Kunqu Opera artist Zhao Jinyu (center) and Japanese Kyogen artists Okutsu Kentaro (left) and his son Okutsu Kenichiro performed at the cultural exchange event.
A Sino-Japanese theater cultural exchange event was recently held in the city, featuring impressive performances by Kunqu Opera artists Zhao Jinyu, Zhang Xunpeng, and Hu Gang, and Japanese Kyogen artists Okutsu Kentaro and his son Okutsu Kenichiro.
This year marks Zhao’s 18th year promoting Kunqu Opera to international audiences. Last year she performed classic Kunqu Opera excerpts to acclaim in Tokyo.
The 600-year-old Kunqu Opera is known as the “ancestor of a hundred operas” in China, while Kyogen also has a long history of more than 600 years in Japan.
Both of the time-honored arts were inscribed as Masterpieces of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2001.
Zhao Jinyu and Hu Gang perform an excerpt from the Kunqu Opera classic “Butterfly Dream.”
Japanese Kyogen artists Okutsu Kentaro and his son Okutsu Kenichiro perform “Bonsai” on the stage.
Popular acts of the traditional Chinese and Japanese theaters such as “Butterfly Dream” and “Bonsai” enthralled an audience from home and abroad who considered it a rare opportunity to experience the distinct charm of the two art forms up close.
French singer and blogger Alice Roche said that she was enchanted by Kunqu Opera’s delicate and elegant hand gestures, such as orchid fingers.
“I learned from Zhao an excerpt of the Kunqu Opera classic ‘The Peony Pavilion’ and I translated some of its romantic verses into French,” Roche said. “Kunqu Opera makes me feel what tenderness and beauty are.”
Zhao and her 85-year-old teacher Zhang Xunpeng performed a newly choreographed dance excerpt from “The Peony Pavilion.”
Zhao Jinyu and her teacher Zhang Xunpeng perform a dance excerpt from “The Peony Pavilion.”
From left to right: Chen Xingyan, Zhao Jinyu, and Huju Opera artist Shen Huiqin.
“Every time I cooperate with my teacher on the stage, I am inspired by her innovation and dedication to the theater,” Zhao said.
“To preserve and innovate an art, we should always know where the root of the art is.”
The cultural exchange event received support from the NEY Charity Foundation.
To enrich the cultural life of the elderly, Zhao has choreographed finger exercises to the accompaniment of beautiful Kunqu Opera melodies.
In the future, Zhao plans to deepen cooperation with the foundation to offer them more high-quality cultural works and performances.
The event attracts viewers from home and abroad.