"An Accidental Encounter" starring Lin Jing-Chen and Kung Yueh-Tzu.

 

"An Accidental Encounter" is adapted from the Kunqu opera "The Tale of the Red Pear." The famous courtesan Xie Suqiu admires the talent of the scholar Zhao Ruzhou but has no opportunity to meet him. Under the arrangement of Old Master Qian, she disguises herself as the governor's daughter and moves into the garden west of the government office to meet Zhao at his residence. Thus, Xie Suqiu arranges a "garden rendezvous" under the cover of night, which indeed captivates Zhao at first sight, sparking mutual affection.

 

This scene, depicting a mutual rush towards love, is characterized by elegant lyrics that enhance the melodious voices and delicate gestures of the young male and female leads, revealing natural and sincere emotions. Lin Jing-Chen and Kung Yueh-Tzu perform together for the first time, under the meticulous guidance of TWen Yu-Hang.

 

The Nine Dragons Cup" starred Zhou Shen-Xing

 

The Peking Opera "The Nine Dragons Cup" is inspired by the novel "The Case of Peng Gong." It recounts the story of Yang Xiang-Wu, a heroic figure who first stole and then returned an imperial cup. When Emperor Kangxi's prized Nine Dragons Cup went missing, he tasked Huang San-Tai, a bodyguard honored for saving the royal carriage, to find it. If Huang failed, his entire family could have faced dire consequences. Huang convened with heroes from various bands, and through clever provocation, they traced the cup from Yang Xiang-Wu to its final holder before it was stealthily reclaimed. Yang and a cohort orchestrated a plan during a birthday celebration to divert attention and steal back the cup, returning it to Huang San-Tai.

 

This opera is a vibrant display of martial arts and comedic elements, featuring Zhou Shen-Xing as Yang Xiang-Wu. His performance requires not only acrobatic prowess, including climbing and hanging stunts, but also rapid, forceful speech to carry the intense narrative.
 

"The Goddess Scattering Flowers of Blessing" starring KUNG Yueh-Tzu

 

This is an episode from a Buddhist sutra. Buddha orders the divine maiden to scatter flowers to pray for Vimalakīrti who is ill. The divine maiden follows the command and leaves the Mountains of Scents for the mundane world. Moreover, she scatters flowers as she travels on the clouds. This opera is a renown work of Maester Mei Lan-Fang. The performance includes dance and songs.

 

"Tale of the Gold Turtle" starring LI Zhao-Yun & CHUANG Chiao-Wei

 

Poor old Mrs. Zhang had two sons, Zhang Xuan and Zhang Yi. When Zhang Xuan was assigned an official position after passing the Imperial Examination, he sent a letter home asking his family to join him in the capital city. His wife, however, hid the letter from the family and went to join her husband alone. Since then young Zhang Yi had to go fishing every day to keep his mother and himself from starving. One day, he caught a gold turtle. He also learned about his brother’s official position. He therefore bid his mother goodbye and went to confront his elder brother and his wife.

 

"Battle of Jingzhou" starring Xu Yan-Kai

"Battle of Jingzhou" recounts how Eastern Wu's Grand Commander Zhou Yu aimed to openly take Xichuan while secretly seizing Jingzhou. Unbeknownst to him, his plans were deciphered by Zhuge Liang, leading him into a trap and a heavy encirclement by Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, Wei Yan, and Zhang Fei. In his final moments as a fallen hero, stripped of his armor and defeated, he lamented, "Having created Yu, why create Liang?" and died spitting blood.

The role of Zhou Yu can be performed by both martial young male leads and martial male leads. This time, Xu Yan-Kai took on the role, displaying the martial skills, combat sequences, and high difficulty in tumbling techniques typical of martial male leads, along with singing and acting. Additionally, Li Qing-Feng co-starred as Zhang Fei from "The Reed Marshes," delivering a fierce and thrilling performance!

 

"Zhuge Kong-Ming's Eulogy" starring Li Long-Xian

 

Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang were shocked and puzzled upon hearing of Zhou Yu's death. Liu Bei worried that the people of Wu might launch a military campaign to avenge Zhou Yu, but Zhuge Liang resolutely decided to go alone to Chaisang to pay his respects and assess the situation. At the funeral, Zhuge Liang sincerely mourned, lamenting their failure to join forces to defeat Cao Cao, which moved the people of Wu. With great wisdom and courage, he returned safely.

 

This play is a representative work of the Yan School, performed by Li Long-Xian as Zhuge Liang. It integrates the style of Li Bao-Chun, showcasing the unique and nuanced style of the Yan School's singing.

 

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