Qinqiang Opera artists have come out in succession, including LIU Zhensu, WANG Tianmin, FAN Xinmin, LI Keyi, TANG Disu, LIU Yuzhong, CHEN Miaohua, XIAO Ruolan, QUAN Qiaomin, YANG Tianyi and ZHANG Baowei, creating and performing over 800 excellent operas such as Three Drops of Blood, A Trip to Guishan Mountain, Two Brocade Clothes, The Xi’an Incident, The Brush and Ink, The Bride In Liuhewan Village, and Qinqiang Opera.
