In north China's Jincheng City, a nearly one month-long cultural tourism festival kicked off recently. It was scheduled to stage numerous quintessential traditional regional opera performances till late May.
Among the multiple sub-events, the Shangdang Bangzi Opera Art Week caught most attention from locals and visitors, who nicknamed the art week from April 30 to May 5 as the "Opera Super League".
The six-day art week, a highlight of the 7th Shanxi (Jincheng) Taihang Mountains Cultural Tourism Festival, added unique indigenous cultural aura to the May Day holiday when tourists from near and far thronged the city.
Located at the southern foot of Taihang Mountains, Jincheng is one of the core localities where Shangdang Bangzi opera, one of the four types of traditional Bangzi operas native to Shanxi Province, prevails.
With an inclusion into the list of representative projects of national-level intangible cultural heritage (ICH) in 2006, Shangdang Bangzi opera gained more popularity among traditional opera lovers with its high-pitched, powerful singing style and a nearly 400-year-long local history.
After five local artists including Zhang Aizhen, Wu Guohua, Zhang Baoping, Chen Suqin and Du Jianping won the China Theatre Plum Blossom Award, the highest theatrical award in China, Shangdang Bangzi opera impressed a wider range of audiences.
During the opening ceremony of the cultural tourism festival, performances of other traditional operas such as Pu Opera, Jin Opera and Beilu Bangzi opera were also put on stage, pooling artists from across China to present a visual and audio feast.
Noteworthy is also the stage of Shangdang Bangzi opera performances, the "Phoenix Terrace" designed by internationally famous architect Ma Yansong and director Liu Chang. Inspired by the Chinese folklore of "Playing the flute to attract the phoenix", the stage intricately incorporates elements of traditional Jincheng opera stages such as flying eaves and caisson ceiling, resembling a phoenix crown covering the top when viewed from afar.
Later in May, the 7th Shanxi (Jincheng) Taihang Mountains Cultural Tourism Festival will put on stage more traditional regional opera performances to further unlock the charm of local operas and strengthen its "Opera Super League" cultural tourism brand.
(Edited by Duan Jing with Xinhua Silk Road, duanjing@xinhua.org)
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