The inaugural event in Laixi features "Renowned Artists Bring Opera to Communities" and a month-long opera festival, blending professional excellence with grassroots enthusiasm to revitalize traditional Chinese opera.
A Millennium of Opera Charm: Revitalized in Daily Life and Passion
In autumn Laixi, the Dagu River shimmers under cloudy skies, its breezes carrying the timeless melodies of opera from across the Qilu region.
On October 10, backstage at the auditorium of the Laixi Municipal Party School Conference Center, the waiting area was just as captivating as the stage. Zhang Meizhu, a contestant from Heze, was concentrating on her preparations for a performance of the Yu Opera Red Plum under the Guillotine in half an hour. Song Zhenfeng from Dezhou clutched a well-worn script of the Peking Opera Filial Piety Moves Heaven, her fingers tracing the creased edges as she silently recited the lines. Twelve-year-old Sun Liqian from Laixi practiced her role as Mei Cuie in He Mian Ye (Eating Noodle Soup) using her reflection in a glass pane, adjusting her posture on her toes, oblivious to her crumpled trouser cuffs.
On October 10, an opera aficionado applies makeup in a mirror, preparing to take the stage at the first Shandong Provincial Opera Amateurs' Gala.
These are scenes from the "Gathering in Qilu for an Artistic Showcase," the first Shandong Provincial Opera Amateurs' Gala. The event featured a wide array of opera genres, including Peking Opera, Lyu Opera, Yu Opera, Wuyin Opera, Liuqiang Opera, Maoqiang Opera, Liuqin Opera, Shandong Bangzi, and Sipingdiao. It served as a "dream stage" for amateur performers across the province and marked the beginning of the Laixi Opera Culture and Leisure Season.
As one of the birthplaces of ancient Chinese opera and music, Laixi boasts a long and rich operatic history. Laixi puppetry was included in the extended list of Provincial Intangible Cultural Heritage Representative Projects, and Laiyi Ancient Music was listed as a Municipal Intangible Cultural Heritage item. Furthermore, the Western Han puppets from the Daishu Han Tomb and the stone chimes from the Xiaojiazhuang Warring States Tomb provide tangible evidence that "opera originated in the Han Dynasty, with its musical roots tracing back to the Warring States period." This provincial showcase has sparked the Laixi Opera Culture and Leisure Season, bringing a thousand-year-old cultural heritage out of museums and ancient texts and revitalizing it amidst the vibrancy and passion of everyday life.
On Stage, Every Note Resonates: Opera Ignited by Passion
With the sound of the huqin (a traditional string instrument), the first performance of the showcase began. Under the spotlight, performer number one, dressed in a blue costume, sang a selection from the Lyu Opera Bitter Cauliflower. The line "Needle and thread weave deep affection, each stitch embroiders hope" was delivered with melodious grace. As she sang "Hoping she stands tall against the storms," the audience broke into encouraging applause, with some softly singing along, filling the theater with warmth and operatic charm.
Nearly a hundred opera aficionados, selected from 16 cities across the province, participated in this showcase, with an age gap spanning 58 years. Seventy-year-old Zhang Shouren sang a piece from Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy with a voice still powerful and resonant. Twelve-year-old Sun Liqian, who has been learning opera in her spare time for years, is already considered a "virtuoso young performer" despite her young age. They come from all walks of life—farmers, teachers, drivers, workers, business owners, and students—bringing the vibrancy of everyday life to the same stage out of their shared love for opera, transforming the "elegant music of the grand halls" into a "passion of life."
Amateur performer Li Xuehua presented a selection from the Shandong Bangzi opera Laoyang Mountain, a piece she has polished for many years. "Since retiring, I practice in front of the mirror every day. To perform in Laixi, I even hired a professional teacher for half a month of coaching," she said. During her performance, Li Xuehua's eyes welled with tears as her powerful, resonant voice conveyed the loyalty, bravery, and grievances of the character Fan Lihua. Her performance concluded to thunderous applause. "That singing brought back memories of watching opera with my mother as a child," one fan remarked with emotion.
"Laixi has such a strong opera atmosphere. It's exhilarating to sing with so many like-minded people," said Zhang Meizhu with a smile. She was one of 17 performers from Heze. "We feel a sense of belonging here, like we've returned to a second home."
On the evening of the 11th, the closing ceremony began with a joint performance of A Moonlit Night on the Spring River by Laixi puppeteers and the Laiyi Ancient Music ensemble. This was followed by successive performances of Peking Opera, Yu Opera, Lyu Opera, and other genres. Wang Jingyuan, a third-grader and winner of the prestigious China "Little Plum Blossom Award" for young opera performers, presented a selection from the Wuyin Opera Wang Xiao Ganjiao (Wang Xiao Drives His Donkey). Her innocent and lively performance showcased the vibrant continuity of the art form, passing on the torch. The entire event featured both renowned artists and amateur fans sharing the stage, blending professional and amateur talent, and displaying the profound heritage and contemporary vitality of Qilu's opera art from multiple perspectives.
Wang Jingyuan, winner of the China "Little Plum Blossom Award" for young opera performers, presents a selection from the Wuyin Opera Wang Xiao Ganjiao (Wang Xiao Drives His Donkey).
Breaking Down the 'Theater Walls': Opera Festival Month Makes Performances Accessible Everywhere, Anytime
If the amateurs' gala was the "highlight," the month-long "Laixi Opera Festival Month" in October truly made the art form accessible to the public. By focusing on "Opera into Communities, Villages, and Business Districts," Laixi created an atmosphere where opera could be enjoyed "everywhere, anytime."
