The Marketing Department Goes to see Guilin Opera

On Sunday April 20th the Marketing Department of China Odyssey Tours went to see a production of "An Imperial Secretary Retires", a traditional Guilin Opera (GuiJu). The opera was performed in downtown Guilin in a theatre on Guilin's Pedestrian Shopping Street. We had a wonderful time! The Opera was very well performed, and the costumes and make-up were very beautiful. Before the performance, the actors sat in the front to apply their makeup giving audience members a rare chance to see how actors in Guilin Opera prepare for a performance.

Chen Hongmou the lead protagonist was an official of The Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). He was retired by Emperor Qianlong, and on his way home to Guilin, he stops at Shanxi province where he was once an official. While he was an official there, the Emperor  is retired sent home to Guilin to retire by the Emperor. When Chen Hongmou was an official in the province, Emperor Qianlong decided that a large number of trees should be planted in the province. One man who was Chen Hongmou's student told the Emperor that the trees could not survive in that climate. Angered by this, Emperor Qianlong ordered his execution. Chen Hongmou pleaded with the Emperor to recind the order. The Emperor refused and had his former student executed. Chen Hongmou adopted the man's son as his grandson and was then promoted to the imperial capitol. His former student's daughter believing that Chen Hongmou was the cause of her father's death swore to kill the him. When Chen Hongmou returned to Shanxi Province, she attempted to murder him, but was stopped by Chen Hongmou's adopted grandson, who unbeknownst to her was her brother. Her father's ghost informed her that Chen Hongmou was an honest man, and she should respect him. She then decided not to kill him, and Chen Hongmou decided to adopt her as well. They then all returned to Guilin where Chen Honmou could live out the remainder of his life.

Guilin Opera originated in Guilin and is sung in the local dialect. It is far less formal than PekingOpera and rarely uses any sort of face painting. Guilin Opera came into being in the mid Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Visitors from Anhui introduced their traditional operas and music to Guilin, and the ancient people of Guilin transformed it by using their own local style. Guilin Opera has a long list of repetoires: Stealing Umbrellas, Mu Guiying, Meeting on the Broken Bridge. Like Peking Opera Guilin Opera's characters are divided into four basic types including Sheng (male role), Dan (female role), Jing (painted face male role), and Chou (clown or comic relief). The singing in Guilin Opera is sung much more naturally than Peking Opera making it more pleasing to the ears.