OnMay18,2001,UNESCOunveileditsfirstlistofMasterpiecesofOralandIntangibleHeritageofHumanityinParis.China’sKunquOpera,representedbyTangXianzu’sPeonyPavilion,wasinscribedonthelist.Naturally,aftertherevivalofKunquOpera,studiesofTanghaveregainedpopularityinChina.BrillianceofTang’sWorkinModernTimes
FourhundredyearshavepassedsinceTang’sdeath,yethisworksremainbrilliantlikepolishedjadewithstandingthetestoftime.JustlikeShakespeare’smasterpieces,Tang’sworksarenowconsideredtimelessliteraryclassicsafterfourcenturiesofinheritanceandpopularization.Factorsbehindthephenomenonareworthstudying.
Tangwasbornintoascholarlyfamily,whereinfourgenerationsprecedinghimwereallknowledgeablescholars.Tangachievedwidefameforhisgiftforpoetryatayoungage.Hewrotemorethan2,000poemsandover500essaysthroughouthislife.HismostfamousworksareTheTaleoftheVioletHairpin,PeonyPavilion,ADreamundertheSouthernBough,andTheDreamofHandan,whicharecollectivelyknownasTheFourDreamsofLinchuan.Ofthem,PeonyPavilionisbestknown.
TheprotagonistofPeonyPavilionisDuLiniang,anofficial’sdaughter.Dudiedandthencamebacktolifetosearchfortheloveinherdream.Evenaftershehadalreadyexperienceddeathonce,shestillnevergaveupherpursuitfortruelove.Theplayismorethanalovestory,asithasexploredthemeaningoflifethroughataleofself-acknowledgementandpursuitofpassion.
TheplayalsotacklesconceptsseeminglyfaraheadofTang’stime,suchasloveconqueringall,genderequality,self-recognition,andfreethought.Infact,eachofhisworksattemptstopromotesomeideal.Iflifeisadream,howcanonemaintainspiritualpuritywhilepursuinghisorherideal?Tangenduredmanyfrustrationsthroughouthispoliticalcareer,butheneversurrenderedandremainedcalmevenwhenfacingdeath.Heisaninspiringfigureeventoday.
OneofTangXianzu’sFourDreamsofLinchuan,theplayADreamundertheSouthernBoughhadn’tbeenperformedinfullforcenturiesuntiltheKunquOperaTheaterunderJiangsuProvinceArtsGroupCo.,Ltd.producedtheentireplayattheNationalCenterforthePerformingArtsinBeijingonMarch14,2015.IC
May25,2009:ThedancedramaPeonyPavilion,adaptedfromTangXianzu’splayofthesamename,isstagedbytheArtTroupeofthePoliticalDepartmentofNanjingMilitaryRegioninNanjing.ArepresentativemasterpieceofKunquOpera,PeonyPavilionhasbeenadaptedintomanyothergenresofart.CFPMarch17,2008:JingsuKunquOperaTheaterstagesanactofTheTaleoftheVioletHairpin,oneofTangXianzu’sFourDreamsofLinchuan.ICJuly8,2015:ArtistsfromtheNationalBalletofChinaperformtheballetdramaPeonyPavilion,adaptedfromaKunquopera,attheLincolnCenterFestivalinNewYorkCity.ThemagnumopusofTangXianzu,PeonyPavilionisaromanceclassicoftraditionalChineseopera.CFPShakespeareintheEast
Tangwasfirstdubbed“ShakespeareoftheEast”byJapanesesinologistAokiMasaru,whobelievedthatthetwowritersinthesameerawerecomparable.Infact,differentculturesvaryinaestheticalpursuits,andnotwogeniusesareexactlyalike.
Shakespeare’sworkisall-encompassinganddemonstratesawidearrayofthoughtswhichhadalreadygainedpopularityinhisday.Moreover,hisplaysarecomparativelyeasiertoperformthanKunquOpera,thusbecomingmoreeasilyrevivedandshared.Presently,Shake-speare’splaysarewidelyperformedamongstpeopleofvarioussocialclassesandagesinWesterncountries.TheyappearnotonlyonthestageoftheRoyalShakespeareTheatreinBritain,butalsoinexperimentaltheatersandevencommunityandschoolperformances.
