Bai Xianyong: everyone has a love mythos in his mind
Updated: 2004-09-24

A new adaptation of the most famous love mythos -- Kunqu Opera "Peony Pavilion"-- is being staged in the Seventh China Arts Festival.

Written by the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) dramatist Tang Xianzu, the "Peony Pavilion" is one of the most famous pieces of Chinese classical literature, which tells the touching love story between Du Liniang and Liu Mengmei.

Staging the opera requires an enormous amount of editing, and the new adaptation covers almost half of the original 55 acts, while retaining the story's integrity with the famous acts. The new adaptation lasts for nine hours and is performed over three consecutive nights. It not only tells the love mythos but also represents Chinese traditional culture.

School students are the producer's target audience, and Bai Xianyong says: "Kunqu Opera is the kind of art for the audience with high education. I am eager to give the college students the opportunity to learn more about the Kunqu Opera, as nowadays they know little of the classical Chinese aesthetics, and Kunqu Opera is really a good introduction as it combines traditional Chinese literature, dance, music and drama arts, etc."

When performed in the Suzhou University, 2,600 audiences watched it in the theater that has 2,000 seats.