(Ecns.cn)--In Beijing, the cultural heart of China, it is not hard to find a theater and enjoy a live show. Roughly estimated, there are over 25 theaters operating in the capital with thespians taking to the stage every day. In the National Grand Theater one can find masterpieces of acting, and in the small theaters, low cost dramas with rising talents and emerging ideas.
The most popular, especially among the younger generations, are newer theatres staging modern dramas, while theatres built hundreds of years ago can't boast of big ticket sales or afford big publicity campaigns. But many of these venerable stages have a rich tradition to offer fans of live theatre and opera.
Located deep in a narrow Hutong in the Xuanwu District in Beijing, Zhengyici Peking Opera House is known as the oldest stage of its kind in the city. Built during the Qing dynasty around 1688, the little theater was owned and constructed by a Zhejiang merchant.
In its early days, the rooms and their adjoining courtyard were mostly used to entertain the merchant's friends and made a fine gathering place for traders from Zhejiang. With the development of Peking opera, the owner invited some famous masters to come and perform here, which spread its popularity to the general public.
Before 1936, many masters of Peking opera, like Mei Lanfang, Tan Xinpei and Wang Yaoqing, along with other sorts of live performers graced the stage here, making the theater a household name in Beijing. But soon after that, China was plunged into the War Against the Japanese Invasion, and many of the arts went to the margins of social life. So it was with the theater.
After the Japanese invaded Beijing, the theater was used as a storage depot, and then as a camp for soldiers of the Kuomintang (KMT). Starting from 1954, the theater became a hotel for the Ministry of Education, a function it performed for about 40 years.
The theater was lost to the world and seemed to be forgotten by it until October 1994, when a 34-year-old entrepreneur from Zhejiang Province passed by and noticed the charming structure. Knowing some of the history of the theater and seeing its dilapidated condition, Wang became determined to return it to its former glory.
Reaching a rental agreement with the Ministry of Education, Wang (what is his given name, because you mention a different Wang later and you need to keep them clear) took it over for 50,000 yuan (US$7,839.45) per month and started repairs. After a year's effort, Wang had renewed most of the structure a cost of over five million yuan (US$783,945) and opened its doors.
In the first three days, famous Peking opera masters Mei Lanfang's son Mei Baojiu, Mei Baoyue and Tan Yuanshou came to celebrate the reopening of the theater, and other celebrities also sent their congratulations and best wishes. For a time, the theater seemed set to take off, but the reality was cruel.
In the mid 1990s, people in China were more focused on business matters and modern art; the traditional arts were lost in its burgeoning industrialization. In those years, Wang persisted in staging performances of various kinds like opera, acrobatics and dramas, but found none of them could attract and keep the interest of the public.
In 1996, Wang had to sell his hotel, car and an office building in Beijing to keep the operation afloat, but the money turned out to be insufficient. Finally, Wang was forced to return the theater back to the government and leave Beijing.
In 2005, the theater was handed over to the Beijing Bureau of Culture, and then in 2006 to the Beijing Traditional Cultural Protection Development Foundation. As the theater is not-for-profit, the foundation ceased opening its doors to the public used it only for public benefit activities.
Two years ago, the man behind the Peking opera "Mei Lan Fang Hua", Wang Xiang, was searching for a suitable venue and the venerable old opera house fit the bill. He contacted the foundation and reached an agreement to rent the place for the show. Then Wang engaged performers of the Mei Lanfang Grand Theater to stage "Mei Lan Fang Hua."
Wang was expecting that the combination of Beijing's oldest theater and the best actors of the Peking opera would be popular and profitable, but attendance was poor - 20 to 30 percent of the house. The poor return drove Wang to break the contract with the big name actors.He recruited students of opera to carry on with it instead, and while the house was rarely full, the show continued for over a year.
The oldest opera house of its kind in Beijing, the special construction and historical legacy of Zhengyici make it a venue that is popular with corporations and government ministries who rent it to hold benefits and meetings.
" The legacy of the theater makes it a draw for many foreigners," said Wu Xiaogang, general manager of a cultural media company which has already promised to give the little opera house some financial support. It was once thought it could become a dinner theatre venue, but because it is constructed of wood and unsafe for cooking, the idea was abandoned.
This December the new American ambassador Gary Locke will participate in a special activity to be held in Zhengyici the new American ambassador Gary Locke will participate in a special activity to be held in Zhengyici. The popularity of the opera house and its growing revenue sources indicate it will continue to shine in modern times.
