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Qinqiang Opera
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2004-9-20 9:08:18
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Qinqiang opera is the main opera of Shaanxi Province, which is said to especially resemble the characteristics of the local people in that both are persistent, straightforward and unrestrained.
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The music we have just heard is a section from The Ghost's Resentment in which a female ghost weeps over her death and permanent separation from her adored lover.
 Over the long course of China's history, many dynasties have built their capitals in Shaanxi province, leaving the people of this area with a great deal of pride in their traditions and strong knowledge of culture and philosophy. The strength of local culture is so strong that those were born here but leave often look back to their hometowns in order to find inspiration from their past. Besides the above-mentioned writer Jia Pingwa, the famous director Zhang Yimou is another good example of a successful Shaanxi son whose cultural heritage can be found in his creative output. In his work "To Live," which is considered one of his best films, the protagonist initially experiences a luxurious life but soon finds his life and pockets penniless. For a time he has to make a living by singing Qingqiang opera. The poignant and uncurbed sound of the opera conveys a feeling of agonic tolerance, and gives the film a heart-wrenching power.
The next extract we'll be listening to is the story "Broken Bridge," as adapted from the popular folklore, the White Snake. Bai Suzhen, a snake-turned beautiful girl, falls in love with a scholar named Xuxian. However, this unusual love affair offends a ruthless exorcist, who beats the snake and overbore her under a pagoda. Before the lovers are forced into parting, they meet at the Broken Bridge, overwhelmed with grief.
That was Broken Bridge performed by Ma Youxian.
We'll leave you today with an extract from Obit at the Bier, in which Liu Bei grieves over the death of his sworn brothers, who died fighting for his cause. This piece was performed by Liu, Yuzhong, one of the most famous Qinqiang players, and recorded in 1976 when this maestro was 80 years old.
With that we come to the end of this week's China Roots. Comments and suggestions for the show are very welcome – you can write us a standard mail to English Service, China Radio International, Beijing, China, or send us an email to chinaroots@crifm.com. You can also logon our website at www.crienglish.com to have an online listen to the program. I'm your host Shen Ting. So long for now. Previous
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Director: Liu Chi