Shanghai company takes classic plays to Beijing

Shanghai Yueju Opera Company's four classic plays — "A Dream of Red Mansions," "The Butterfly Lovers," "Romance of the Western Chamber" and "Sister Xianglin" — will be staged at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing from January 4 to 7.

All these plays are time-honored stage productions of the company. Over decades, the traditional theatrical art has been passed down at the company from generation to generation. Innovations have also been made to cater for young and modern audiences.

"A Dream of Red Mansions" is a stage adaptation of the classic novel by Cao Xueqin (1715-1763). It tells a tragic love story of Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu amid the rise and fall of a large, feudal family. In 1962, the Yueju Opera play was adapted into a hit film starring Xu Yulan and Wang Wenjuan.

"The Butterfly Lovers," which is often known as China's "Romeo and Juliet," is a romantic tale of a young, poor scholar, Liang Shanbo, and Zhu Yingtai, the daughter of a wealthy family. They bravely pursue love and turn into butterflies to live together after death.

"Romance of the Western Chamber" is also about a young couple's courage in pursuing their freedom to choose love in ancient China. Written by the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) playwright Wang Shifu, it centers on the romance between young scholar Zhang Sheng and Cui Yingying, the daughter of a minister.

Based on the famous 1924 novel "Blessing" by Lu Xun, "Sister Xianglin" recounts the tragic life of a woman who loses her son and dies in the wind and snow just ahead of the coming of Chinese Lunar New Year's Day.

Officials from Shanghai Yueju Opera Company noted that generations of Yueju Opera artists had left them with many masterpieces, and they will continue to create high-quality productions for audiences.