"Life need not reach a century to be fulfilling; every hilltop has its melody…" On the evening of October 27, at the Sichuan Grand Theater, the air was filled with music as the Sichuan Opera "A Dream Reunion with Dongpo" (梦回东坡) took the stage. Through the dynamic and resonant Gao Qiang singing (high-register arias singing system in China's traditional opera), the mesmerizingly graceful waving water sleeves movements, and the delightfully witty Sichuan dialect interludes, the young Sichuan Opera performers brought Su Dongpo's charismatic persona to life, transcending the boundaries of time and eliciting sustained applause from the audience.

During the ongoing Sixth Sichuan Opera Festival and the Second Sichuan Opera Performance Gala of Sichuan Province, the melodious and visually stunning Sichuan Opera is capturing an increasing amount of attention, drawing more eyes and ears to its artistry. Bolstered by the Regulations of Sichuan Province on Protection and Preservation of Sichuan Opera and the Regulations of Chongqing Municipality on Protection and Preservation of Sichuan Opera, both taking effect on September 1, this year's event represents an even more grand cultural celebration of Sichuan Opera, compared to previous editions.

With the robust legal foundation supporting its growth, Sichuan Opera is increasingly confident in its development. Its eclectic appeal, which straddles both elite and popular cultures, is dynamically engaging the younger generation, endowing traditional theater with a fresher and more animated visage.

Content Innovation

Adapting to the Evolving Aesthetic Preferences of Contemporary Young Audiences

On the evening of October 22, at the Chengdu Xinsheng Theater, the full-length Sichuan Opera production "The Story of the Jade Hairpin" (玉簪记) made its debut at the Sixth Sichuan Opera Festival and the Second Sichuan Opera Performance Gala of Sichuan Province.

This full-length Sichuan Opera play, which has been absent from the stage for nearly 40 years, has now reemerged with a new look. Compared to the three-hour duration of the old version, Director Chen Guoli's production has a runtime of two hours. "This is an adaptation to the times. In the past, when people lacked diverse entertainment choices, they found watching a three-hour Sichuan Opera enjoyable and without fatigue. However, in the present era, especially for young audiences, maintaining attention for such a duration might be difficult. We must make the appropriate adjustments and considerations."

During the performance, Chen Guoli was seated at the end of the first row in the audience area, intently observing the action on stage and periodically looking back to gauge the reactions of the viewers in the rear seats. At the curtain call, the resounding applause that filled the theater was a warm response to this adaptation.

During the Sixth Sichuan Opera Festival and the Second Sichuan Opera Performance Gala of Sichuan Province, state-owned and private Sichuan Opera troupes (schools) from both Sichuan and Chongqing will collectively present 17 full-length productions and 15 opera highlights, totaling 41 performances. The renowned classic Sichuan Operas, including "A Love Vow" (焚香记), "The Tale of Tao Fu" (芙奴传), and "The Story of the Jade Hairpin", have been re-staged after being re-arranged. Joining these revivals are new productions like "A Dream Reunion with Dongpo" (梦回东坡) and "Ma Duofu's Golden Rice Bowl" (马多福的金饭碗), which are being showcased to resonate with the contemporary aesthetic preferences of young audiences.

A series of plays has been infused with the essence of the times, modern ideas, and digital technology, all while upholding the aesthetic spirit and creative norms of traditional opera. This fusion provides audiences with a novel and invigorating theatrical experience.

On the evening of October 8, at the Chengdu City Concert Hall, the stage was transformed into a scene depicting a mighty river and a profound valley at its center. Utilizing innovative LED ice screens as the backdrop, "Chasing the Light" (追光) upgrades the traditional Sichuan Opera's set design featuring "using the fiction to represent reality" to a "fusion of the fiction and reality". Large-scale imagery is employed to enhance the story's ambiance, providing an immersive experience for the younger generation nurtured in digital technology. "The stage design is ingeniously crafted; its integration with the performance is exceptionally striking and aligns well with the aesthetic preferences of young audiences," remarked Deng Huixin, an audience member from the Sichuan Conservatory of Music.

