LI Bao-Chun on Traditional Chinese Operas
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3/5 Yuan Chong-Huan
Near the end of the Ming dynasty, Huang Tai Ji in Manchuria and his troops marched towards Beijing City. Yuan Chong-Huan, Marshal of the Qing military in Manchuria went to Beijing for an emergency report, and was given by the Emperor a decree for full control of military forces in the region. He soon defeated Huang Tai Ji. Advised by Fan Wen-Cheng, Huang Tai Ji had Yuan Chong-Huan framed, and Yuan was jailed. Worried about national security, Yuan wrote to his staff Zu Da-Shou to hurry back with his troops. Zu overwhelmed Huang Tai Ji with a fatal attack.
However, the emperor of Ming, fearing Yuan Chong-Huan’s influence would surpass that of the monarch himself, sentenced Yuan Chong-Huan to a painful death. Cheng Ben-Zhi, a civilian who tried to speak for Yuan Chong-Huan, was also charged. The two men went to death smiling to each other on their way.
3/12 The Auspicious Pearl
Xiao En left Mt. Liang to live peacefully with his daughter, Gui-Ying as a fisherman by Lake Tai. One day, his friend Li Jun and Ni Rong came to visit. As they sat in a boat drinking, Mayor Ding’s son came to collect fishing tax. With Li Jin and Ni Rong there, the “tax” was not collected successfully, and Mayor Ding sent his men to teach Xiao En a lesson. Xiao En defeated those men and decided to file a case against Mayor Ding. He lost his law suit, got cane-beaten forty times, and was ordered to apologize to Mayor Ding. Enough was enough. Xiao En visited Mayor Ding pretending to be presenting to Ding the famous auspicious pearl. In a house fight, he killed Mayor Ding and his men and fled.
3/19 Marquis Yi of Zeng
Zeng was a small state affiliated within the State of Chu, but it was very well-known for its music and casting. Marquis Yi was one of the experts in Zeng. He was ordered by the King of Chu to build a resonating bell, but he kept failing. The King gave him a girl named, Zhong Yu, who was from a family known for making music. Marquis Yi soon fell in love with Zhong Yu, but Zhong Yu had given her heart to Bo Ying, a fellow musician from Chu. Zhong Yu advised Marquis Yi to ask Bo-Ying to join force, but Bo-Ying’s arrival was no help because his heart was on Zhong Yu whom he no longer could have. What was Marquis Yi to do with his love and her forbidden lover? Could the bell ever be made?
3/26 KOOCLOUD LIVE: Lian Jin-Feng & At Bai-Men Tower from ”Cao Cao and Chen Gong”
Lian Jin-Feng
“Lian Jin-Feng” is a feast of singing, acting, narration, and dancing. The story tells of a poor girl named Lian Jin-feng who jumped into the wild sea to fish for sea cucumbers. One day she came upon a huge clam in the sea bottom. She struggled with the huge clam and was finally able to pick out of it a beautiful pearl.
This opera was created by Maestro Mei Lan-fang, with a dance called An Exploration of the Sea and some of the most enchanting Mei-styled singings which lead the audience onto a fantastic journey of the wild sea. The role of Lian Jin-Feng is played by Kung Yueh-Tzu, one of the most promising young dan role performers in Taiwan, and co-performed by Yu Chi-Jou, a talented wu-dan role performer, in the scene called Pricking the Clam.
At Bai-Men Tower from ”Cao Cao and Chen Gong”
Chen Gong, Mayor of Zhong Mou County, privately released Cao Cao from the county jail out of admiration. He abandoned his position to follow Cao Cao. But Cao Cao killed all in the Lu household due to his suspicious nature, so Chen Gong parted his way with Cao Cao. When their paths met again in Bai-men Tower, waves of feelings including dilemma, enlightenment, failure and fulfillment in quests, were triggered before they parted again.
Maestro Li Bao-Chun created “The heartbroken Farewell” episode to portray the complicated confrontation of emotions and values between Cao Cao, the ruler, and Chen Gong, an intelligentsia. To perform Bai-Men Tower, we have Lee Ching-Fong as Cao Cao & Li Long-Xian as Chen Gong.