The first "Laixi Opera Festival Month" kicked off in Shuiji Sub-district on National Day. The festival integrated high-quality national and provincial resources, offering a series of events including opera showcases, amateur performances, and community outreach. Through a multi-layered, multi-dimensional, and multi-session cultural supply, it promoted the popularization, inheritance, and innovation of opera at the grassroots level.
Rural performances highlighted local charm. On October 1st and 2nd, the square in Shuiji No.1 Village, surrounded by golden autumn leaves, hosted spectacular performances: an elegant selection from the Peking Opera Emperor Qianlong's Southern Tour, relatable excerpts from the Lyu Operas Sisters Exchange Places in Marriage and Li Ersao's Remarriage, and a powerful piece from the modern Peking Opera The Red Detachment of Women. The performances celebrated a sense of devotion to both family and the nation while showcasing the unique charm of local opera, earning continuous applause.
Performances in business districts sparked a modern interest. On October 7th, in the main hall of Wanda Plaza, a short Lyu Opera titled Taking a Photo, starring actors Wang Wenjie and Li Cuiying, drew crowds of young shoppers. "I never realized opera could be about people just like us. The authenticity is so compelling, it's more immersive than watching TV," commented a citizen named Ms. Wang.
Famed opera artists performed classic arias. On the morning of October 11th, renowned artists Lyu Shu'e, Du Yuzhen, and Jia Min took the opportunity of the provincial showcase to bring professional opera performances to urban and rural residents at the Tianjin Road Community Party-Masses Service Center. Their joint performance won rounds of cheers, allowing the audience to feel the exquisite artistry and warmth of opera, quietly planting its seeds across Laixi.
Continuing a Thousand-Year Cultural Lineage: Exploring New Paths for Lasting Opera Heritage
Although the first Shandong Provincial Opera Amateurs' Gala has concluded, the participants were left wanting more. Some took a detour to the Laixi Mass Cultural Service Center Museum to see the Western Han puppets; others joined "opera fan groups" on social media, promising to perform together again. Some even enrolled in a youth Lyu Opera class to study the art form systematically. "The goal of hosting such a grand event isn't just for a fleeting spectacle, but to inspire more people to love and carry on the tradition of opera," said Pang Guisong, Party Secretary and Chairman of the Laixi Federation of Literary and Art Circles.
Laixi’s hosting of the showcase is deeply rooted in its cultural lineage. Inside the Laixi Mass Cultural Service Center Museum, a 193-centimeter-tall Western Han puppet, considered a prototype for puppetry and the "God of Theatre" in Liyuan, is displayed. An electronic screen demonstrates its "horse-trotting" movement, which is strikingly similar to the "donkey-driving" motion in Wang Xiao Ganjiao (Wang Xiao Drives His Donkey). The Warring States stone chimes, unearthed in 2001, still produce a clear, crisp sound when struck, with a pentatonic scale that aligns with the classic odes from The Classic of Poetry. "This is the foundation of operatic singing," explained a museum guide.
In Shuiji Sub-district, the name "Shaocun Zhuang" holds a cultural code, tied to the legend that Confucius was so captivated by the Shao music that for three months he did not notice the taste of meat. At the ancient ruins near the Dagu River, pottery instruments and puppet fragments confirm this area was once a center of the Yi people's culture, with an unbroken lineage of performance art. Today in Laixi, the stage extends beyond grand halls to the countryside, schoolyards, and deep into the hearts of the people.
Opera performers break down the "theater walls" to perform inside a shopping mall.
To ensure the long-term inheritance of opera culture, Laixi has taken concrete measures: implementing an "Opera into Campuses" program in primary and secondary schools like Hong Kong Road Primary School, Yuehu Primary School, and Zhuhe Primary School to spark students' interest; launching an "Opera into Villages" initiative, organizing 115 Lyu Opera performances in 111 new villages across the city. The Laixi Lyu Opera Troupe has joined Douyin, using live streaming to blend traditional Lyu Opera with modern communication methods to explore new paths for development. The Dahan Ouge Puppet Troupe and Laiyi Ancient Music Society creatively reinterpreted A Stroll by Yuehu Lake, masterfully merging traditional puppetry with modern stage art to attract a younger audience.
The "finishing touch" of this series of events was having renowned opera masters bring their performances to the grassroots level. This not only allowed high-caliber art to become accessible to the public but also built a bridge for exchange between professional troupes and local opera groups. The collaboration of artists and opera aficionados on the same stage, where professional demonstration met folk enthusiasm, vividly showcased the deep roots and vibrant life of opera, achieving broad and profound cultural benefits for the people.
In late autumn Laixi, the opera's charm lingers. From the puppeteer’s rods to the fan's singing voice, from tracing origins in a museum to benefiting the public in the streets, this grand event was an awakening and continuation of a cultural lineage. "The excitement around the amateurs' gala and the Opera Culture Season proves that traditional opera is far from outdated. Passion gives it warmth, innovation gives it vitality, and inheritance gives it a future," said Xu Zhaohua, Member of the Standing Committee and Head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Laixi Municipal Committee. Laixi is using opera as a medium to write a new chapter in the continuation of its cultural heritage and development.
(By Liu Shuo, Qingdao Daily/Guanhai News)
Editor: Yuan Ruichen
