WEI Chunrong
WEI Chunrong is a national first-class actress at the Northern Kunqu Opera Theatre and Deputy Director of the Arts Council, a member of the Standing Committee of the 13th Beijing Municipal Consultative Conference, a member of the China Association for Promoting Democracy, and a winner of the Plum Performance Award. She graduated from the advanced class in Beijing Opera Art’s College in 2005 and has starred in operas including Peony Pavilion, The Story of Jade Hairpin, The Reunion, The Story of the Southern Tang, The Story of Official Family’s Children, A Legendary Pipa, The Story of A Hero, The Palace of Eternal Youth, GUAN Hanqing, The Romance of West Chamber, A Dream of Red Mansions, The Butterfly Lovers, Continue the Pipa, Moonlit River in Spring and The Lion’s Roar. She has also starred dramas such as Sleepwalk, World in Heaven and Auspicious Dragon and Phoenix. WEI Chunrong has been to more than 20 countries and regions for performance exchanges. She won the Kunqu Opera Art Promotions Award by UNESCO and the Ministry of Culture of China in 2002, won the 21st Plum Performance Award in 2003, won the “Excellent Actress Award at the Third National Minority Variety Performance” by the National Ethnic Affairs Commission of the PRC, Ministry of Culture, State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television and Beijing City Government in 2006, won the “Top Ten Actors” and “Top Ten Papers” Award at the National Kunqu Opera Competition for Outstanding Young Artists in 2007, won the Excellent Performance Award at the Fourth China Kunqu Opera Art Festival in 2009, published her personal album of paintings Begonia on the Moon—WEI Chunrong and Kunqu Opera Art in 2009, won the Best Actress Award at the 21st Shanghai Magnolia Awards in 2011, won the Excellent Performance Award at the 13th China Drama Festival in 2013, won the “March 8th Red Flag Medal” by Beijing City in 2006, won the honourary title of National Woman Pacesetter in 2009 and was named one of the fourth “Experts in Four Subjects” by the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the CPC. WEI Chunrong enjoys special government allowance. In 2017, she was listed in the Support Programme of Beijing Municipality for High-level Talents in Innovation and Entrepreneurship as a leading talent and recommended as a Kunqu Opera artist of 2017.
SHAO Zheng
SHAO Zheng is a national first-class actor and young male role player at the Northern Kunqu Opera Theatre. He was admitted to the Beijing Opera School in 1982 and joined the Northern Kunqu Opera Theatre in 1988. He was admitted to the advanced class in Beijing Opera Art’s College in 2003. He used to study under famous Kunqu Opera artists including MAN Lemin, MA Yusen, ZHU Shi’ou, CAI Yaoxian, SHEN Shihua, WANG Shiyu, CAI Zhengren, YUE Meiti, SHI Xiaomei, ZHOU Zhigang and XU Fengxian. In 2013, he took MA Yusen, a famous young male role player at the Northern Kunqu Opera Theatre, as his teacher in the “Opera Inheritance from Masters” activity organized by the Ministry of Culture. He has learned and performed traditional Kunqu Opera Reuniting with Mother, Accident & Burying Jade, Bookstore, Picking Up a Painting & Calling the Painting, Invaluable, Instrumental Love, Broken Bridge, Greeting Statue & Wailing for Statue, Hearing the Bell, Men’s Prison, Sword Bestowing and Nanpu. He has played the roles include LIU Mengmei in Peony Pavilion, LI Yu in The Story of the Southern Tang, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang in The Palace of Eternal Youth, ZHANG Gong in The Romance of West Chamber, ZHAO Chong in The Reunion, GUAN Hanqing in GUAN Hanqing, PAN Bizheng in The Story of Jade Hairpin, CHEN Jichang in The Lion's Roar, XU Xian in Leifeng Pagoda, JIANG Shilong in Moon Worship Pavilion, and WANG Shipeng in The Purple Hairpin. SHAO Zheng looks handsome in costume and makeup, has an elegant figure and sings and acts in a delicate style. He has been to Finland, Sweden, Spain, France, Italy, the U.S., the UK, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Romania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Malta and Japan to give performances. In 2015, he won the Gold Award in the second China Red Plum Opera Competition in the Yellow River Basin.
LIU Daxin
LIU Daxin is a young female role player at the Northern Kunqu Opera Theatre. She graduated from the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts in 2014. She has studied with WANG Zhiyi, CHEN Qi, QIAO Yanhe, ZHANG Yanhong, FENG Hairong, WANG Xiaoyan and ZHANG Juan. She has learned and performed operas including Wedding Day, Dating with Each Other and Cursing Each Other, Longing for Worldly Pleasures, Chunxiang Disturbs Class, Hanging Scroll Paintings, Xin’an Post Station, Water Pedlar, The Prince and the Showgirl, Yuelai Inn, Farewell to My Concubine, The Woman Prisoner Su San and Muke Village. She played important roles in full-scale operas Peony Pavilion, LI Qingzhao, Confucius’ Visiting to the State of Wei and The Lion’s Roar. In 2009, she gave a solo performance at the Shandong Beiyang Grand Theatre as an outstanding alumni of the Shandong University of Arts.
DONG Honggang
DONG Honggang is a national first-class martial arts actor at the Northern Kunqu Opera Theatre. He is a graduate of the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts. He has starred in WU Song Fighting in the Inn, Centipede Mountain, Knocking over Iron Blocks, Divergence and Tieguan Picture - Fighting with Broadswords. He has solid skills and performs well in martial arts Chinese operas. He can both sing and fight, looks handsome and cheerful when playing a martial role, and seems straightforward when playing a non-martial role. He is particularly good at performing in ZHONG Kui Marries off His Sister and Drowning the Seven Armies (as PANG De). He has won many outstanding performance awards. He has also performed for many foreign state leaders and important guests and given many performances abroad, presenting foreign audience the wonderful performance of martial arts in Chinese operas.
BAI Xiaojun
BAI Xiaojun is a national first-class actress and a member of the Beijing Dramatists Association. She was admitted to the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts in 1973 and studied under WANG Yumin, KONG Yan, GAO Shujuan, LI Jinhong and XIE Ruiqing. After graduating in 1981, she joined the Northern Kunqu Opera Theatre, where she studied under CHEN Wanrong, LIU Zhengxiang, CAI Yaoxian, ZHOU Zhigang and LI Qianying. During her stay at the theatre, she played leading roles in opera highlights Bidding Farewell to Mother and Then Getting Shot Dead by Arrows and Dating with Each Other and Cursing Each Other, and full-scale operas The Romance of West Chamber, Peony Pavilion, The Story of Jade Hairpin, A Dream of Red Mansions, The Story of A Hero and DONG Xiaowan. She also visited the UK, the U.S., Japan, the Netherlands, Romania, Bulgaria and Russia with the theatre. In 2012, she played Lady Dowager in A Dream of Red Mansions in Shanghai, thereby nominated for the Best Supporting Actress at the 23rd Shanghai Magnolia Awards.