New Kunqu production pays homage to Macao

Zhang Zhengyao from the Kunqu Opera Theater of Jiangsu province plays Liu Mengmei in the new production. CHINA DAILY

A dedicated fan of Kunqu Opera, Lin is the founder of the Good Time Culture Co and chairwoman of the Macao Kunqu Opera Culture Association. She fell in love with Kunqu Opera in 2005, and took great efforts to learn the singing, postures and dance moves. She believes that producing Peony Pavilion was the best way to express her love for traditional Chinese opera and a good opportunity to introduce the refined aesthetics of Kunqu Opera to audiences in Macao.

She also hopes that the novel presentation, which combines traditional Kunqu Opera with modern theater approaches, will attract new audiences.

The production is jointly supported by the cultural funds of Macao and the cultural industry promotion association of Shanghai. After three performances from Oct 24 to 26 at Yu Yin Ge in Shanghai, Dream Shadow: Peony Pavilion will be shown in Macao next year.

In Peony Pavilion, the hero Liu Mengmei, a young scholar from Guangzhou, used to travel to Macao. The play describes how he witnessed foreign merchants making offerings at a local temple, which some believe is today the ruins of St. Paul's Cathedral, a popular tourism site in Macao.