Ｙｕｅｊｕ Ｏｐｅｒａ Ｓｈｏｗ ｉｎ Ｒｈｏｄｅ Ｉｓｌａｎｄ

On the night of October 27， 2007， Ningbo One-Hundred Little Flowers Yueju Opera Troupe staged “Butterfly Lovers”， an operatic version of a classic Chinese romance， at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Rhode Island， USA. The Oriental opera， jointly produced by Hangzhou Red Star Cultural Tower and Red Star Theater， was one of the cultural exchange activities sponsored by American Confucius Institute.

Present at the performance were President Robert Carothers of University of Rhode Island and Rhode Island State officials and local cultural celebrities. The Yueju performance with English and Chinese translations won long applauses between acts and a 10-minute standing ovation when the curtain fell. Yueju Opera of eastern China’s coastal Zhejiang Province is probably total Greek to American audiences. For most among the audience in Rhode Island， it was their first ever experience of Yueju Opera. But the elegance of Yueju Opera and the classic oriental aesthetic concepts embodied in every detail of the performance wowed them. The people were excited. Learning the romance occurred in the 10，000-Pine Academy of Classic Learning in Hangzhou， the picturesque capital of Zhejiang Province， a professor said through an interpreter that he would like to visit Hangzhou and he looked forward to knowing more about the culture of Zhejiang.

What attracted the attention was not merely the stage performance. The scenes， props and musical instruments were also outlandishly alluring. After the show， the sponsors received a large number of letters and emails expressing their appreciation of the opera performance.

Chinese ambassador to USA Zhou Chongwen and over 30 Chinese embassy officials took part in related cultural activities and watched the performance. Prior to the show， the ambassador met with the troupe and afterwards the ambassador also expressed his appreciation of the show and spoke highly of the artistry of the Yueju Opera. President of URI Robert Carothers presented the Red Star Theater with a plate in recognition of the theater’s special contribution to the show.

It turned out that the show was part of a bold business strategy adopted by the Red Star Theater of Hangzhou for exploring overseas markets. The theater management is trying to break away from the conventional business philosophy which usually is: sits and waits for performers and audiences to come and meet.