September 10th Kunqu Opera The Peony Pavilion (Youth Edition) I
September 11th Kunqu Opera The Peony Pavilion (Youth Edition) II
September 12th Kunqu Opera The Peony Pavilion (Youth Edition) III
The Peony Pavilion (Youth Edition) is a classic brand belonging to the Suzhou Kunqu Opera Theatre of Jiangsu Province, co-produced by traditional opera elites with Mr. BAI Xianyong, a famous writer, as Chief Managing Producer and Artistic Director, and WANG Shiyu and ZHANG Jiqing, renowned Kunqu Opera artists, as art directors. The opera has won numerous national awards including the “National Project to the Distillation of the Stage Art” Award, and has been placed on many influential art festivals or national occasions such as the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, 60th National Day Celebration, etc., making Kunqu Opera a remarkable cultural phenomenon.
The Peony Pavilion (Youth Edition) is based on TANG Xianzu’s original work with the entire libretto retained. Elaborately rearranged, the story unfolds with “Love in Dream”, “Human-Ghost Love” and “Human Affection” at the core. Twenty-seven highlights selected from the original work are divided into three parts in the opera. It takes three hours per day, three days in all, to stage the full-length opera, so that theatregoers can enjoy themselves, while becoming more engrossed in the beautiful world of Kunqu Opera. As Mr. BAI Xianyong says, “beauty” is the only word suitably used to describe Kunqu Opera - as a comprehensive art of beauty, it boasts the beauty of libretto, the beauty of dance, the beauty of music and the beauty of human feeling.
Since its premiere in 2004, the opera has been staged over 500 times, both at home and abroad, benefiting dozens of Chinese and foreign cities. The honours it has received are too numerous to enumerate. The opera is highly scored, 9.1 points, on Douban.com, and has also lowered the average age of Kunqu Opera audience members to around 30 years old! Many people call it “a must-see Kunqu Opera performance”.
Creative
Original Author: TANG Xianzu (Ming Dynasty)
Chief Managing Producer: BAI Xianyong
Artistic Director: BAI Xianyong
Managing Producer: CAI Shaohua
Art Directors: WANG Shiyu, ZHANG Jiqing
Chief Director: WANG Shiyu
Chief Coordinator: LIN Lin
Coordinators: YU Jiulin, TANG Rong, ZHOU Xuefeng, DU Xinying
Libretto Arrangers: BAI Xianyong, HUA Wei, ZHANG Shuxiang, XIN Yiyun
Music Director: ZHOU Youliang
Singing Tune Arranger: ZHOU Youliang
Music Designer: ZHOU Youliang
Art Director: WANG Tong
Stage Director: WENG Guosheng
Deputy Director: ZHANG Tianle
Assistant Director: MA Peiling
Stage Designer: WANG Mengchao
Lighting Designer: HUANG Zuyan
Choreographers: WU Sujun, MA Peiling
Costume Designers: WANG Tong, ZENG Yongni
Singing & Recitation Directors: YAO Jikun, MAO Weizhi
Stage Manager: LI Qiang
Calligrapher: DONG Yangzi
Painter: XI Song
Photographer: XU Peihong
Consultants: GU Zhaoshen, ZHENG Peikai, ZHU Donglin, ZHOU Qin
Subtitle Translator: LI Linde
Libretto Translator: CHEN Yuxian
Starring: SHEN Fengying, YU Jiulin
The Peony Pavilion (Revival After Death), authored by TANG Xianzu (Ming Dynasty). DU Bao, a prefecture chief in the Southern Song Dynasty, manages the family under strict discipline. His only child, DU Liniang, a girl, is demure, dainty and beautiful. On a spring day, she plays in the back garden with her maidservant Chunxiang. Surrounded by various flowers in bloom, she has a dream, where she has a rendezvous with a handsome young scholar. After waking up, she becomes lost in a deep reverie, finally passing away with sadness. Later, there is indeed a young scholar, named LIU Mengmei, picking up Liniang’s portrait accidentally and falling in love with her. Liniang’s soul is thus touched, and they get married, though in two worlds. LIU Mengmei opens the grave for love, and Liniang returns to life for love, as well. Liniang and Mengmei live happily in their marriage, but soon after, they separate. Mengmei undergoes immense hardships searching for Liniang’s father, only to be mistaken for a tomb raider and beaten savagely by DU Bao. Fortunately, Mengmei comes first in the highest imperial examination, while the family has a reunion in the throne room with the emperor’s help.
I
Scene I Rebuking Daughter
DU Bao, Chief of Nan’an Prefecture, discusses with his wife about hiring a strict teacher to teach their daughter poetry and literature so that their only child, Liniang, a girl, could capture glory for them. Liniang celebrates the Spring Festival with wine, only to be reprimanded that she should read more poems rather than stay idle.
