Popular not as a Popstar

(Where there are Chinese culture buffs, there are Peking Opera fans. Tianjin is famous for both its excellent Peking Opera company and its sophisticated connoisseurs of the art. )

Right, Denise. I guess the whole world knows what a Peking Opera addict you are. What they might not know, though, is that Tianjin is filled with people just like you. So today we’ll introduce everyone to Tianjin’s Peking Opera and one of its brightest young stars, Meng Guanglu.

There may be a certain amount of debate among opera fans as to which is the best troupe in China, but the Tianjin Peking Opera Company is invariably included in the top five. The people of Tianjin have long been sophisticated connoisseurs of the arts, and theatre is no exception.

In the 19th century, teahouse-theatres were the leading venue for public opera performances in China’s cities. A Tianjin guidebook from 1898 lists a number teahouse-theatres in the city. Several of the better ones were visited by the top Peking Opera stars of Beijing, and served as a springboard to national fame for young actors.

In many ways, the Tianjin troupes were frontrunners in Peking Opera development. For example, mixed theatre companies of men and women were forbidden throughout much of China until around 1930. They appeared far earlier in Tianjin, owing to the lack of insistence on separation of the sexes in the foreign concessions.

So, Tianjin audiences are famed as discerning opera critics. In fact, many seasoned performers confess to feeling a bit nervous about playing in Tianjin. While the people there do not stint on expressing approval of a fine performance, neither do they hesitate to let the actors know when they are not up to par.

Let’s listen now to one actor who has won the hearts not only of those critical Tianjin audiences, but also of Peking Opera audiences all over China. Here’s Meng Guanglu with an aria called “The Assassin’s Hidden Sword.”

Meng Guanglu, now 38 years old, specializes in jing, or, as they are often referred to, dahualian characters. This term is translated literally “great painted face,” one of the most familiar images of China.

Meng Guanglu graduated from the China Traditional Opera School in 1984 and immediately went to work at the Youth Troupe of the Tianjin Peking Opera Company. Since then, he has won the prestigious Plum Blossom Award, first prize in the Young Peking Opera Performers Competition and the coveted Mei Lanfang Gold Prize. He also recently graduated from the first master’s level course at the China Academy of Traditional Opera.

In addition to all these official honors, Meng Guanglu’s extraordinarily powerful voice and wide vocal range have made him wildly popular with audiences. Calls for encores are rarely heard in the Peking Opera theatre, but Meng receives them regularly. Perhaps part of his popularity is the result of his endearing off-stage demeanor, which stands in sharp contrast to the bold, powerful characters he portrays.

Meng Guanglu told us that his favorite character is the famous magistrate Bao Zheng. He says this is because Lord Bao was honest and upright, even willing to risk his life to do what was right. Meng Guanglu believes he should follow this example. Let’s finish up today’s “China Melody” with Meng singing the part of Bao Zheng in “Visiting the Mountain of Shadows.”