On May 31, a minor opera excerpt called “A Shepherd Boy” was staged at the Hunan Opera Protection and Inheritance Center of Guiyang County. Two actors played the roles of a shepherd boy and a village girl. The featured movements expressed the character’s lively personalities. The actors narrated the story in the form of singing, speaking, acting, and dancing, with rhythmic melodies lingering in the room. The unique singing, traditional costumes, and exquisite performance brought students a different audio-visual experience. 

 

“Fantastic. A minute on the stage takes ten-year practice. It’s really awesome!” said Yao Jiahui, a student of Rongfeng Complete Primary School in Guiyang County.

 

The song ended with warm applause. The inheritors and opera performers led the children to the dressing room to change their clothes and put on makeup. 

 

 

Amidst the sound of gongs and drums, the students, dressed in exquisite costumes, made a magnificent appearance. Beautiful outfits and colorful makeup and costumes brought joy to the children and teachers under the stage. 

 

The inheritors introduced the traditional Chinese opera from the origin, profession, representative figures, classic plays, rhyme and music, types of facial makeup and costumes, etc., so that children could fully understand the roles, makeup, costumes, and rhyme of Hunan Opera.

 

Zhou Yumeng, who was wearing opera make-up for the first time, was charming. After being painted by the professional makeup artist, she took on a new look. She swung up her sleeves with a graceful manner. Zhou said that she felt novel and happy to learn the techniques of the traditional Chinese opera.

 

Under the instruction of the actors, the students rehearsed the Hunan Opera version of “The Young China”. They learned the tunes, steps, and acting with rhythmic music and drums. After repeated rehearsals, the children’s every movement, smile, and tune were gradually getting better.

 

The Hunan Opera version of “The Young China” officially premiered on the stage. The students and the opera actors were performing one play together on the stage, and the inheritors and teachers were smiling off the stage.

 

 

“I hope that children can continuously explore the true essence of art in the process of research, learning and performance, become disseminators of excellent traditional Chinese culture wherever they go in the future, and feel proud of it,” said Xiao Fengbo, deputy director of the Hunan Opera Protection and Inheritance Center of Guiyang County. He also added that they will continue to innovate forms and pass the opera to the future generations.

 

Guiyang is an ancient county with profound cultural deposits. The “Hunan Opera of Guiyang” has been listed on the National ICH Protection List and is one of the Top Ten ICH Projects with Most Artistic Charm in Hunan Province. Since 2014, Guiyang County has continued to carry out a brand activity, with more than 2,000 performances held so far. Artist volunteers have brought more than 120 performances to the countryside every year, benefiting more than 200,000 people.