Scene II Classroom in Boudoir
Liniang attends school in the company of her maidservant Chunxiang. When her teacher, CHEN Zuiliang, teaches her The Book of Songs: Crying Ospreys, Chunxiang clowns around and goes out to defecate. She sees a back garden and returns to the classroom to tell Liniang about it. CHEN Zuiliang intends to chastise Chunxiang, but Liniang stops him and promises that she will punish Chunxiang in person. Thus they act in tandem to resolve the problem.
Scene III A Transient Dream
Liniang dresses herself up carefully and goes to the back garden with excitement to enjoy the spring scenery, but when watching the fine views, she feels lonely. Returning to her boudoir, Liniang sighs knowing that she is already 16 years old, but has no person understanding her, so she falls asleep with melancholy. In her dream, the Flower Fairy turns up with a young scholar on a willow branch. The scholar invites her to inscribe a poem. Under the care of the Flower Fairy, they snuggle up to each other in the Peony Pavilion.
Scene IV Expression of Feelings
LIU Mengmei, a descendant of LIU Zongyuan, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, has been alone and poorly off since childhood. He sponges off his old servant GUO Tuo. One day, he has a dream, where he sees a beautiful girl standing under a plum tree in a garden. So he renames himself Mengmei (means dreaming of a plum tree). To gain fame and fortune, he goes to Lin’an to take the imperial examination.
Scene V Dream Quest
DU Liniang returns to the back garden in search of everything that appears in her dream. The scenery remains there, but her lover has vanished. Involuntarily, she feels deeply sorrowful, weeping and falling down under the plum tree.
Scene VI The Traitor
After conquering the north, WANYAN Liang, the emperor of Jin Dynasty, orders LI Quan, a traitor of the Song Dynasty, to enlist soldiers and buy horses to harass the Huaiyang region, in order to clear hurdles for the Jin Dynasty, to invade the south.
Scene VII Drawing a Self-Portrait
Since the garden tour, DU Liniang has been in a terrible mood for eating or sleeping, becoming much thinner before long. She looks at the mirror. Aware that she, who used to have a full figure, is already very thin, Liniang draws a portrait of herself hoping to retain her nice appearance.
Scene VIII The Taoist Nun
Taoist Nun SHI wallows in self-pity as a woman with a hypoplastic vagina, which results in her tragic marriage, causing her to become a Taoist nun at the Ziyang Temple. She is entrusted by the DU Family to pray for DU Liniang, who gets seriously ill.
Scene IX Temporary Separation of the Soul from the Body
The mid-autumn night is filled with bitter winds and miserable rains. DU Liniang is in a much worse condition. Knowing that she cannot recover her health at all, Liniang asks Chunxiang to hide her portrait under the Taihu Stone for her lover, and requests her mother to bury her body under the plum tree. When she’s dying, Liniang bids farewell to her mother, sobbing and saying that she’s unfilial, unable to serve her mother anymore. Blessed by the Flower Fairy, her soul leaves her body and waits for the day when she can return to life.
II
Scene I Judgement in the Nether World
Judge HU of the Nether World, who has assumed the post, checks the prisoners in the city of Wronged Ghosts. Surprised by DU Liniang’s beauty, the judge refuses to believe that she dies from a dream. So he orders the Flower Fairy to come as a witness, and reads the marriage book, learning that DU Liniang and LIU Mengmei will be a couple in the future. Thus, he permits DU Liniang to depart from the city of Wronged Ghosts.
Scene II Lodging Halfway
On the way to Lin’an, the capital city, LIU Mengmei gets caught in a snowstorm, suffering from the cold and falling ill. Fortunately, he is saved by CHEN Zuiliang, who takes him to the Plum Blossom Nunnery for rehabilitation.
Scene III Remembrance of Daughter
When DU Liniang is dying, an imperial edict comes that DU Bao should rush to guard the Huaiyang region. Pressed for time, DU Bao cannot bury Liniang’s body in the back garden according to her last wish before his departure, with a plum blossom nunnery built for her and entrusted to the care of Taoist Nun SHI. Three years has passed. When seeing such circumstances, DU Bao, Mrs. Du and Chunxiang feel grieved.
Scene IV Picking Up a Portrait
LIU Mengmei lodges in the Plum Blossom Nunnery. One day, he returns to the back garden to enjoy a diversion. There, he picks up a small scroll near the Taihu Stone. He thinks there is a statue of the Goddess of Mercy or Chang’e in the picture, but when seeing a verse, he realises that it’s a portrait of a girl. The verse says, “Not by the plum tree, but by the willow tree”. There’s something in common between the verse and his name, so LIU Mengmei calls her every day hoping that the beautiful girl will walk down from the picture.
