Ａ　Ｍａｎ’ｓ　Ｗｅｓｔ　Ｇａｒｄｅｎ

Ｚｈｅｎｇ　Ｘｉａｏｌｉｎ

August 2008 was an important month for Beijing. The Olympic Games were headlines in the national media. In response to the sporting events in the capital, Hangzhou, the capital of eastern Chinas Zhejiang Province, staged its dramatic events: the Zhejiang Kunqu Opera Troupe put on three performances of the “West Garden”. What made the event alluring was that each performance starred one stage artist and three performances gave three artists opportunities to make more than a difference. Local media in Hangzhou gave adequate coverage to the event.

The “West Garden” is an important part of the repertoire of the Zhejiang Kunqu Opera Troupe. Forty-seven years ago, Wang Shiyu rose to national fame by starring as Zhang Jihua the hero in the play. Today, Wang is still remembered for his brilliant performance. The veteran artist noted modestly that the play marked his career and gave him a lifelong honor.

The 2008 version was directed by Wang Shiyu himself and Zhang Jihua in three performances was respectively interpreted by Tao Tiefu, Li Gonglu and Mao Wenxia, all preeminent artists of the troupe.

After learning the news, I realized that the three actors could make the shows very enjoyable. Tao is an artist born in the 1950s and Li in the 1960s. What made Mao Wenxia stands out is that she is a girl born in the 1980s. I wanted to attend all the shows, but unfortunately I only managed to get a ticket for Taos show.

Tao is a disciple that Wang Shiyu is very proud of. Tao used to be a Yueju Opera performer working in Anji County in northern Zhejiang. Wang Shiyu discovered him by accident. One day Wang heard someone singing in the troupe dorm and found out it was Tao singing. Following Wangs advice, Tao Tiefu converted to Kunqu Opera. Tao sings in a melodious and powerful voice and he looks very decent on the stage. Although Tao had appeared in cooperation with his master in previous shows of “West Garden”, Wang coached Tao for the first time for this performance. For Kunqu Opera artists, it would be impossible to achieve excellence without receiving teaching from a master. Tao Tiefus performance showed how much he learned from his master.

From Zhang Jihua interpreted by Tao Tiefu, I could see that he inherited the delicate posture of his master, but the disciple seemed to bring more sunshine into the character. The inheritance and innovation seen on the stage signified the relations between the master and the disciple.

The stage performance does not necessarily mean that an artist cant show the bright charms of his eyes. Wang Shiyus expressive eyes were an outstanding feature of his performance in the 1982 film version of West Garden. Tao Tiefu in the August 2008 stage version did remarkably well. I was thrilled to see the perfect combination of his eyes and his gestures and postures. Moreover, Taos facial expressions were flawless and his performance was wonderful.

His singing deserves special mention. It needs metaphors and a string of adjectives to picture the charisma of his singing voice. In enjoying his singing, I closed my eyes now and then, letting his singing move warmly and touchingly through my heart and soul. It was a very soothing and invigorating experience.

Though Zhang Jihua the hero was the focus of the whole play, the assisting characters contributed. Zhang Zhihong as the heroine added beauty to the performance. Tang Yunlan as a 7-year-old boy brought delightful naiveté and loveliness and a sense of humor to the stage, filling the gaps between brilliant performances of other artists.Their performances helped the show shine.

When the curtain fell on the show, dozens of foreigners came up to the stage. They were students from Zhejiang University. They requested autographs from Wang Shiyu, Tao Tiefu and Zhang Zhihong and posed with them for photographs. They looked excited and overjoyed, turning the stage into a party. I overheard someone beside me murmur, “Did these foreigners have adequate Chinese to catch all the lines on the stage?” I gave an answer in my heart. In all probabilities we do not catch what Pavarotti, Domingo and Carreras sing in the Italian, but the language barrier does not prevent us from enjoying their singing. Art and beauty is what people all over the world can share and enjoy, as fully testified by European opera and Chinese Kunqu Opera.□