China News Service, Urumqi, February 22 (Shi Yujiang) During the Spring Festival, opera variety shows such as Henan Opera excerpts and Henan Opera medleys were performed every day in Shihezi City, the Eighth Division of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (hereinafter referred to as the Corps).
Eight consecutive days of different programs added a festive atmosphere to the Spring Festival of the Year of the Dragon.
On February 15th, Shihezi City celebrated the Year of the Dragon opera variety show, which started wonderfully at the Shihezi People's Cinema.
Photo by Kang Lizhu
At the scene, the Henan Opera Troupe of Shihezi Art Theater brought to the public excerpts of Henan opera "Zhou Ren Presents His Wife", "Mulan Homesickness", and "Zhang Zhicheng Seeks His Wife"... The ups and downs of the plot brought the audience's emotions to one climax after another.
The reporter noticed that when all the cast and crew members took their bows, the audience still refused to leave and gave them a long and warm applause. The actors dressed in costumes danced a local Henan opera version of "Subject Three" to thank the audience for their love.
On February 16, the Shihezi Elderly Association held a Yu Opera performance to celebrate the Year of the Dragon at the Shihezi People's Cinema.
Photo by Kang Lizhu
“Henan opera craze” continues to flourish
During the holidays, the rehearsal hall of the Henan Opera Troupe is the place that Heidiqie, a 12-year-old girl from Class 1, No. 29 Middle School in Shihezi City, frequents most.
"When I saw the actors singing for the first time, I was attracted by the beautiful singing and beautiful costumes." She said that her favorite actors are Huang Shiying (playing Wu Sheng) and Ding Xinlian (playing Qing Yi and Hua Dan) , I hope to have the opportunity to learn from my teacher.
The ups and downs of the plot pull the audience's emotions into one climax after another.
Photo by Kang Lizhu
Jin Zhongyi, an 86-year-old man whose ancestral home is Shangqiu, Henan, was originally an employee of the Shihezi Supply and Marketing Cooperative. After retirement, he actively participated in cultural activities and was recommended as a performer for opera performance groups such as Shihezi Henan Opera Troupe, Yurun Henan Opera Art Troupe, and Shihezi Elderly Association Henan Opera Troupe. Busy with the coordination of performance activities.
In the Corps, there are many people who love Henan Opera, and they continue to spread the flames of opera performances, making Henan Opera spread in the local area.
In recent years, whenever the Eighth Division holds large-scale activities such as the Peach Blossom Festival and the Kite Festival, theater troupes such as Shihezi Henan Opera Troupe and Yurun Henan Opera Troupe will participate.
The local Henan Opera Troupe has long been active in various troupes of the Eighth Division and surrounding counties and cities such as Shawan, Manas, Kuitun, etc., driving the development and expansion of opera genres in local counties and cities.
Children performing Yu Opera.
Photo by Kang Lizhu
"Brother Liu's words are too biased. Who said women enjoy leisure..." The reporter recently saw several young actors rehearsing excerpts from the Henan Opera "Mulan" under the guidance of the teacher at the Comprehensive Cultural Activity Center of the 127th Regiment of the 7th Division. "Who said women are inferior to men", with its childish tone and sonorous gestures, is impressive.
Liu Yuting, a 7-year-old girl, has not been studying Henan Opera for a long time, but she demonstrated a stage appearance of Mulan to reporters, showing a tenacity in her movements.
Talking about the "Mulan" excerpts she was rehearsing, Liu Yuting said, "Girls can also be very powerful."
Henan opera actors from the 127th Troupe perform in the company (data photo).
Photo by Li Yulang
The 127th Troupe of the Seventh Division, known as the "Hometown of Henan Opera", established the Henan Opera Troupe as early as 1962. Henan Opera culture has a deep mass foundation in the troupe. In May 2022, the intangible cultural heritage "Xinjiang Henan Opera" "Inheritance Base" and "Henan Opera Culture Training Base of the Seventh Division of the Corps" were settled and listed in the 127th Regiment.
Over the years, the troupe has held various cultural activities of Henan Opera, with actors from Henan Opera performing on various stages.
Talking about the cultural phenomenon of "Henan Opera Fever" in Xinjiang, the person in charge of Shihezi Henan Opera Troupe told reporters, "In addition to the support of the government, there are mainly a large number of people who adhere to and love the art of Henan Opera. They have taught it from heart to heart for generations. In the long-term inheritance and development It has also won the love and emotional recognition of the people of Xinjiang.”
The children in the troupe are very interested in Henan Opera.
Photo by Li Yulang
Henan Opera "takes off the market" in Xinjiang
Henan Opera originated from the fertile soil of the Central Plains and is one of the five major opera types in China. It is the most popular opera type in the country besides Peking Opera.
Yu Opera is famous for its ability to express the inner emotions of characters and is widely popular due to its high degree of artistry.
Xinjiang Henan Opera is of the same origin as Henan Opera and Henan Opera in the Central Plains. In addition to retaining the unique artistic style of Henan Opera, it also absorbs and integrates the excellent culture of Xinjiang and all over the country, forming the current Xinjiang Henan Opera art.
In December 2020, the Henan opera applied by the Henan Opera Troupe of the Corps was selected into the fifth batch of national-level "intangible cultural heritage" expansion projects.
Over the years, the Henan Opera Troupe of the Corps has been serving at various grassroots levels in the Corps and Urumqi.
During the performance, the actors of the troupe also showed the audience their preparations before the performance.
"We feel very warm as we watch the actors transform from a little makeup to a heavy make-up, and gradually transform into the characters on stage." said Li Li, a citizen of Urumqi.
Stills from the performance of Henan Opera "Gobi Mother" (data map).
Photo courtesy of the Henan Opera Troupe of the Xingtuan Corps
"When Henan Opera comes to Xinjiang, if it does not absorb local cultural factors, the audience will have a sense of distance. If the people do not accept it, Henan Opera will lose the soil for its growth and the artistic works will lose value." Xiao, Secretary of the Party Committee and Head of the Henan Opera Troupe of the Xinjiang Xinjiang Xinjiang Shuai said that Xinjiang singing and dancing and Henan opera have an inherent compatibility in terms of performance systems.
The Xinjiang Henan Opera Troupe draws nutrients from Xinjiang songs and dances and integrates modern music into it in order to capture the audience's "taste buds."
“The Corps promotes the inheritance and development of Henan opera in the Corps by strengthening the protection and inheritance of opera, supporting the creation and production of high-quality operas, encouraging grassroots performances of opera, and improving the training and guarantee mechanisms for opera talents.” said the relevant person in charge of the Culture, Sports, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau of the Corps. .
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