A Shining Star

In 1994, Du joined the Hong Kong troupe and played major roles there for almost 7 years, his name, meanwhile, is know across the "Pearl of the Orient". And in May, he returned to Beijing when invited by the head of Beijing Troupe—his fellow classmates. In the subsequent performances, he blended his own idea into the roles he played several times. In Cai Wenji, for instance, also a historical play, he made some innovation, portraying Prince Zuo, originally martial, as an affectionate "Eagle on the Grassland" by relocating the character of this role. Well received by the audience as well as the professionals, Du was, say, "on fire".

At the end of 2001, he led the sixth edition of the play "Humpback Liu, the Prime Minister". He repeatedly refined his acting, adding new flavors and modifying the aria. It was a complete success—the character of PM Liu was vividly and incisively showed and the whole play was extremely pleasant to the ear.

Downstage, Du is an easy-going person who likes to make friends with opera fans. He rarely dresses up, for his mind is occupied by Peking Opera. "I have planed to devote my life to Peking Opera", he said to the journalist, "I would try to put more roles on stage, and help to revive the quintessence of Chinese art."

By Yuan Yue (Shandong Bureau)

Editor: Liu Fang