Rickshaw Boy finally returns

Classic tale set to treat another generation of theatergoers in new Peking Opera production, Chen Nan reports.

A work based on a classic novel was produced and staged by the Peking Opera Theatre of Jiangsu Performing Arts Group in 1998, and it immediately became a phenomenon.

Adapted from Rickshaw Boy, the classic novel by Lao She (1899-1966), the Peking Opera production with the same title toured nationwide and swept almost all the top theater prizes, such as the Wenhua Award, the Golden Award of China Peking Art Festival and the Outstanding Theatrical Production Award of China Art Festival.

However, the award-winning production was not performed for years as the company had other works to promote. That changed last year when a decision was made to revive it, and Rickshaw Boy was staged at the Mei Lanfang Theatre in Beijing on June 14.

"For some historical reasons, Rickshaw Boy was considered lost," said Luo Lang, president of Peking Opera Theatre of Jiangsu Performing Arts Group, at the Mei Lanfang Theatre in Beijing early this month. "However, what it has achieved inspired us to bring it to the audience again. It's a landmark for contemporary Peking Opera productions."

First published in 1937, Rickshaw Boy was considered as one of Lao She's most important and popular novels.

Set against the wartime backdrop of the 1930s, the tragic story follows Xiangzi, a poor young man from the countryside who comes to Beijing to become a rickshaw puller. His dream is to have his own rickshaw.

However, the rickshaw, which he bought with the money he saved up over three years, is stolen by mutinous soldiers, so Xiangzi has to work for his boss — a rickshaw company owner. Xiangzi was forced to marry Huniu, the daughter of the boss, who later died of difficult labor when delivering their baby.

Xiangzi has to sell his newly-bought rickshaw to arrange Huniu's funeral.

Luo says that in the 1998 version of the Peking Opera production, Chen Canglin played the role of Xiangzi and Huang Xiaoci (1943-2017) played the role of Huniu.

This new version has seen Chen as the director, and his student Huang Jinzhao plays the role of Xiangzi. Huang Xiaoci's student and young Peking Opera actress Gao Fei plays the role of Huniu.