Pingtan opera Xu Xiake debuts in Wuxi

Two Pingtan actors perform Xu Xiake in Wuxi's Great Hall of the People. [Photo/wxrb.com]

A Pingtan-style opera, Xu Xiake, made its debut bow at Wuxi's Great Hall of the People on July 25 following a month of rehersals.

The large-scale Pintan Opera is being hosted to commemorate the 430th anniversary of the great traveller Xu Xiake (1587-1641), who lived during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

Xu Xiake is a famous geographer, traveler, and writer and is perhaps best known for his masterpiece Diary of the Travels of Xuxiake, a work that introduces a wide range of China's topography, scenic areas, and georgraphy. Pingtan Opera, also called known as Suzhou Opera on account of the East China city from which it originates, is an ancient folk art involving singing, a three-stringed lute known as a pipa.

This Piantan opera presents Xu Xiake's lifestyle of roving through mountains, across rivers, and enjoying China's great outdoors in a blend of modern and traditional style.

In further evidence of the production's quality, the stage has been designed by national first-level team and the performance involves famous actor Han Jianying and Pingtan artists such as Qin Jianguo participate in its arrangement.

It is hoped that Xu Xiake opera will draw large audiences and win acclaim in the field of traditional Chinese opera.