On Friday, Tsing Hua University treated the foreign students to a night at the Bejing Opera at the famous Chang’an Theatre. Beijing Opera (Beijing jingju) is a must see for anyone visiting the capital city. This was my first time to see it! The language is usually sung in archaic Chinese – a mix of classical literary Chinese and vernacular speech. There are electronic scripts running down both sides of the stage to display Chinese text. The orchestra included several Chinese instruments including the erhu, pipes, and traditional Chinese percussions. Tonight’s opera was the story of Mei Langfang who was one of China’s great masters of the dramatic arts. Mei Langfang was the first to introduce Beijing Opera to the world. During the war with Japan and especially after the attack on Nanjing he made strong political statements by creating and staging patriotic operas such as Mulan Joins the Army.
The costumes, makeup, and staging were all so impressive.
