Star performer revitalizes Peking opera

Zhang Huoding's fame has spread beyond China. In 2015, she made her debut in the United States with shows at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York.

Media reports compared her performances with those given by Mei Lanfang in New York in 1930. Then, as now, there was a sense that traditional Chinese opera could be popular overseas and even influence the global arts scene.

In an interview with The New York Times published on Aug 31, 2015, before she made her debut in the US, Zhang Huoding said, "Peking Opera has always had a calming effect on me." She also lamented that "the great age of Peking Opera may be coming to an end".

Performances mainly attract the older generation. Few young people decide to take up the art form as a career, as it entails a rigid training process and takes years before a young performer is ready to appear onstage.

According to the latest report by the Beijing Trade Association for Performances, some 250,000 performances of all types were staged in Beijing in 2018, attracting audiences of more than 11.2 million and grossing over 1.7 billion yuan. However, the report said traditional Chinese art forms, such as Peking Opera, are losing fans.

According to Fu, from the National Academy of Chinese Theater Arts, the government is eager to revive the art form by offering low-priced tickets and free shows. Some young artists are striving to popularize Peking Opera among the younger generation by experimenting with new technology, exploring the psychological portrayal of characters and enhancing young people's appreciation of Chinese operatic genres.

For example, Peking Opera shows staged at smaller theaters have been well-received by younger audiences. Unlike traditional Chinese opera shows, which are usually staged in large theaters with grand stage sets and large casts, the smaller Peking Opera productions only last for about one hour, involving just a few actors and a simple set.

Fu said: "Audiences do not have the patience or interest in sitting in a theater to watch two-hour-long Peking Opera shows. Companies usually present some of the best-known excerpts from traditional repertoires to give audiences a glimpse of the art form, hoping that they will return to the theater again. This is a pity, and we need more Peking Opera stars like Zhang Huoding to revive the genre."