In Yue Opera, the handsome xiaosheng (young male role) played by female actors can be akin to the well-loved male idols of popular television series. Among the veterans, Wu Fenghua, two-time winner of the China Theatre Plum Blossom Award, is an exemplary figure commanding both talent and skills. The Peacock Flies Southeast, dubbed the ‘Chinese Romeo and Juliet’, offers a touching reinterpretation of love and loss.  The Aloeswood Fan is a delightful take on of the classic scholar-and-beauty genre. The finale, Mu Guiying Takes Command, combines crisp martial arts moves with graceful operatic vocals to showcase the refined artistry of Yue Opera.

18/7 7:30pm
The Peacock Flies Southeast

Main Cast: Wu Fenghua, Chen Fei, Pan Qin, Yu Weiping

The Peacock Flies Southeast is a long narrative poem dating back to the Eastern Han dynasty.  It relates the tragic tale of a loving couple, Jiao Zhongqing and Liu Lanzhi, who are forced to be separated by the husband’s mother.  The story has been immortalised on countless stages over time.  In 1950, two virtuoso artists of Yue Opera – Fan Ruijuan and Fu Quanxiang – meticulously created a stage production of the same title that soon became a pinnacle of the art form.  Decades later, the mentees of Fan and Fu – Wu Fenghua and Chen Fei – joined forces to revive the play.

Wu Fenghua plays Jiao Zhongqing, expressing the character’s struggles between filial piety and a love pledge through the tremor of his sleeves, anguished stamping of his feet, and helplessness in his tearful weeping.  Chen Fei’s Liu Lanzhi is full of feminine charm.  Delicate yet steadfast in her love, she captivates the audience’s hearts with her ‘sleeve dance’.  With the accompanying ensemble’s gongs, drums and strings, ancient verses turn into dramatic struggles on stage, and the audience is swept into the love tragedy so poignantly told.

19/7 7:30pm
The Aloeswood Fan

Main Cast: Wu Fenghua, Wu Suying

The Aloeswood Fan delights with its fresh approach in staging.  Wu Suying, a renowned actress in dan (female lead) roles of the Lu Ruiying operatic school, vividly brings a high-born young lady’s charm to life.  As the daughter of a senior minister, Cai Lanying has a delicate demeanour full of girlish charm, yet also reveals a hidden wilfulness to defy convention and restrictions.  Wu Fenghua as young scholar Xu Wenxiu radiates flair and wit despite his page boy guise.  The meeting between the scholar and the high-born young lady, and their strong resilience to feudal oppressions create many twists and turns.  As Plum Blossom Award winners, both leads elevate the story of young people’s infatuation to a celebration of pure love.

20/7 7:30pm
Mu Guiying Takes Command

Main Cast: Wu Fenghua, Chen Fei

Mu Guiying Takes Command stands as a signature work of Xiaobaihua Yue Opera Troupe of Shaoxing, fusing Yue Opera’s lyrical elegance with rare martial grandeur.  In this bold reinterpretation, Chen Fei takes the stage as the legendary heroine and warrior Mu Guiying, capturing both her commanding presence and strategic brilliance.  Her soaring vocals and resolute movements conjure the storm-like force of a woman who leads with wisdom and valour.  Equally striking is Wu Fenghua’s portrayal of the young General Yang Zongbao.  Breaking the mould of xiaosheng (young male) roles in traditional Yue Opera, she demonstrates her solid martial arts training through her fluid control of the steely, powerful moves of changkao wusheng (military male in full armour).  This production is the culmination of forty years of artistic legacy of the troupe.  It encapsulates its motto of striving to achieve high standards in both civil and martial repertories, to let lyricism enrich action, and action elevate lyricism.