A Peking Opera production, titled A Straw-Cloaked Life in Mist and Rain, about poet Su Shi of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), opens the recent Xiqu Opera Black Box Festival in Beijing. CHINA DAILY

Modernity need not be the enemy of tradition. In some ways it may even enhance it. Traditional works of literature, for instance, can be better presented by modern printing techniques. Likewise with stage plays. While some often lament that ancient Chinese art forms are under threat in the face of contemporary entertainment, there is an unmistakable surge in the popularity of ancient art among younger audiences attracted to the intimacy of small theaters.

Star Theater, a small theater in the capital with three performance spaces－each with a capacity of about 200 seats－is dedicated to presenting Chinese traditional operas. It hosts an annual Xiqu Opera Black Box Festival from Oct 21 to Dec 20. Xiqu means local opera. This year the festival focuses on Peking Opera.

Peking Opera, or jingju, has a history of more than 200 years and was recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2010. It brings together art forms such as singing, dancing, martial arts and acrobatics.

The performances are characterized by elaborate movements, extravagant makeup and high-pitched singing. This year marks the 230th anniversary of the birth of Peking Opera, which originated from four famous Anhui Opera troupes that came to Beijing to celebrate the 80th birthday of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) in 1790. In around 1840, Peking Opera began to formally take shape, growing rapidly during the reign of Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908), an ardent Chinese opera lover. After this, the art form went from strength to strength, with troupes being formed in Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai.

This year, 16 traditional Chinese opera productions are being staged during the festival, including seven Peking Opera works. There will be productions of other genres, such as Kunqu Opera, Pingju Opera, Cantonese Opera and Chuanju Opera, staged as well. Forums, exhibitions and programs for children will also be offered during the festival. Among them, the Independent Interaction on Contemporary Art Exhibition, which brings together 60 works from nine Chinese artists focusing on Peking Opera, will be held at the Star Theater from Nov 14 to Dec 31.

According to Zhou Long, artistic director of the festival, the event, since its birth in 2014, has attracted more than 100,000 attendees and showcased over 20 kinds of traditional Chinese opera.

"Looking back upon Peking Opera's history, you can tell that it's something that keeps on moving forward and being renovated by pioneers," Zhou says. "It keeps changing thanks to the older generation of Peking Opera masters. Contemporary audiences, especially younger people who are new to Peking Opera, may be attracted to shows in small theaters, which are easy to understand, modern and full of fresh ideas."

Peking Opera performers interact with children at a workshop of the traditional art form at the Star Theater in Beijing during the summer vacation in 2019. CHINA DAILY

Lessons from a poet

A 90-minute Peking Opera production, titled A Straw-Cloaked Life in Mist and Rain, opened the festival with two shows on Oct 21 and 22.The play, about Chinese poet Su Shi (1037-1101), also named Su Dongpo, of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), is directed by Bai Ailian from the Jingju Theater Company of Beijing.

"There are no Peking Opera scripts about Su Dongpo and the poet has never been portrayed by this art form. I wanted to give it a try," says Bai, who was born and raised in the Tibet autonomous region, and graduated in literary-and-arts-program directing from the Communication University of China.

Born into a family of scholars, Su Shi became famous at the tender age of 19, when he and his younger brother both scored exceptionally well in the imperial exam for aspiring government officials. Apart from that, Su also won further fame and admiration for his poetry, essays and calligraphy. Due to political conflict between various groups, Su was later banished from the royal court to Huangzhou, now Huanggang in Hubei province, where he was assigned a lowly government post. But his life in exile was not wasted, as he drew inspiration from the area and created some of his most famous artistic works.

According to Bai, one of the best parts of staging Peking Opera performances at small theaters is that "the small space allows directors, scriptwriters and actors to experiment with ideas that may not be suitable for big theaters".

There are some fictional scenes in the play, such as one where Su meets both an older and a younger version of himself in a dream. And Bai also has an actor playing the role of a narrator telling stories of Su, which helps the audience to better follow the play.

"I want to show how Su goes through struggles in his life and how he deals with them, which may resonate with today's audiences," the director says. The cast of the play includes veteran Peking Opera actor Jiao Jingge, a teacher at the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts, and his students, including Chen Zhe, Zhao Jia and Dong Jianhua.

Younger audience members relish such inspiring performances in small theaters. One of them, Ling Xiaomin, who watched the opening performance of the play about Su on the opening night of the Xiqu Opera Black Box Festival on Oct 21, says he prefers to watch performances in small locations.

Ling says: "I can still recall the first time that I watched a traditional Chinese opera performance at a small theater a year ago. The audience was sat so close to the stage that I could even hear the actors breathing." That play was A Commander's Introspection, he recalls, performed by actors of Northern Kunqu Opera Theatre, directed and co-written by young artist Hu Hanchi, and was based on a Chinese idiom, fanqiu zhuji, referring to self-reflection and trying to find fault in oneself rather than blaming others.

"Peking Opera shows in small theaters are rooted deeply in the old art form, but the way the stories are told are quite different and interesting to me," Ling says. Lower ticket prices are also appealing, he adds.

Other highlights of this year's festival include Lady Macbeth, a tale centered around one of Shakespeare's most infamous female characters by a Dianju Opera troupe from Yuxi, Yunnan province; Two Belles in Love, a Kunqu Opera work by the Northern Kunqu Opera Theatre; and a one-man show Chu Yun by China Pingju Opera Troupe, which combines Pingju Opera, physical theater and puppets.

Contact the writer at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn