China News Service, Beijing, March 9 (Reporter Zhang Xi) "My opera DNA awakened as soon as I opened my mouth!"

　　Peking Opera, Henan Opera, Kun Opera, Chaozhou Opera, Sichuan Opera, Ping Opera, Yue Opera... On the stage of the main station's Spring Festival Gala opera program "A Hundred Flowers in Bloom", three generations of opera actors, old, middle and young, used different types of operas to perform "Millions of Gold and Iron Horses", A thousand-year love legend.

　　Opera, an art that has been around for thousands of years, is being accepted and loved by more and more young people.

  Chen Lijun and Li Yunxiao's Yue opera "Butterfly Lovers" became popular during the Spring Festival Gala.

Image source: CCTV News

　　During the Spring Festival, the atmospheric Chaoshan Ying singing and dancing swept the social media;

　　In early March, Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe's complete version of "The Peony Pavilion" caused a craze in Hong Kong, and it was hard to get a ticket;

　　Henan Yu Opera performed in Jining, Shandong Province, and the venue was packed. In order to have the best viewing position, many audience members even brought their own dry food...

　　In this year's government work report, it is mentioned that "promoting the development of cultural inheritance" and "promoting the protection and inheritance of intangible cultural heritage".

　　So, how to get more people to fall in love with opera?

  There are 55 edited stills from the collection of "The Peony Pavilion".

Photographed by Zu Zhongren

Identify audience needs

　　"The times are developing rapidly, and a good performance must resonate with the times."

　　This year is the 25th time Meng Guanglu, a representative of the National People's Congress and vice chairman of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, has participated in the Spring Festival Gala. Talking about the young actors on the same stage in "A Hundred Flowers Blooming", he said excitedly that he saw the vitality of the inheritance and development of opera.

　　Meng Guanglu mentioned that opera, as a traditional art, is also the art of the times. It must keep up with the times, integrate into the spirit of the times, open up ideas, explore and innovate, so that it can radiate new vitality through "living inheritance".

　　Data shows that Zhejiang Xiaobaihua Yue Opera Troupe will perform more than 200 performances in 2023, setting a record high.

Among them, the environmental Yue opera "New Dragon Gate Inn" starring Chen Lijun and Li Yunxiao are even more popular, attracting many netizens to "get into" Yue opera.

  Stills from the ambient Yue opera "New Dragon Inn".

　　According to Cai Zhefei, a representative of the National People's Congress and the leader of the Zhejiang Xiaobaihua Yue Opera Troupe, the plots and stories of traditional operas can completely nourish the spiritual world of contemporary people, especially young audiences.

　　Cai Zhefei believes that opera creation should be based on the cultural needs of the audience, understand the market, and find the connection point between the artistic style of the opera and the times, and the resonance point with the audience.

Retain good talents

　　Regarding the popularity of Chen Lijun and Li Yunxiao, Cai Zhefei said that this is because their love for traditional opera art has been seen for more than ten years.

　　Although it is said that only love can withstand the passage of time, we cannot rely solely on the persistence and love of opera actors and ignore the efforts behind them.

　　"Many young opera workers have talked to me and asked me how to solve the problem of low performance income and lack of opportunities. Is it necessary to stick to your career?"

　　Gu Haohao, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and director of the Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe, and Wang Liping, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and screenwriter, jointly submitted a proposal this year to focus on the growth of young literary and art workers.

  Wang Liping, member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, vice chairman of the China Television Association, screenwriter of Shanghai Film Group, member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, member of the leading party group of the Shanghai Federation of Literary and Art Circles, secretary of the party committee and president of the Shanghai Opera Art Center, and director of the Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe Gu Haohao jointly presented the proposal "Let Youth Literature and Art" Workers become stronger" (Photo source: China Literature and Art News)

　　The two suggested that relevant departments should pay more attention to encourage young literary and art workers, improve their living conditions, and provide guidance and planning for the long-term career development of young literary and art workers.

In addition, the proportion of "Newcomer Awards" in various awards should be appropriately increased, and it is expected that some local foundations can increase support funds for young literary and art workers.

　　Zhao Xiujun, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and head of the Tianjin Youth Peking Opera Troupe, also suggested that various localities should introduce performance subsidy policies for young actors, arrange special performances for young actors with outstanding local assessments and outstanding business, and provide cost subsidies for performances.

Sow the seeds of love

　　With a good story and great actors.

The spread of opera also requires the support of the audience.

　　According to Zhou Li, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and deputy director of the Chongqing Peking Opera Company, the core of opera aesthetic education is to sow the "seeds" of opera in the hearts of students, so that young people can truly appreciate the essence of Chinese tradition and enhance the cultural spirit from the connotation of opera. Literacy.

　　"When I performed in colleges and universities, many students initially said they could not understand opera, but no one left the stage early before the performance ended. Many students expressed the hope that excellent opera art could be brought to campus more often."

　　Chen Zhilin, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and director of the Sichuan Opera Theater of Sichuan Province, mentioned in an interview that in recent years, opera has gained new vitality through methods such as sending operas to the countryside, entering campuses, and entering communities, as well as new cultural and tourism consumption scenarios such as performing arts in scenic spots. , cultivating batches of young audiences.

  Screenshot from the Spring Festival Gala "A Hundred Flowers in Bloom" video

　　At the end of the Spring Festival Gala's "Hundred Flowers Blooming", everyone sang together: "The profound opera has a thousand-year roots, and it is full of spring with each passing day. It inherits the sound and rhyme, inherits the skills and soul, the spring dawns red plum blossoms, and the hundreds of flowers bloom and the good news is frequent." I believe in the policy. With support and the troupe's integrity and innovation, the seeds of opera will blossom and bear fruit and grow into towering trees.

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