Ancient opera finds ways to remain alive

Yang Yuhuan, one of Chinese history's most celebrated beauties, waited for her final breath as the fate of an empire closed in around her.

Yang, the beloved concubine of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), was ordered to die as angry soldiers blamed her for the dynasty's collapse and the advancement of rebel forces. Yang was strangled, a tragic end that has been retold in Chinese literature and opera for centuries.

In 2018, Li Mei, a prestigious Qinqiang Opera artist, brought the repertoire Yang Guifei (Concubine Yang) to the 8th Traditional Chinese Opera Festival in Paris. During one performance, as the story reached its most painful moment — Yang weeping over her doomed fate — Li noticed an elderly French audience member sitting in the front row, tears welling in his eyes.

"At that moment, I felt a foreign audience member truly understanding Chinese culture," recalls Li, who is also vice-president of the China Theatre Association and president of the Shaanxi Opera Research Institute.

Having performed Qinqiang Opera for more than four decades, Li has traveled to more than 50 countries and regions, gaining a profound understanding of how art can transcend borders and resonate with people from vastly different cultures.

With a history of more than 600 years, Qinqiang — wrapped in Chinese people's collective memories of politics, economy and culture — originated in northwestern China, matured during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and flourished during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Its most prominent characteristics are its high-pitched passion and its stirring, solemn tone.

"We believe that those who sing Qinqiang rarely become depressed. It allows them to pour out their inner emotions, like the Yellow River's waterfall rushing down in a torrent, perhaps carrying mud and sand with it," says Li. "The opera is not delicate, but full of vitality and power."