The Jingju Theatre Company of Beijing is a national key Jingju company with a large scale and an accumulation of art unseen elsewhere. It was founded in 1979 on the basis of merging the Jingju troupes of Beijing – the origin of Jingju – and the troupes of other schools of opera. Currently, it consists of three troupes, a training center, a stage art center, Du Zhenjie Studio and Zhang Huifang Studio.
The elderly generation of artists represented by Mei Lanfang, Shang Xiaoyun, Cheng Yanqiu, Xun Huisheng, Ma Lianliang, Tan Fuying, Zhang Junqiu, Qiu Shengrong and Zhao Yanxia, as the founders of the Jingju Theatre Company of Beijing, have left behind precious artistic and spiritual heritage. Their stage performance, achievements and styles have become distinctive signatures and the sources of artistic inspiration for the Company.
The Jingju Theatre Company of Beijing gathers a big constellation of famous artists. In addition to the above-mentioned elder generation of masters, the Company has many performing artists who have made indispensable contributions to the development of Jingju, such as Wu Suqiu, Li Wanchun, Li Duokui, Zhao Rongchen, Li Zongyi, Li Huifang, Ma Fulu, Jiang Miaoxiang, Li Yuanchun, Wang Yinqiu, Zhou Hetong, Liu Xuetao, Mei Baojiu, Tan Yuanshou, Ma Changli, Mei Baoyue, Zhang Xuejin, Li Yufu, Li Chongshan, Chen Zhiqing, Yang Shaochun, Tan Xiaozeng, Zhao Baoxiu, Yan Guixiang, Wang Yuzhen, Huang Dehua, Ye Jinyuan and Wang Shufang. The famous playwright and litterateur Wang Zengqi, playwrights Wang Yan and Wang Xinji, directors Chi Jinsheng and Xu Chunlan, composers Lu Songling and Zhu Shaoyu, choreographer Zheng Chuan’en, and instrumentalists Li Muliang, Jiang Fengshan, He Shunxin, Wang Benzhen, Yan Shouping, Wang Hewen and Jin Huiwu are all outstanding artists of the Company. The Company boasts a contingent of excellent artists with a wide range of specialties; these talents form an echelon favorable to the Company’s growth. Wang Rongrong, Du Zhenjie, Li Hongtu, Chi Xiaoqiu, Zhu Qiang, Chen Junjie, Zhang Huifang and Hu Wenge are the most influential Jingju artists of today. Bao Fei, Wang Yi, Shang Wei, Zhang Shu, Han Juming, Li Hongyan, Huang Yanzhong, Shen Wenli, Huang Baixue, Mei Qingyang, He Wei, Han Shengcun, Wang Xueqing, Ding Guiling and Zhang Wenjie are the backbone of the Company who carry forward the fine tradition and inspire the new generation of artists. The young performers represented by Zhang Jianfeng, Yang Shaopeng, Du Zhe, Zhang Xinyue, Dou Xiaoxuan, Chang Qiuyue, Jiang Yishan, Guo Wei, Tan Zhengyan, Zhai Mo, Kang Jing, Zhan Lei, Wei Xuelei, Fang Xu, Zhang Shujing, Zheng Xiao, Mu Yu, Wang Yige, Wu Haoyi, Wang Xiaoli, Li Xiaopei, Yu Shuai and Cao Yangyang have become leading Jingju artists of Jingju Theatre Company of Beijing and the country at large. Suo Mingfang, Zhu Hong, Wang Yueling, Chen Zhangxia, Tan Xiaoyu, Lu Yang, Zhang Qian, Ma Botong, Qiu Shi, Bai Jin, Li Jia, Hou Yu, Zhang Kai, Wang Ning and Zhou Meihui among other outstanding young performers have grown into mature artists.
The instrumentalists represented by Ai Bing, Zhao Xu, Shu Jian, Wang Fulong, Zuo Xu, Shen Yuan, Qin Qin, Shi Yingjun, Qiu Xin, Yang Guangtong, Feng Qian, Wang Wei and Liu Yang make the instrumentalist team into another spotlight of the Jingju Theatre Company of Beijing. Relying on a proud tradition, the Jingju Theatre Company of Beijing is good at staging classic Jingju. Still, it keeps launching new plays which combine Jingju art with contemporary themes.
Over the past decades, the Jingju Theatre of Beijing Company has staged and created hundreds of Peking Operas, including the traditional, modern, newly-crafted, and small theatre ones.
The classic repertoire includes over 200 plays, such as “Harmony Through a Royal Marriage”, “Silang Visiting His Mother”, “The Chinese Orphan”, “Mu Guiying Taking Command”, “Red-mane Savage Horse”, “The Female Generals of the Yang Family”, “Guarding the Nation”, “Visiting the Royal Tomb and Entering the Palace for the Second Time”, “An Embroidered Treasure Pouch”, “Gathering of Heroes”, “Borrowing East Wind”, “The Pearl Shirt”, “Stepmother Admonishes the Son”, “Lü Bu and Diaochan”, “Pearl-curtain Village”, “Jin Yunu”, “The White Snake Legend”, “Yu Tang Chun”, “Qin Xianglian” and “Ten Figures against Lv Zhi”.
Modern Jingju include “Shajia River”, “Azalea Mountain”, “The Legend of the Red Lantern”, “Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy”, “The Song Sisters”, “Mei Lanfang”, “Above the Cloud”, “Qiu Shengrong” and “The Daughter of the Party”.
The newly-crafted historical Jingju include “The Finishing Touch”, “Vicissitudes of Tongrentang”, “Prime Minister Liu”, “The Goddess of the Luo River”, “Empress Wu, To Lucheng”, “Unexpected Promotions”, “Yuan Chonghuan”, “Qu Yuan” and “Zhengkaofu”.
The Jingju Theatre of Beijing Company has taken the lead in turning out small theatre plays. It has launched more than small theatre plays that win wide acclaim among the opera community as well as the audience, like “A Foregone Marriage”, “Three Sinners”, “Story of the Jade Hairpin”, “Six Records of a Floating Life”, “The Salvation of the King Zhao of Chu”, “Xi Jiao”, “Jade Grinding Guanyin”, “Srping Banquet”, “Something about the Ming Dynasty: Interrogating the Head and Assassinating Tang Qin” and “Wu Qi”.
Metro Line: get off at Jiaomen East Station of Metro Line 10, and exit B (northeast entrance).
Tel: 010-672477775
Address: No.30, Haihuxili, Fengtai District, Beijing.