A batch of newly composed plays, such as "Daqian: The Vast World" (大千世界) and "Ma Duofu's Golden Rice Bowl", has also sparked heated discussions among both seasoned opera aficionados and newfound enthusiasts. "Daqian: The Vast World" commences with Zhang Daqian's masterpiece "The Great Yangtze River" (长江万里图) and incorporates scenes of flying celestial maidens from Dunhuang murals, presenting a cross-temporal aesthetic feast. The freshly penned modern Sichuan Opera "Ma Duofu's Golden Rice Bowl" integrates elements of folk songs, acrobatics, and lantern plays into scenes of rice transplanting and threshing, along with everyday family life, rendering it highly engaging and enjoyable.

Grassroots folk Sichuan opera troupes are proactively engaging with the younger generation. The "Old Tea House Shu Stage", situated on the historic street of Pengzhen Twon in the Shuangliu District of Chengdu, which has only been operational for six months, realized substantial profits during this year's National Day holiday period. The troupe manager, Jiang Shangfeng, introduced that the performers stage five to six shows daily. Furthermore, to cater to the distinctive tastes of young audiences, they have broadened their offerings to encompass tea appreciation, study tours, makeup services, and travel photography. Throughout the seven-day National Day holiday, their earnings totaled 200,000 yuan.

Relay for Continuity

The Compass Navigating Sichuan Opera's Path of Upholding Tradition and Breaking New Ground

From October 26 to 27, the Sichuan Opera adaptation of "Red Poppies: A Novel of Tibet" (尘埃落定) took the stage at the Chengdu City Music Hall, intentionally providing a substantial platform for young actors to demonstrate their skills. In this display of generational collaboration, the 50-year-old Plum Performance Award recipient Wang Yumei graciously took on a supporting role, while 32-year-old emerging talent Xue Chuan took center stage as the principal actor. "The adapted content is meticulously crafted to suit Xue Chuan's distinctive attributes. In this play, the male lead, falling under the comedy role, has been elevated to a more prominent position with the addition of multiple new singing parts. This provides a substantial learning curve for the young actor," remarked Wang Yumei.

Identifying and developing a cohort of young new talents who can handle leading roles and participate in major productions is a primary goal of the Sixth Sichuan Opera Festival and the Second Sichuan Opera Performance Gala. The baton of Sichuan Opera is being passed to the promising young actors of the next generation. Teachers and students are evolving from the conventional "teaching and learning" approach to a more vibrant and interactive "performing and creating" process, fostering mutual growth in both the educational and artistic aspects of Sichuan Opera. The young actors are rapidly maturing, standing on the shoulders of their predecessors in the art form.

The performance of "The Story of the Jade Hairpin" delighted the audience with a unique twist, as Plum Performance Award recipient Xiao Demei and his student, young Sichuan Opera actor Wang Yuren, alternated in portraying the male lead character throughout each half of the play. After a successful nationwide tour this year, the newly adapted "A Dream Reunion with Dongpo" has undergone a refreshing change in its cast. Young actor Lei Yun stepped into the role of the male lead, Su Shi (Su Dongpo), alongside "post-00s" actor Liu Yonghan and other emerging talents in a collaborative performance. The actor previously portraying Su Shi, Chen Zhilin, who is the Chairman of the Sichuan Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the Dean of the Sichuan Opera Troupe, has transitioned to a behind-the-scenes role as the Artistic Director for the play. "To enchant the audience, the opera must first be enchanting itself." Chen Zhilin emphasized that the true measure of a great opera lies in its ability to resonate with the audience. He believes that in addition to rejuvenating award-winning classic productions regularly, it is crucial to maintain a systematic continuation of featured plays, making "Sichuan Opera a daily feast" for the region, providing both residents and visitors with a sense of cultural fulfillment in the "heartland of Sichuan Opera" in the new era, and drawing more young audiences to the distinctive allure of Sichuan Opera, thereby ensuring the art form continues to foster emotional and intellectual nourishment among its spectators.

Moving forward, Sichuan Province will continue to host events, such as the Sichuan Opera performance showcase, competitions for young Sichuan Opera actors, and drama and sketch competitions, and foster the active participation of grassroots troupes. Additionally, efforts will be made to further refine mechanisms such as the studios for renowned opera maestros, the "mentor-mentee" system for the transmission of traditional plays, and platforms for young Sichuan Opera actors to compete and showcase their skills. This drive will also motivate young performers to actively utilize new media for the dissemination and promotion of the art form, thereby attracting and inspiring more young people to engage in and carry forward the cultural heritage of Sichuan Opera.