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Mao Shanyu, director of the Shanghai Huju Opera Troupe.
Mao Shanyu, director of the Shanghai Huju Opera Troupe and one of the most famous Huju Opera artists, has opened her first Douyin account to promote the city’s regional opera which dates back to the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
"I’ve never been Internet savvy and it is quite rare for Huju to be performed online,” Mao said. “But the epidemic forced us to consider how to promote the traditional art when people cannot meet with each other.”
Mao, 58, performed part of her award-winning opera “Daughter of Dunhuang” on Douyin in May. The debut show along with 19 livestreaming broadcasts hosted by the troupe on Douyin has attracted over 280,000 online views.
Videos of other her classic plays, such as “Thunderstorm” and “Top Secret,” achieved online audiences of tens of thousands on Bilibili, another popular livestreaming platform.
Doors have been closed at local traditional opera theaters since late January, but new stages have opened up online.
Mao shared the troupe's new performance plans at a public forum on June 13 along with Gao Bowen, director of the Shanghai Pingtan Troupe and Zhang Fan, director of the Shanghai Peking Opera Troupe.
In another measure to promote traditional Chinese opera in the wake of COVID-19, the Huju Opera troupe plans to present a series of "immersive" performances at Pai's Mansion on 150 Fenyang Road in Xuhui District. It was built in 1919 and is now the troupe’s new home.
"This beautiful architecture inspires us to invite the public to come to feel the flavor of the city," Mao said.
Huju Opera, performed in Shanghai dialect, was initially created to promote the latest social news and stories mainly at local historical villas and in the city's lane-style communities.
"So, the historical villa is an ideal site to perform traditional opera," she said.
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The Pai's Mansion on 150 Fenyang Road in Xuhui District was built in 1919 and now serves as the new premises for the Shanghai Huju Opera Troupe.
The house, designed by renowned architect Laszlo Hudec, gained its name because Kuomintang General Pai Chung-hsi lived there in the 1940s. It was initially owned by Michel Speelman, a Frenchman who was chairman of the Committee for Assistance of European Jewish Refugees in Shanghai.
The China Art Academy took it over from the Pai family. The Shanghai Yueju Opera House was next, followed by a trendy restaurant. The Huju opera troupe moved there late last year.
The troupe has been presenting performances on small stages and on the Internet since the COVID-19 outbreak in late January, Mao said. Four mini-plays have been presented online, mainly stories of the city's medical teams to Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province as well as citizens and volunteers at local communities.
"Young artists have opened accounts on Douyin, Weibo, and host livestream broadcasts to mainly attract young audiences," Mao said. The troupe’s Douyin account has been followed by over 16,000 fans and received over 110,000 likes.
"The epidemic is ruthless, but it offers an opportunity for traditional culture to explore new ways of development," she said.
"No matter on what new platform, the core part is always traditional Huju Opera," she added.
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The livestreaming broadcast hosted by Shanghai Huju Opera Troupe has attract over 280,000 online views.
Pingtan, or Suzhou-style storytelling, is another popular pastime for local senior citizens though it originated in neighboring Jiangsu Province. It has become part of the traditional lifestyle in Jiangnan, or south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
Gao said the epidemic had also driven the traditional pingtan troupe to reform and find new ways to attract more younger audiences.
Gao said performances had been severely affected by COVID-19 because the traditional pingtan sites had been closed. In Shanghai and Suzhou, pingtan enthusiasts usually listen to the traditional opera around square tables with tea and snacks after lunch every day.
Many older fans complained they could not sleep without listening to a performance, he said.
Like the Huju troupe, local pingtan artists created many online plays about the doctors and nurses fighting on the frontline in Wuhan.
Gao presented a live and interactive program on the evening of March 30. He demonstrated and taught different opening episodes of classic pingtan plays adapted from the ancient Chinese novel “A Dream of Red Mansions.”
The livestream provided an insight into the charm of pingtan, an age-old form of artistic storytelling set to musical lyrics in Suzhou dialect, Gao said.
"It is expected to not only attract Chinese fans but also overseas audiences," he said. "Even if they cannot understand the language, they can get immersed in the plays easily."
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A new Huju Opera directed by the troupe after the COVID-19 outbreak about Shanghai medical teams to Wuhan, once the epicenter of the epidemic in China.
The city's Peking Opera troupe found a more innovative way to promote the traditional art known as the quintessence of Chinese culture. It cooperated with popular cartoon mobile game Shiwuyu, which mainly attracts young female players, to get involved in the classic opera “Farewell My Concubine” in the game.
Famous artist Tian Hui, apprentice of Mei Baojiu, the son of world-renowned opera master Mei Lanfang (1894-1961), sang for the film promoting the game. The game’s theme song that Tian also participated in has been played 150 million times on the Internet.
The troupe also offered detailed drawings of stage props, costumes, carpets and traditional patterns to the game’s designers to promote the opera to its young players.
The troupe attracted more than 80,000 online viewers after registering on Bilibili on February 19, said Zhang.
The online performances have been seen more than 2 million times, with over 70 percent of the audience under 30 years old.
"These are the surprises we've harvested during the epidemic," Zhang said. "We hope Peking opera and traditional Chinese culture can be promoted widely through the new platforms."
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A live-streaming broadcast hosted by Gao Wenbo (left), director with the Shanghai Pingtan Opera Troupe.
Other local traditional theater troupes are also presenting innovative “Cloud Theater” performances for frustrated theatergoers. Shanghai Yueju Opera House showcased 22 online shows on major video-sharing websites, including iQiyi, Youku, Douyin and ixigua.
The Shanghai Center of Chinese Operas hosted an online broadcast of traditional theater over 10 online platforms, including Douyin, ixigua, Bilibili and Cultural Shanghai Cloud. Classic Peking Opera, Kunqu, Huju, Yueju, Huaiju and pingtan shows are aired in innovative styles.
According to the China Internet Network Information Center, the number of China's livestreaming audiences reached 560 million as of March.
Though online performances have gained popularity, they still have drawbacks, said Zhang Yifan, a professor with the School of Liberal Arts of Renmin University of China.
"For instance, online shows lack the interaction between artists and audiences, which is a quite important part in the performances of traditional Chinese operas," Zhang said.
"Without the instant reaction from the audience, performers may find it hard to get motivated," the professor added.
Zhang said young audiences should be guided to watch opera at theaters after the pandemic.
"The traditional operas should develop online and offline harmoniously," he added.
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The popular cartoon mobile game Shiwuyu involves the classic opera “Farewell My Concubine” in the game.
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