Ｐｒｉｖａｔｅ　Ｔｒｏｕｐｅ　Ｗｉｎｓ　Ｍａｒｋｅｔ　ａｎｄ　Ｎａｔｉｏｎａｌ　Ｐｒｉｚｅｓ

Ｓｈａ　Ｚｈｏｕ

For a long period in ancient times, where the Yellow Dragon Cave is today was very prosperous for another reason: it was used as a ritual site by the monks from the nearby prestigious State Guardian Temple of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). It was from this famous temple that some Japanese monks studied Buddhism and Chi Ba, a vertical bamboo flute, and brought their religious and musical knowledge back to the island country. After 1949, a musical and performing art school functioned on the previous temple site and produced many brilliant stage artists and musicians. The Yellow Dragon Cave has long since been a tourist attraction.

The Yellow Dragon Yueju Opera Troupe is relatively a new addition to the ancient ritual site. Zhu Yanyan, the present director of the troupe, took over the show business at the Yellow Dragon Cave about 20 years ago. At that time the Yellow Dragon Cave, due to its out-of-the-way location separated from the West Lake by the Gem Hills, amounted to almost nothing if compared with other huge lakeside attractions. Zhu Yanyan decided to bring changes to the site. She recruited novice players from Linan, then a rural county in the remote western suburb of Hangzhou and set up a Yueju Opera troupe.

Meng Hangjuan, now a star artist of the troupe, witnessed the rise and success of the troupe over the last ten years. When she joined the troupe as a novice player from rural Linan, the troupe was in a sorry situation. She worked on a short-term contract basis and slept in a bunk bed in a dorm. The troupe even did not have costumes and props. The troupes finance was so bad that it couldnt afford to offer medical insurance and social security to its members. As the troupe made its way through these difficult years, its finance improved and the actress has received what she deserves.

The opera show has grown into a big, novel attraction for tourists who are probably aware of the reputation of the Yueju Opera but would probably not go out of their way to see stage performances. The sightseeing at the scenic spot now includes the opera show and the garden landscape. The small troupe now has a crew of about 30 plus actors and musicians and boasts a large repertoire of about 50 opera highlights and more than 10 complete plays. Nowadays more than 1,000 shows are staged on a small stage in a garden on the garden compound and audiences add up to more than 5 million a year.

To entertain tourists from home and abroad, the troupe not only stages best highlights from complete plays but also put on delightful stunts such as fashion shows and modern dancing and singing items created and put together by the troupe itself. After all, the troupe is a private show business and its survival depends on how many tickets it sells and how far the word of mouth travels.

But the troupe also has professional ambition. As it sets its eyes on art and takes the prosperity of Yueju Opera as its mission, the troupe has never stopped pursuing excellence in its performance and repertoire. The reputation of the troupe for its art quality, profit margin and accomplished artists has long since spread beyond Hangzhou. It has won many national top honors and is one of the best private troupes in the country.

Over years, the performers of the troupe have matured and established their reputation as brilliant stage artists, for they have studied with the best Yueju Opera artists of other troupes in the province and the daily shows enable them to perfect their skills. Meng Kejuan and Wang Hangjuan, two girls from rural Linan years ago, have won the Plum Blossom Award, the top national honor for stage thespians.

In addition to a large repertoire to entertain audiences, the troupe has created complete plays that have won wide recognition and appreciation from experts and peer professionals. The best playwrights and experts in the province have given the troupe much needed advice and tips over years.□