Zhang Shu performs in "Kong Cheng Ji" (The Stratagem of a Defenseless City)[Photo/China Today]

With a history spanning more than two centuries, Peking Opera is regarded as the jewel in the crown of Chinese culture. Born in Beijing in the mid-19th century, it absorbed facets of a variety of performing arts from different provinces including Anhui, Hubei, Shaanxi, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, and Hebei.

In 2000, Zhang Shu, an acclaimed Lao-sheng (middle-aged or elderly male character with a trademark long, fake beard and whiskers) performer at the Beijing Peking Opera Theater, was invited by the Peking Opera Society of Philadelphia to perform in the U.S. and give lectures. Inspired by what they saw, his American fans and opera lovers begged him to stay and teach them. At first, Zhang hesitated, but he was deeply moved by their enthusiasm and so decided to have a try at staying in the U.S., leaving his beloved Chinese audience behind.

Peking Opera has faced mounting challenges from the increasingly commercialized culture market despite its reinvention in the name of innovation. Yet, a group of overseas Chinese amateur opera performers and fans living in North America, most of them descendants of noble families and great clans, have kept the spirit of Peking Opera alive by disseminating Chinese traditional culture to the Western world. To these people, Peking Opera is not just a form of entertainment; it’s also a spiritual feast.

In the U.S. Zhang soon found the perfect platform to showcase his expertise and experience among the Chinese communities there. He actively helped the local opera society with rehearsals and performances. However, he found it a tricky task. “My effort alone was not enough to get the whole message across to these learners,” he said.

Meanwhile, the New York-based Qi Shufang Peking Opera Company invited him to perform in the city, an offer Zhang was delighted to accept. Qi Shufang played the renowned Dan character in Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy, a smash hit in the 1970s, and gained fame throughout China. In the 1980s, Qi established an opera troupe in the U.S., hoping to spread Chinese traditional culture abroad and make it accessible to Americans. New York had a much bigger Chinese community than Philadelphia and 200-300 Peking Opera performers serving a huge market.

Zhang came to play a pivotal role in Qi’s troupe, not just as an actor, but as a director, too. He thus got to know Chinese and Americans from all walks of life living in New York with one common passion – Peking Opera. These enthusiasts were keen to learn specific techniques from Zhang, such as the acrobatic stage fighting and the typical body gestures and facial expressions associated with the three types of Rankou (fake beards and whiskers made of different materials and in different colors that symbolize the age of the characters wearing them).

In 2011, Zhang brought his troupe to participate in the Peking Opera Festival in Hubei Province, alongside several foreign students. Their performance of Shiyuzhuo (Picking up the Jade Bracelet) and Sanchakou (At the Junction of Three Roads) left a brand new impression of Peking Opera on Chinese audiences.

Lighting up Broadway

In 2003, Zhang and his opera troupe performed on New York’s iconic theater strip, Broadway.

A lifelong dream for all in the theater world, including Zhang, this was a glorious achievement. Home to layer upon layer of theaters and performance spaces, Broadway is a huge attraction and large-scale productions vie for a precious spot on its billboards. Only those with supreme skills get the green light.

After careful consideration, Qi decided that she would commission the troupe to perform a full length production of Women Generals of the Yang Family, with Zhang in the role of Kou Zhun, a highly esteemed chancellor. The four main character types in Peking Opera, Sheng (male), Dan (female), Jing (painted-face male role) and Chou (clown), would be fully presented in this play. “The best of Peking Opera performers from all around the U.S. were gathered together to rehearse,” recalled Zhang. The then 62-year-old Qi gave the performance of her life.

In the 70 years since the renowned master Mei Lanfang appeared on Broadway no other Peking Opera troupe had performed there, so Qi and her company caused a sensation. Owing to the extent of the opera, actors were on a strict rehearsal schedule that lasted five months. All the opera’s costumes, props and sets were made in China and shipped to the U.S.

Strong support from Chinese living in America contributed to Peking Opera’s popularity there. Amateur performances popped up all over the major cities, and Chinatowns throughout the U.S. resonated with clashing gongs and peppery drums. Performances were held in Chinese communities every year, from the East Coast of New York and Washington D.C. to the West Coast of Los Angeles and San Francisco, as well as in Toronto and Vancouver in Canada.

Aware of the huge expense of the show, many members of the Chinese community gave donations. Ms. Sophie Luo from Taiwan, an apprentice of Xue Yaping, one of the eight famous Dan actors in Peking Opera, said that she would pay anything to witness Peking Opera on Broadway.

Impressed by the passion of the Chinese community, Broadway offered a discount on the usual US $70,000 site fee per performance that the opera troupe had to pay. “Three performances cost us only US $10,000 in total and each night was packed out,” recalled Zhang.