The 14th “Echoes of Classics: The Season of Intangible Cultural Heritage Performances at the Prince Kung’s Palace Museum”, sharing the same theme with China Cultural and Natural Heritage Day, was held at the Grand Theatre of the Prince Kung’s Palace Museum from June 10 to 16. A seven-day event with guqin and Kunqu Opera performances was presented both online and offline.
Huang Mei plays the guqin zither.
The event was co-hosted by the Prince Kung’s Palace Museum, the China Kunqu Opera and Guqin Research Association, and the Publicity Department of Kunshan City Committee of CPC, Jiangsu province, with the guidance of the Department of Intangible Cultural Heritage, Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
Stage photo of Romance of the Western Chamber by the Northern Kunqu Opera Theatre
Classic: guqin session
In 2003, China’s guqin was listed as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity of UNESCO. To present and promote the instrument to a wider audience, in 2010, the Prince Kung’s Palace Museum and the China Kunqu Opera and Guqin Research Association worked together for the first time and launched several performances at the museum.
Wu Zhao plays the guqin number Moon at the Mountain Pass (Guanshan yue).
During this year’s events to celebrate China Cultural and Natural Heritage Day, artists and musicians who play traditional musical instruments, including the guqin zither, the se zither, and the xiao flute, have been invited to perform.
Faint Fragrance (An xiang) played by Li Fengyun and Wang Jianxin
Flowing Water (Liu shui) played by Lin Chen
Three versions of the guqin melody Drunken Ecstasy (Jiu kuang) were played on June 10, 11 and 15 by different artists, each with their own interpretation.
Essence: Kunqu Opera session
Kunqu Opera has been included in the list of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO for 20 years. To present the achievements of Kunqu Opera preservation and inheritance under the leadership of the Party and government, artists from the Kunshan Contemporary Kunqu Opera Theatre, the Junior Kunqu Opera Troupe and Northern Kunqu Opera Theatre, presented performances from June 12 to 14.
Stage photo of Hujiazhuang performed by Zhang Yueming from the Kunshan Contemporary Kunqu Opera Theatre
As China’s eighth professional Kunqu Opera company, the Contemporary Kunqu Opera Theatre brought various vignettes from classic pieces, demonstrating performers’ comprehensive stage skills.
Stage photo of Leifeng Pagoda and Duanqiao Bridge performed by Wang Jieyu, Huang Zhuyu and Yu Xingyue from the Kunshan Contemporary Kunqu Opera Theatre
Performances by 14 primary school students from Kunshan, Suzhou, Jiangsu province were highlighted.
Stage photo of Gui Yinqi from the Junior Kunqu Opera Troupe
Stage photo of the performance by Lu Pengbo, Zhang Jiehan, Li Kunlin, Wu Yichen and Cheng Zhihao from the Junior Kunqu Opera Troupe
The Northern Kunqu Opera Theatre – the only professional Kunqu Opera performance company in northern China treated the audience to Romance of the Western Chamber, a famous Chinese classic opera adapted from the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) zaju drama of the same title.
Stage photo of Romance of the Western Chamber played by artists from the Northern Kunqu Opera Theatre
The event was streamed on the official site of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, CNR, China News, Tencent, Sina, Sohu and the Official Weibo and Douyin accounts of the Prince Kung’s Palace Museum. A total of 4.198 million people watched the event online. Multiple media including the Xinhua News Agency, China News Agency, CMG, and Beijing TV on reported the event on the scene.
