Old Bronze Craft in Gansu Fetches More Money Serve the Ancient Technique While Integrating It Into the Local Poverty Reduction Drive
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CHINA DAILY | HONG KONG EDITION Tuesday, September 8, 2020 | 15 LIFE Beauties with funny bones The Beijing International Comedy Festival kicks off with a hilarious yet serious Peking Opera piece, Chen Nan reports. he four beauties — Xishi, Wang Zhaojun, Diaochan and Yang Yuhuan — who lived during different Tdynasties in ancient China, have been the poster girls for the coun- try’s female aesthetics for centuries. When they are paired with five chou (male clown) roles in Peking Opera, the story becomes hilarious and thought-provoking as is visible in the latest piece, titled Wu Chou Si Mei, which literally translates as “five clown roles and four beauties”. Performed by actresses and actors of Beijing Fenglei Peking Opera Company, a private Peking Opera company located in the capi- tal’s downtown, the latest produc- tion premiered on Thursday with five performances staged at the Tianqiao Performing Arts Center through Monday. It kicked off the Beijing Interna- tional Comedy Festival, which runs through Sept 24. “This production is the first from the company after the coronavirus outbreak. We want to showcase the beauty of Peking Opera through classic roles and their different styles. It’s a comedy, which will This year’s Beijing International Comedy Festival also goes online, in addition to live performances, due to the pandemic. A total of 18 pro- make people laugh and think,” says ductions, including Wu Chou Si Mei (top), Beijing Neighbors (above left) and Divorce (above right), are screened on Tencent Video and Song Yan, director of the piece, who Maoyan. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY is also a veteran Peking Opera actor and director of the company. Founded in 1937, the company is audience members a different side Launched in 2017 by the Beijing the theaters. But now we have to directed by Tang Ye from Beijing renowned for promoting the 200- of our ancient art forms that can be Federation of Literary and Art Cir- ensure the audiences’ safety with a People’s Art Theater. year-old art form in the country, fun and entertaining,” says Yang cles, the annual festival has been limited number of seats. So, we On Sept 22, a forum exploring the doing about 600 shows a year, Qianwu, secretary-general of the moved to online screening due to decided to launch online screenings relationship between audiences and according to Song. Beijing Theater Association, one of the pandemic. A total of 18 comedy to cater to more audiences,” says comedy will take place at the West Peking Opera combines a variety the initiators of the Beijing Interna- productions, including plays, musi- Yang. Theater in Beijing, which will also Performers of Beijing Fenglei of performing arts such as singing, tional Comedy Festival. cals and traditional operas, will be Other highlights of the festival be screened online. Comedy veter- Peking Opera Company dancing, acrobatics and martial Besides Peking Opera, other tradi- screened through streaming plat- include comedy play Divorce, direct- ans and newcomers will discuss the explore the new charm of the arts. tional art forms such as Sichuan forms Tencent Video and Maoyan. ed and performed by Fang Xu and topic at the event. traditional art form in their lat- “Comedy is difficult. We have tra- Opera and Quju (a Beijing local “Because of the pandemic, thea- adapted from a novel of the same est production, Wu Chou Si ditional Chinese operas at the come- opera) will be presented during the ters closed for about six months. title by renowned writer Lao She Contact the writer at Mei. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY dy festival because we want to show festival. Audiences are eager to get back to (1899-1966), and Beijing Neighbors, [email protected] In recent years, the local govern- ment also revved up efforts to pre- Old bronze craft in Gansu fetches more money serve the ancient technique while integrating it into the local poverty- reduction drive. LANZHOU — Xu Xi is engrossed orally from father to son for five cen- and ornaments and rising purchas- they sold their products to itinerant The prospering trade helped slash in each stroke of the imprinting turies. ing power have helped many Qing- traders, who then traveled to Tibet- the village’s poverty rate from about knife when carving a mold. The Using recyclable sand to make sin- shui villagers shake off poverty. an regions to barter with herdsmen 26 percent in 2013 to 3.8 percent by 33-year-old artisan knows that the gle-use molds, the technique of mak- “All my bronze pots have sold out, for rare herbs and cattle. the end of 2019, says Yang Feng- bronze pot it produces may one day ing bronze ware is an intangible and the orders kept me busy “Nowadays many Tibetan fami- ming, a local official. become a symbol of wealth for a cultural heritage in Qingshui, an throughout the year,” says Xu, who lies drive cars to our village to direct- Xu Fanglong is proud of his new Tibetan family. ethnic Han village in the impover- earns between 100,000 yuan ly buy from us,” he says. job offering guidance to those work- Without written instructions or a ished county of Minxian, Gansu ($14,640) and 200,000 yuan a year. The market boom has helped ing at the cooperative. sketch, Xu engraves the eight auspi- province. In a local cooperative dedicated to keep the complicated craft afloat. “Most importantly, many young cious patterns of Tibetan culture all Most clients are Tibetans in Gan- The traditional bronze ware bronze products, a variety of works The production involves over a doz- people are willing to stay in the vil- by memory, adding another tint of su, Qinghai and Sichuan provinces, craftsmanship thrives in Qing- are on display. en manual procedures and culmi- lage and train in the craft,” he says. mystery to the bronze ware crafts- and the Tibet autonomous region, shui township in Gansu prov- Xu Fanglong, a founder of the nates with the smashing of the manship that has been passed down whose fondness for copper utensils ince. YU JING / CHINA NEWS SERVICE cooperative, recalls the days when molds to retrieve finished products. XINHUA.