A Collective Work by the Yan'an LU Xun College of Art
Librettists: HE Jingzhi, DING Yi
Composers: MA Ke, ZHANG Lu, QU Wei, LIU Chi, Huanzhi, XIANG Yu, CHEN Zi
Stage Director: ZHANG Qihong
Music Director: GUAN Xia
Script Coordinator: HUANG Qishi
Conductors: LIU Fengde, JIN Gang
Deputy Director: ZHU Yalin
Concertmaster: CAO Huan
Orch.: GUAN Xia, LI Wenping, ZHANG Hongguang
Cast
Xi’er (The White-Haired Girl): JIANG Ning/ WANG Na
WANG Dachun: ZHANG Yingxi/ WU Pan
YANG Bailao: GAO Peng
Elder ZHAO: QIAN Zhiguo
Aunt WANG: JU Youyan
Aunt ZHANG: CHU Xu
LI Shuan: LIU Yang
Dasuo: WANG Yang
Mother of HUANG Shiren: LIU Haitao / YU Fei
HUANG Shiren: WU Meng / GUO Yi
MU Renzhi: CHANG Tong
Presenter: China Opera and Dance Drama Theater
On Chinese New Year’s Eve 1934, in Yanggezhuang Village, Hebei Province, YANG Bailao, a poor famer hiding from debts, returns home secretly. He hopes to have a reunion with his only daughter Xi’er. While YANG Bailao and Xi’er are enjoying themselves, MU Renzhi, the butler of the landlord HUANG Shiren, arrives at their home unexpectedly. At HUANG’s house, HUANG Shiren and MU Renzhi bully YANG Bailao into selling his daughter to pay off his debts. YANG Bailao is forced to put his fingerprints on the contract and collapses returning home. His good friend Elder ZHAO finds him fainting in the snow. With Xi’er, Dachun and Aunt WANG, they celebrate the Spring Festival and eat dumplings together at the YANG’s home. Elder ZHAO tells the story of the Red Army, which makes Dachun and Xi’er wish to join the army. After his friends leave, YANG Bailao drinks the brine, committing suicide to show his will. On the next day, his corpse is found outside the door. Grief-stricken, Xi’er weeps bitterly. MU Renzhi snatches her away with his servants.
A month later, Dachun and Dasuo beat up MU Renzhi together. Dasuo is arrested and Dachun is forced to leave his hometown. Xi’er is tortured in the HUANG family. With the help of Aunt ZHANG, she can barely survive. However, she fails to escape from HUANG Shiren who has long desired her, and is eventually raped by him. Devastated, Xi’er tries to commit suicide, but she is saved by Aunt ZHANG.
As HUANG Shiren’s wedding is approaching, he plans to sell Xi’er to cover up his scandal. When Aunt ZHANG learns about this, she helps Xi’er escape from HUANG’s house. In the reeds by the river, HUANG Shiren and MU Renzhi find a shoe of Xi’er on the bank, thinking that she has thrown herself into the river. With a narrow escape, Xi’er flees into the mountains.
Three years have passed. During the years, Xi’er has been hiding in a cave. Due to a chronic lack of salt intake, her hair turns white. The superstitious villagers regard her as a “white-haired fairy”. On a stormy night, Xi’er bumps into HUANG Shiren and MU Renzhi, who come into the temple to hide from the rain. She chases after them and is treated as a ghost. In the autumn, Dachun, who is already a member of the Eighth Route Army, returns to the village. When he learns about the “white-haired fairy”, he decides to go to the mountain to find out the truth. Dachun and Dasuo find Xi’er in the cave. After a few questions, they learned what has happened. Dachun and Xi’er are overcome with grief and joy as they reunite. Dachun takes Xi’er back to the village to take revenge on HUANG Shiren. At a village meeting, Xi’er accuses HUANG Shiren of his evil deeds, and the villagers are furious. HUANG Shiren and MU Renzhi are sent to the People’s Government for public trial and punishment. Xi’er and the poor class she represents finally lead an independent and happy life in the new society.