Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe The Story in Handan County – 10th anniversary of “The Four Dreams of Linchuan”

- About
- Synopsis
- Artist
- Presenter
- Guidance
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About

The Story in Handan County is the last of the Four Dreams, written in 1601, when TANG Xianzu was 52 years old. Adapted from A Story in A Pillow, which depicts a pipe dream, it presents what occurred in the officialdom of Ming Dynasty. As a work rich in ideological, artistic and philosophical connotations - in particular with considerable value, it also explores how to free from worries in life. The Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe The Story in Handan County strikes a line for itself in China’s theatrical circles. It is the “only version” faithful to TANG Xianzu’s original creation and typical of the traditional culture in essence. It is also one of the few grand operas featuring an old male role. The Kunqu Opera The Story in Handan County has garnered numerous accolades in various competitions, such as the Excellent Opera Award at the Third China Kunqu Opera Art Festival and 12^th Culture Awards. In 2010, it received financial support from the National Project to the Distillation of the Stage Art. In 2017, it was selected as a key work for support from the National Project to the Distillation of the Stage Art by the Ministry of Culture.

Synopsis

LÜ Dongbin, who wants to enlighten LU Sheng, gives him a porcelain pillow so that he can sleep on it. In his dream, LU Sheng marries a lady surnamed CUI, wins an official rank, but offends a powerful mister, who jostles against him and exiles him to the border area for canal construction. Having rendered meritorious service, LU Sheng still fails to escape being further framed - he is banished to Yazhou for penal servitude, cruelly tortured there. Later, he is exonerated and promoted to grand secretary. Indulging in extreme pleasures, LU Sheng dies of illness at an old age. He gets enlightenment upon awakening, ascending to heaven to work as a celestial sweeper.

Artist

ZHANG WeiweiLU Sheng

ZHANG Weiwei

ZHANG Weiwei is a second-class actor at the Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe, specialising in playing an old male role with singing and acting skills or with acrobatic fighting skills. He has studied under Kunqu Opera artists JI Zhenhua, ZHOU Qiming, HOU Shaokui, GAN Mingzhi, LU Yongchang and KE Jun, as well as Peking Opera artist CHEN Shaoyun. In 2017, he became a disciple of JI Zhenhua, a Kunqu Opera artist, under the “Opera Inheritance: Contemporary Opera Masters Recruit Disciples to Impart Skills”, a project launched by the Ministry of Culture. ZHANG Weiwei has starred such full-length Kunqu Operas as Lanke Mountain, The Story in Handan County, Fifteen Strings of Cash and The Butterfly Dream, as well as opera highlights Searching the Mountains and Breaking the Prison Van, Beating the Son, Parting with Mother and Death in Messy Arrows, Guarding the Gate and Killing the Traitors, The Restaurant, Three Blockages, LIN Chong’s Night Flight, Fighting with Broadswords and Fighting Unmounted, Escorting Jingniang on A Thousand-Mile Journey and Mother Rebukes HONG Chengchou. JI Kang Forges Iron, an operetta starring him, won the Performance Award at the Shanghai Playlet Exhibition in 2015 and Excellence Award at the Seventh National Excellent Playlet Exhibition. The Chair, an experimental Kunqu Opera starring him in 2017, won the Golden Turnip Award at the Russia Theatre Festival.

CHEN LiLady CUI

CHEN Li

CHEN Li is a second-class actress at the Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe, specialising in playing a leading female role or young unmarried lady role. She studied under Kunqu Opera artists including WANG Yingzi, ZHANG Jingxian, LIANG Guyin, ZHANG Xunpeng, HOU Shaokui, HUA Wenyi, ZHANG Jiqing, LUO Yan and ZHU Xiaoyu. She has starred in such Kunqu Operas as The Story of Jade Hairpin, Over the Wall, The Palace of Eternal Youth, The Peony Pavilion, Lanke Mountain and Tale of the Pipa, as well as opera highlights Drawing Portraits of Her Late Parents-in-Law and Bidding Farewell to the Grave, Baihua Presents Her Sword as a Gift, Escorting Jingniang on A Thousand-Mile Journey, Complaining When Alive, Woman Singer, and Mother-Son Reunion. She played an important role in Jingyang Bell, a 3D Kunqu Opera film that received the “Best Opera Film Award” at the Canada Golden Maple Film Festival and “Artistic Contribution Award” at the Tokyo International Film Festival in 2018. She won an individual performance award at the Fifth China Kunqu Opera Art Festival.

Presenter

Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe
Founded in 1978, the Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe is a key professional art performance troupe protected and supported by the state. The first head of the Troupe was YU Zhenfei, a great artist at the Beijing Kunqu Opera Theatre, and the incumbent head is young Kunqu Opera artist GU Haohao.

The Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe stands committed to protecting and inheriting the traditional Kunqu Opera art. Since its founding, the Troupe has revived, rearranged and staged an estimated 300 excellent traditional opera highlights and nearly 70 full-length operas. While dedicating itself to inheriting the arts, the Troupe works hard to promote the creation of new operas. Some of its productions have been selected for the National Project to the Distillation of the Stage Art by the Ministry of Culture for four times. Some others have won the Chinese Opera Society Award for three times. For several times, the Troupe has won the “Five-One Project” Award, Wenhua Award and Wenhua Award for Best New Production by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, Ministry of Culture and China Theatre Association, the Excellent Opera Award at the China Opera Festival, the Excellent Opera Award at the Kunqu Opera Art Festival and other national art awards.

The Troupe has A-list artists that can play all kinds of roles. 13 of its staff members have won the “Plum Blossom Prize” for 14 times, two have won the Chinese Government Award for Culture and Arts—Wenhua Award for Performance twice, and 23 have won the Shanghai Magnolia Stage Performance Award for 30 times. In 1986, the Troupe won the First Prize for Kunqu Opera Revitalization by the Ministry of Culture, winning itself a reputation as “a first-class troupe with first-class artists that can perform first-class operas with first-class skills”.

Artistically devoted to performing excellent operas with superb skills, the Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe have given performances in the United States, Japan, Britain, the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Greece, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, Russia, Albania, Singapore, Malaysia and other countries, as well as Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan regions of China, receiving high praise and a warm welcome from the audiences at home and abroad, enjoying great popularity.

Guidance

*Please purchase tickets through authorized channels to avoid counterfeiting. Before completing your purchase, please verify the performance date, time, venue, and seat number carefully. Performance tickets are time-sensitive and limited in availability. Once a transaction has been completed, tickets are non-exchangeable, non-refundable and cannot be reissued if lost. Please double-check all ticketing details and securely retain your physical ticket or electronic order. If you are unable to attend due to personal reasons, please make your own arrangements regarding the use of your tickets. We appreciate your understanding as any inconvenience caused.

*The cast, programme, or other performance details are subject to change and shall be based on the live performance. In the event of major adjustments - such as changes to the performance date or lead cast - please refer to the official announcements issued by the NCPA and follow the relevant procedures as instructed.

*The NCPA opens 90 minutes before performances, and 60 minutes before art education lectures and similar events. Auditorium entry begins 45 minutes before performances. For all performances and events, the Northern entrance serves as the sole public entrance. Please ensure that ticket scanning and security screening are completed prior to entry, and allow sufficient time to avoid delays.

*Tickets must be retained in their original, intact condition. Admission will be denied for tickets lacking a stub, or bearing any alterations, obscured information, or defacement. Each ticket is valid for a single entry on the date of the performance. For certain performances, presentation of original valid identification documents is required. Admission will be granted only when the ticket information corresponds with the presented identification.

*Recommended admission height: 1.2 meters and above. Special provisions may apply to certain performances or events, as indicated on the corresponding ticketing page.

*All attendees are required to undergo security screening upon entry. Smoking and open flames are strictly prohibited within the NCPA premises. Prohibited items include, but not limited to, firearms and replicas, controlled knives, flammable or explosive substances, toxic or hazardous materials, corrosive substances, and radioactive materials. Any prohibited items discovered will be handed over to public security authorities.

*For safety and hygiene reasons, the NCPA does not provide storage services for food, beverages, or similar items. The following items are not permitted inside the NCPA: food and drinks, flags & banners, electronic cigarettes, power banks exceeding 20000mAh, flowers, recording or photography equipment, and oversized luggage.

*Attendees are requested to address appropriately. Admissions will be denied to individuals who are improperly attired or under the influence of alcohol.

*If you are late, please wait quietly in the audience waiting area. Entry will be permitted under the guidance of ushers during appropriate intermissions or between movements, and you are requested to take the nearest available seat with minimal disturbance. For concerts consisting of a single piece - either for the entire performance or a complete half - late arrivals and audience who leave midway will not be admitted.

*All attendees are requested to observe proper performance etiquette. Please keep quiet and remain seated throughout the entire performance. Mobile phones should be turned off or set to silent mode, and calls should not be made in the auditorium. Photography, audio, or video recording of the performance is strictly prohibited without prior permission. The use of flashlights, including phone flashlights, is not allowed.

* After the performance, please exit the auditoriums in an orderly manner. Loitering is discouraged.
Note

Box officeNorth Gate of NCPA, No. 2 West Chang'an Avenue, Xicheng District, Beijing, China

Tickets collection hours9:30-19:30 (CST) on performance day
9:30-18:00 (CST) for days without performance

Booking line+86 10 6655 0000

Booking hours9:30-18:00 (CST) Monday to Friday

Seating Chart

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歌剧院

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We make every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information, however the hours, prices, and program details may vary due to last minute changes.
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Full Calendar
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GENRE
Opera Concert Dance & Ballet Theatre
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Box Office Hours
Performance Days 9:30 AM -19:30 PM
Gap Days 9:30 AM -18:00 PM
Tickets Info
8610-66550000

Productions
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