China’sKunquOperawasonceonthebrinkofextinction.RepresentingthehighestleveloftraditionalChineseoperas,itfeaturesmanystrictrules.FromtheendoftheMingDynastytothelateQingDynasty(16441911),itmaintainedacertainnumberoffans.AttheendoftheQingDynasty,however,KunquOperawasalmostabandonedasEmpressDowagerCixi,thethenrulerofChina,likedPekingOpera.Asamatteroffact,PekingOperaabsorbedsomeessencesfromKunquOpera.Forinstance,renownedPekingOperaartistMeiLanfangstudiedKunqu.Duringthe1919NewCultureMovement,intellectualsturnedtheirbacksontraditionaloperasincludingKunqu.Aftertwoorthreegenerations,inheritanceofKunquOperawasalmostcompletelygone.
Backinthe1940s,GuofengKunquandSuzhouOperaTroupe,thepredecessoroftoday’sZhejiangKunquOperaTheater,becametheonlyKunqutroupeinChina.Althoughitfacedashortageoffunds,thetroupenevergaveupeffortstoinheritanddevelopKunquOpera.In1956,itstagedtheKunquplayFifteenStringsofCashinBeijingandreceivedapplausefromthentopChineseleadersincludingChairmanMao.Followingthisthetroupemadeaperformancetournationwide,whicheventually“revivedanoperagenrewithoneplay”(wordsoflateChineseplaywrightTianHan).
In2001,theUNESCOinscribedKunquOperaontothelistofWorldIntangibleCulturalHeritage,resultinginthegradualrevivalofthetraditionalformofart.Althoughitalreadygotridofalife-ordeathsituation,manystillfindlittlechancetoenjoyKunquOpera.Theyouth-orientededitionofPeonyPavilion,adaptedandproducedbyTaiwanwriterPaiHsien-yung,wasstagedin2004andhelpedmoreyoungpeoplefallinlovewiththetraditionalopera.Theoperawasevenperformedabroad,promotingSino-Westernculturalexchange.Nowadays,manyChineseschoolsoffercoursesonKunquOpera,andKunquOperatroupesalsothrive.
TimeofTangandShakespeareBothTangandShakespeareoccupiedanimportantpositioninglobalculturalhistory.TangwasaliterarygeniusbornintothescholarcultureofancientChina,andShakespearewasagreatwriterwhoportrayedpeoplewithvarioussocialstatuseswhenthecivilsocietyjustemergedinBritain.SpanishwriterCervantessatirizedtheconservatismoftraditionalsocietyinhiswork.Allthreemadebreakthroughsintheirrespectivecultures.
Itisonlycoincidencethattheydiedinthesameyear.However,thecoincidencedoesinspirewonderastohowthreeoftheworld’sgreatestwritersemergedinthesameerabutinfar-awaycornersoftheworld.Maritimeexplorationsinthe16thCenturylinkedtheEastandtheWestandemancipatedmanyminds.Asaresult,theRenaissancebegantochallengetheauthorityofthechurchintheWest,whileinChina,plebeianculture,whichoriginatedintheSongDynasty(960-1279)andwentmainstreamduringtheYuan(1271-1368)andearlyMingdynasties,wasresurrected.Evidently,thethreegreatwriterswerebornatatimefeaturingfasteconomicandsocialdevelopmentandphilosophicalexpansion.
Recentcommemorativeeventsforthesegreatwritersaimnotonlytocommemoratethem,butalsoinspireustorethinktheirimportantroleinthedevelopmentofhumanhistoryandculture.
Astheycommemoratethe400thanniversaryofthedeathofthethreegreatwriters,Chinesepeoplemayrethinkhowtotreattraditionalculture.TangwasaChineseculturalsage.Heisworthofthoroughresearchandrediscoveryfortoday’speople.
ChengPei-kai,borninShandongProvince,grewupinTaiwanandlaterstudiedintheUnitedStates.Aco-founderoftheChineseCivilizationCenterattheCityUniversityofHongKong,heiscommittedtotheresearchandinheritanceofKunquOpera.HeisalsoanartadvisorfortheyoutheditionofPeonyPavilion.