On the evening of August 27, Yanhu Hall was packed with a thunderous applause as the newly created Pu opera "Qu Sheng Guan Hanqing" (The Drama Saint Guan Hanqing), a project funded by the Shanxi Province Art Fund and meticulously crafted by the Yanhu District Pu Opera Troupe, made its stunning debut. People from all walks of life gathered together to appreciate the legendary life of Guan Hanqing, the founder of Yuan Dynasty zaju drama.
"Qu Sheng Guan Hanqing" follows Guan Hanqing's life story, vividly showcasing his perseverance on the path of zaju creation and his persistent pursuit of justice and truth against a complex historical backdrop. The entire play features dramatic plot twists and intense emotions, spanning several decades and telling the story of Yuan Dynasty playwright Guan Hanqing who abandoned his official position to pursue art after witnessing injustice, collaborating with performer Zhou Xiulian in zaju creation. Facing pressure from his father's arranged marriage and government oppression, he exposed darkness through his creation of "The Injustice to Dou E," which led to the destruction of his family. Twenty years later, he returned with great acclaim, but faced with his father's dying wishes, his sworn sister's departure from the world, and the court's recruitment offer, he resolutely chose to uphold his artistic conscience, embodying the "copper pea" spirit of being "unsteamable, unboilable, unflattable, and unexplodable," thus creating the legend of a generation's drama saint.
Guan Hanqing was from Jiezhou (present-day Yuncheng) during the Yuan Dynasty. As a master of Yuan Dynasty zaju, his works such as "The Injustice to Dou E" and "Rescuing the Courtesan" have become immortal classics in Chinese opera history through their profound social insights, vivid character portrayals, and superior artistic achievements. This time, the Yanhu District Pu Opera Troupe brought Guan Hanqing's story to the Pu opera stage, aiming to lead audiences through time and space via excellent plots, beautiful singing, and delicate performances, allowing them to experience the turbulent changes of Guan Hanqing's era and understand the artistic spirit and character strength of this great playwright.
To create "Qu Sheng Guan Hanqing" as a masterpiece, the Yanhu District Pu Opera Troupe invested tremendous effort. The troupe specially invited senior scriptwriters, directors, and music design teams from the industry to repeatedly refine the script and carefully create music and stage design. They strived to achieve temporal and spatial transitions through modern perspectives, artistic techniques, and ingenious stage settings while respecting history, recreating Guan Hanqing's legendary life. The actors also underwent long periods of rigorous rehearsals, continuously improving their performance skills to bring audiences an unparalleled audiovisual feast.
On the performance night, the atmosphere at Yanhu Hall was enthusiastic, with audiences completely immersed in the exciting plot. As the story progressed, Guan Hanqing's joys and sorrows touched every audience member's heart, and the actors' brilliant performances evoked strong resonance from the audience, with applause and cheers rising and falling continuously. After the performance, the entire audience stood up and applauded, expressing sincere respect and gratitude to the cast and crew.
Notably, the drama was co-starred by Kong Xiangdong, winner of the China Drama Plum Blossom Award, national first-class actor, and Shanghai "White Magnolia" Award recipient, alongside excellent actress Wang Qingli. With their profound performance skills and precise interpretation of their roles, they brought the characters of Guan Hanqing and others vividly to life on stage, winning rounds of applause from the live audience. Other excellent actors from the troupe also showcased their talents in the play, together presenting audiences with a performance that gathered the essence of Pu opera art.
The successful premiere of "Qu Sheng Guan Hanqing" represents another important exploration by the Yanhu District Pu Opera Troupe on the path of Pu opera artistic creation. The successful staging of this drama is not only an attempt and exploration of this ancient opera genre in the new era, but will also further promote the inheritance and development of Pu opera art.