Small wonder

Their performance space is no bigger than three square meters and is always enclosed by a wooden fence - regardless of how large the actual stage they are appearing on. And in this tiny space, stories that are up to 800 years old are faithfully and vividly re-enacted. With almost no props or scenery, these tales are related in the Quanqiang dialect of Quanzhou in Fujian Province.

This ancient performing tradition is called Liyuan Opera, and it first appeared in Quanzhou during the Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279).

Like Kunqu, Liyuan Opera is one of the traditional Chinese operas of South China. However, unlike Kunqu Opera whose popularity has spread far beyond its Yangtze River Delta base, Liyuan Opera is still largely confined to the city of its provenance.

And today there are only 115 people from the Fujian Experimental Troupe of Liyuan Opera (FETJO), which was founded in Quanzhou in 1953, who are still keeping this tradition alive.

Few props

This weekend, the troupe will be bringing part of their repertoire to Shanghai for two shows at the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre. For props, this one-act performance will feature nothing more than a wooden table, a stool, a pair of candlesticks and a mirror.

Zeng Jingping is the director of FETJO and she is the only performer in this show. She told the Global Times that during the nearly one-hour performance she will act out the drama of Wuniang, a girl from the Southern Song Dynasty who misses her lover Chensan who has been detained by local officials because of the couple's attempted elopement.

"The show is called Da Men and is one part of the classic Liyuan Opera, Chensan Wuniang. Although it is just a one-act show, the audience can see the typical features of Liyuan Opera through the portrayal of this female heroine," said Zeng.

Zeng advises audience members to pay close attention to the body language used in the part. "The detailed changes of gesture, and the movements of her eyes, fingers, hands, and feet are all essential attributes of Liyuan Opera. And because of this there are no long sleeves in the costumes of our performers," she added.

Zeng said that the general style of Liyuan Opera is similar to Kunqu Opera, which also highlights elegance and gracefulness and which attaches great importance to female protagonists (called dan in Chinese opera tradition).

"And many of our gestures originate from the natural behavior or looks of certain animals, such as 'talon hands' and 'crab hands.' These postures can even be seen in ancient frescoes such as in the famous Dunhuang Grottoes in Gansu Province. We also use some religious gestures from Buddhism, such as the posture of a Bodhisattva."

According to Zeng, the character of Wuniang will occasionally put her fingers to her lips in order to represent her shyness while she is away from her lover.　

Zeng added that, "Because the size of the stage for Liyuan Opera is restricted, the movements of Liyuan Opera performers have to be very delicate and precise."

As in other Chinese operas, Liyuan Opera also have their own musicians who perform an accompaniment to the action. But this accompaniment features an instrument unique to the tradition: a yajiao gu, a drum which produces different sounds by means of sliding the anklebone of the left foot along its surface.

Psychological state

"In Liyuan Opera, the function of this drum is similar to, but even more important than, a conductor in an orchestra," said Zeng. "It not only controls the whole rhythm of the performance, but it also represents the psychological states of the performers. Sometimes, the sound of the drum tells the audience the general atmosphere of the piece, even before the performers have started to act."

Wang Renjie, a senior researcher and playwright of Liyuan Opera told the Global Times that, because of Quanzhou's favorable geographic position as a port city, and as the starting point of the Maritime Silk Road from the Song (960-1279) to Ming (1368-1644) dynasties, Liyuan Opera troupes had the chance to tour throughout the Ryukyu Islands (today's Okinawa in Japan) during the Ming Dynasty.

"And also, first in the 1950s and then in the 1980s, both in Japan and England, engraved copies of scripts for Liyuan Operas were discovered," said Wang. "However, in China, Liyuan Opera has experienced periods of ups and downs, notably during the destruction of the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) and then again as a consequence of the opening up and economic flourishing of huge parts of the southeast in the early 1980s."　

Now 49, Zeng began studying Liyuan Opera at the age of 14 and five years later she joined FETJO. She said that the situation for the troupe is slowly improving with more young people expressing interest in Liyuan Opera. "I spare no effort in attempting to save and develop this ancient operatic art form," she said.

Date: November 24 and 25, 7:30 pm

Venue: Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre

上海话剧艺术中心

Address: 288 Anfu Road

安福路288号

Tickets: 80 yuan

Call 6473-0123 for details