The gentle and graceful tunes of Huangmei Opera, along with its romantic and elegant performance style, mark it as one of the top five traditional Chinese opera genres, earning it the title of "China's Most Beautiful Rural Music." On the evening of April 8th, the grand original Huangmei Opera production "The Immortal Yang," starring renowned Huangmei Opera artist Han Zaifen and performed by the Zaifen Huangmei Art Theatre, made its appearance at the Guangdong Friendship Theatre. This event inaugurated the "The Charm of Lingnan and Jianghuai - Excellent Drama Exhibition of Guangdong and Anhui," bringing a feast for the senses that blended tradition with innovation to the opera fans in Guangdong, who warmly welcomed the performance.

During the nearly two-hour show, the actors delivered exquisite performances, and their singing was melodious and enchanting. Particularly, the prologue "Singing of the Butterfly" and the epilogue "Flowers Blooming" were highlighted. By utilizing modern stage technology, these segments created a poetic atmosphere on stage filled with red clouds, fluttering snowflakes, and blooming red plum blossoms, eliciting enthusiastic applause from the audience.

"As someone from Anhui who's newly settled in Guangdong, hearing the familiar accent of my hometown once again in Guangzhou felt both intimate and moving. I hope that operas from Anhui can come to Guangzhou more often and take frequent trips around the Greater Bay Area!" said audience member Wu Shifen.

"The intermingling and mutual learning among various Chinese opera genres have sparked endless vitality," said Han Zaifen. "The Immortal Yang" organically integrates the expressive techniques of spoken drama into the traditional Huangmei Opera, featuring both romantic elements and dramatic tension. "We are also continuously learning from other genres, hoping to keep Anhui's Huangmei Opera ever fresh. Bringing more quality works to the hearts of the people is our generation’s responsibility."

It is understood that in addition to the performances, cultural workers from both Anhui and Guangdong will engage in in-depth research and discussion on the cooperative development of Cantonese opera and Huangmei Opera, as well as the creation of film and television works. They will sign cooperation agreements to regularly organize cultural exchange activities, fostering cultural collaboration.

Source: anhuinews.com