The low-pitched Kunqu opera singing voice lingers for a long time among the simple and elegant carved beam paintings, condensing the smoke and clouds of more than 300 years of history. On the evening of April 19th, sponsored by the Publicity Department of the Municipal Party Committee, guided by the Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism and Xicheng District, and undertaken by the Northern Kunqu Opera Theater, the performance of the Zhengyi Ancestral Hall of the "Guild Hall with Drama" was opened in the renovated Zhengyi Ancestral Hall Theater Building.
On April 19th, after the performance of the resident play "Blessing of heavenly officials" and the theater version of "Peony Pavilion", which appeared in the opening ceremony of the Zhengyi Ancestral Hall Theater, the cast and crew took a group photo. Beijing News reporter Wang Jianning photographed
Highlight 1:
The resident drama "Blessing of Heavenly Officials" immerses in the charm of Kunqu opera
Located at No. 220, XiheYan Street, Qianmen, Xicheng District, the Zhengyi Ancestral Hall is once the Silver Horn Hall and the oldest and best-preserved pure wooden structure theater building in China, known as the "Living Fossil of Chinese Opera Building". Its fame stems not only from its long history, but also from the rich color it has left in the history of Chinese opera performances. In the past hundred years, Mei Lanfang, Tan Xinpei and other opera masters have sung and appeared here, witnessing its prosperity and glory together. The Zhengyi Temple, which carries the traces of time, also makes the history of the development of opera for hundreds of years to be perceived and touched.
The opening performance season of the Zhengyi Ancestral Hall Theater Selected Four Acts of Great Drama with Historical Origin to Be Staged, namely the resident drama "Blessing of heavenly officials", the theater version of "Peony Pavilion", the review of its reproduction of "Wall Head Horse" and "Pity Xiang Companion". Among them, the resident drama "Blessing of heavenly officials" was tailor-made for the theater building and debuted as the opening celebration play. This edition of "Blessings from Heavenly Officials" not only inherits the aesthetic charm of Kunqu opera art and the traditional Chinese celebration culture, but also combines the aesthetics of the times and the ancient charm of the opera house to create and adapt, bringing the audience an "immersive" experience with both a sense of history and the development of the times.
The resident drama "Blessing of heavenly officials" debuted at the opening ceremony. Beijing News reporter Wang Jianning photographed
Highlight 2:
8 guild halls linked up with the "clan hall has a play" series of performances
Beijing focuses on the characteristics of the guild hall, and constantly polishes and launches "small and fine" and "small and beautiful" performances that not only conform to the atmosphere of the hall but also highlight the charm of traditional culture. In the early stage, the Huguang Guild Hall and the Pigment Hall with relatively mature venue conditions were selected as pilots, and the series of performances of "Meeting Huguang" and "Meeting Paint" of "The Guild Hall Has Drama" were launched, and the Linfen Guild Hall, Fuzhou New Hall, Taiwan Guild Hall and other guild halls also began to perform. On the occasion of the reopening of the Zhengyi Ancestral Hall, Mei Lanfang Memorial Hall, Baoguo Temple, and Zhengyi Ancestral Hall jointly created a series of plays such as "Hall with Drama", "Meet Mei Lanfang" and "Visiting the Garden to Find Plums", immersive opera "Tea House", zhengyi Temple version of "Blessings from Heavenly Officials" and other wonderful programs were staged in turn. At present, 8 guild halls in the city have launched a number of "guild hall drama" series of performances.
It can be said that Beijing has been a gathering place for opera art since ancient times, and the large and small guild halls in the city carry a rich and diverse regional culture, giving Beijing a unique historical and cultural heritage. There are 31 guild halls in Xicheng District that are included in the category of immovable cultural relics and protected according to law, while excavating the resources of the guild halls that can be used in the jurisdiction, Xicheng District relies on the characteristics and advantages of its own cultural resources to deeply expand museums, memorial halls and available cultural relics resources, launch the "guild hall has a play" Jingcai Xicheng spring performance season activities, and create an immersive performing arts format with distinct themes, diverse contents and different functions in representative historical and cultural places such as Mei Lanfang Memorial Hall, Baoguo Temple, and Zhengyi Temple Theater Building, and continue to polish the "guild hall has drama" Cultural brand.
The actors of the drama version of "Peony Pavilion" are performing. Beijing News reporter Wang Jianning photographed
Highlight 3:
Continue to build a cultural circle around the citizens
The performance of the literary and art academy troupe into the former site of the guild hall is an innovative move in the cultural construction of the capital. The Municipal Leading Group for Promoting the Construction of the National Cultural Center specifically studied and formulated a work plan on promoting the performances of literary and art academies into the old site of the guild hall, focusing on strengthening the construction of the national cultural center, focusing on creating a new space for the performance of the guild hall, and giving play to the positive role of the old site of the guild hall in preserving the cultural memory of the city and promoting the overall protection of the old city.
In order to implement the work requirements of the Municipal Leading Group for Promoting the Construction of the National Cultural Center and make every effort to create a new brand of "hall with drama" culture to benefit the people, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism handed over the Zhengyi Ancestral Hall Theater building to the Northern Kunqu Opera Theater for repair, operation and use after in-depth research. Relying on the Zhengyi Ancestral Hall Opera Building, the Kunqu opera art that has been inherited for more than 600 years and the ancient opera building of more than 300 years are perfectly combined, showing the charm of China's excellent traditional culture, better playing the cultural function of the central axis, presenting the beauty of the artistic conception of opera art, and making the historical buildings represented by the guild hall shine again.
In the future, Beijing will also base itself on promoting the protection and rejuvenation of the old city, create and launch more newly created plays with the value of the times and traditional aesthetics and flexible expression methods according to local conditions, build a platform for display and exchange of high-quality works, and give play to the important functions of the guild hall as the "entrance to new drama" and "new stage". At the same time, we will continue to explore the normalized performance mechanism of "the guild hall has a play", hold the ancient opera building drama exhibition season, carry out public lectures and cultural salons for opera, develop the micro-travel route of "the guild hall has a play", continue to create a cultural circle and art circle around the citizens, and enhance the brand attractiveness, communication and influence of the "guild hall has a play".
Beijing News reporter Liu Zhen
Edited by Tian Kaini Proofreader Jia Ning