Scene V The Soul Wandering
DU Liniang’s soul returns and sees nothing but withered grass under branches, feeling sorrowful. Taoist Nun SHI has just finished praying for her and she hears LIU Meimeng calling somebody at the very moment, so her feelings get stirred up.
Scene VI Rendezvous in Darkness
DU Liniang’s soul sees the portrait and becomes aware that LIU Mengmei is calling her day and night. So she pretends to be a neighbouring girl and visits him at midnight, continuing her dream where she meets him.
Scene VII Danger Approaching Huaiyang
The traitor LI Quan and his wife, YANG Po, discuss ways to attack the Huaiyang region. LI Quan takes YANG Po’s advice that a spearhead should be delivered to Yangzhou to cut off DU Bao’s retreat.
Scene VIII Love Oath
Considering that Taoist Nun SHI is already suspicious of the laughter from LIU Mengmei’s room, DU Liniang is determined to tell him the truth. They bow to Heaven and Earth to get married. Then, Liniang tells Mengmei that she has died from a dream where she has a date with him. LIU Mengmei is horrified, but love overcomes his fear. He remains determined to help Liniang restore her life.
Scene IX Resurrection
LIU Mei takes DU Liniang’s advice that he should tell Taoist Nun SHI the truth and ask for her help. They go to the back garden, where they burn incense to worship the Local God of the Land. Then, they dig out the coffin and open it. With the help of the Flower Fairy, DU Liniang comes back to life.
III
Scene I Wedding on the Way
LIU and DU hire a boat and leave Nan’an in a hurry at the suggestion of Taoist Nun SHI for fear that CHEN Zuiliang would know what has happened. They get married on the boat.
Scene II Army Relocation
LI Quan is approaching Huai’an with troops. DU Bao is ordered to defend Huai’an, while Mrs. DU and Chunxiang leave for Lin’an by water. The couple is thus separated.
Scene III Arrival in Hangzhou
LIU Mengmei and DU Liniang arrive in Hangzhou and settle down there. The new couple loves each other very much. Taoist Nun SHI arrives in a hurry with a piece of news that an imperial examination will soon be conducted. Liniang raises the goblet to express her wish that LIU Mengmei should come first in the examination.
Scene IV Inducing to Capitulate
A long period of time has passed, but Huai’an remains unconquerable. The Jin Dynasty deploys an envoy to question LI Quan. Seeing LI Quan’s beautiful wife, YANG Po, the envoy flirts with her. So angry, LI Quan wants to kill the envoy, but the envoy orders LI Quan to capture the city in three days. When LI and YANG are thinking hard, their men catch CHEN Zuiliang, who is trying to enter the city of Huai’an to report about the robbery of Liniang’s grave. They let CHEN Zuiliang go in order that he may advise DU Bao to surrender. DU Bao turns the enemy’s trick into his use and orders CHEN Zuiliang to induce the enemy to capitulate.
Scene V Reunion with Mother
Mrs. DU and Chunxiang have fled to Lin’an. It so happens that they arrive at Liniang’s residence to stay the night. Seeing Liniang, Mrs. DU and Chunxiang thinking she must be a ghost. Taoist Nun SHI explains. The mother and daughter have a reunion.
Scene VI Suffering in Huai’an
Hearing that Huai’an is under siege, DU Liniang requests LIU Mengmei to go and rescue her father. When LIU Mengmei arrives in Huai’an, the city gate is closed. He claims to be Prefecture Chief DU Bao’s son-in-law. The innkeeper doesn’t believe it and drives him out. He spends the night in the Floating Temple. The next day, DU Bao hosts a peace banquet, and LIU wants to call at his mansion. Seeing such a poor and pedantic man, the doorkeeper drives him away. LIU Mengmei breaks in and gets arrested.
Scene VII Seeking the Truth
A list of successful candidates is released. LIU Mengmei is Number One Scholar. An errand runner is ordered to invite him to a banquet. GUO Tuo happens to be in Lin’an in search of his young master. The errand runner carries GUO Tuo to search for LIU Mengmei.
Scene VIII Severe Torture
DU Bao escorts LIU Mengmei to Lin’an for an interrogation. He finds Liniang’s portrait on LIU Mengmei, thus believing that LIU Mengmei is the grave robber. So DU Bao orders his men to hang LIU up for torture. Luckily, GUO Tuo hears LIU crying and rushes into the DU Mansion to rescue him.
Scene IX Reunion in the Throne Room
Du Bo sues LIU Mengmei for the grave robbery. The emperor orders DU Liniang and her mother to appear as witnesses. DU Bao, who thinks his wife has died in the war, asserts that they are demons. The emperor asks Liniang to look at the monster-revealing mirror, and this proves that she’s a human being. The family has a reunion. LIU Mengmei and DU Liniang get married.
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