A Lantern Festival Fest with Peking Opera Stars

Presenter: Beijing Peking Opera Theatre

Leading Artist: Mei Baojiu, Hu Wenge, Li Hongyan, Tan Mingxin and Zhang Xinyue, etc.

Venue: National Center for the Performing Arts-Theatre

Dates: Feb. 16-17, 2011　19:30

Price: VIP　480　400　320　200　120 RMB

Programme Introduction

The special gala of Beijing Peking Opera Theatre, starring Mr. Mei Baojiu, gathers many famous vocalists including Huang Dehua, Yao Yucheng, Hu Wenge, Li Hongyan, Tan Mingxin and Zhang Xinyue, who will present five classical Peking Opera works of the Mei School, including The Lady of Heaven Scattering Flowers to the Earth, Burying Flowers, Battle with the Jin Invaders, Farewell, My Concubine and The Imperial Concubine Gets Tipsy.

The Lady of Heaven Scattering Flowers to the Earth

Vimalakīrti is ill abed in Vaisali, when Sakyamuni sends the Bodhisattvas and their pupils to visit him and send the fairies to scatter flowers to the earth so as to test whether the Bodhisattvas and their pupils are doing exercise.

Burying Flowers

Lin Daiyu goes to visit Jia Baoyu, while the servant girl is hostile and refuses to open and door. Lin Daiyu then doubts that it is Jia Baoyu who deliberately refuses to see her and is therefore upset. On the next day, when she sees fallen flowers in the garden, she buries the flowers with a hoe and makes the Song of Burial of Flowers to dispel her yearning. Jia Baoyu comes and sees this and expresses his true heart, and then the two become reconciled.

Battle with the Jin Invaders

It is the Southern Song Dynasty when the invaders of Jin reach the north bank of the Yangtze River. Han Shizhong, defending general of Runzhou and his wife Liang Hongyu prepare for the battle against the invaders and ask Zhang Jun and Liu Qi for help. In the meanwhile, Ruan Liang and other patriots also join the army for serving the country. Liang Hongyu dispatches forces and ordered her two sons to come to the front; on the other hand, she also inspects the barracks with Han Shizhong to boost the morale of the soldiers.

On the next day, both parties have a battle on the river of Jinshan, when Liang Hongyu beats the drum and leads female soldiers to fight the enemy; In the meanwhile, Han Shizhong leads his 2 sons to take the lead to fight at the front line. Jin Wuzhu is thoroughly defeated under the attack of the Song Army from various sides and is led to Huangtiandang by Wang Yin, a soldier of the Song Army who disguises himself as the guide. Han Shizhong and his wife lead troops to proceed by both land and water and surrounded the Jin Army and get a resounding victory

Farewell, My Concubine

Lord Liu Bang of Han and Load Xiang Yu of the Western Chu are battling for the throne of the whole country. Liu Bang appoints Han Xin the marshal, stations the army before the Mount Jiuli and allocates various vassals to set up ambush from all sides. Li Zuoche pretends to surrender to Chu and leads Xiang Yu into the ambush in Gaixia. When there are songs of Chu on all sides, Yu Ji, concealing her grief, performs sword dance and sing songs for Xiang Yu, and killed herself with the sword so that Xiang Yu can fight without worrying about her.

The Imperial Concubine Gets Tipsy

As the favorite concubine of Emperor Minghuang of Tang, Yang Yuhuan enjoys unprecedented honor and favor; One day, when she is having dinner with Minghuang, Minghuang unexpectedly goes to the West Palace, which makes Yuhuan sad, and she drinks alone at Baihua Pavilion and gets tipsy.

Beijing Peking Opera Theatre

Established in 1979, Beijing Peking Opera Theatre is the largest professional performing arts ensembles of Peking Opera in China. The theatre not only plays a key role in China's traditional opera circle but also enjoys a high overseas reputation. In the process of establishment and development of its arts brand, numerous performing artists made a great contribution, such as the "Four Major Masters of Female Characters" of Mei Lanfang, Shang Xiaoyun, Cheng Yanqiu, Xun Huisheng, as well as masters of other schools including Ma Lianliang, Tan Fuying, Zhang Junqiu, Qiu Shengrong, and Zhao Yanxia, etc. They have left valuable wealth to the theatre.

The Beijing Peking Opera Theatre is also a home of contemporary elites. The gold prize winners of China Drama Plum Blossom Award, Mei Lanfang Award, and the National Peking Opera Competition have formed a major force of the theatre. Outstanding contemporary works of Chancellor Liu Luoguo (an opera of serialized performance), Symphonic Peking Opera Mei Lanfang, The Ode of the River Goddess and Yuan Chonghuan (newly-adapted historical operas) as well as studio-theater Peking Operas of Splashing Water before the Horse, Yan Xijiao and other excellent pieces have won awards in successive years in a variety of state-level competitions. These achievements represent the constant efforts made by the Beijing Peking Opera Theatre to reinvigorate Peking Opera and reach a new peak of the performing art of Peking opera.

In addition, the theatre is active in both the domestic and foreign stages. Till now they have left their footprints over all five continents and more than 50 countries and regions. The artists of the theatre have made significant contributions for bringing the national essence art to the world and taking an even more active part in international cultural exchanges.