Peking Opera Suolin Purse

 Suo Lin Nang (锁麟囊) was written by Weng Ouhong in 1940 at the invitation of Cheng Yanqiu,who was then one of the Four Peking Opera Masters.

The opera was premiered in May of the same year in Shanghai Golden Theatre and brought an instant sensation.Its moving plot,excellent lines as well as its graceful and lyrical music remain it as one of the most popular repertoires of Cheng-genre.

The newly-built Mei Lanfang Theater offers new incentives to Peking Opera performers. Next we'll introduce you a promising young Peking Opera performer, Zhang Huoding.

Peking Opera has many schools. Zhang Huoding, famous for playing male lead Qing Yi, is a disciple of the Cheng School. Let's follow our reporter Ning Yan to hear some of her best pieces.

Reporter:

Zhang Huoding's skillful singing and expressive dancing has won her many fans. But the road to success was not always smooth: She failed 6 times when applying to opera schools as a child, and she struggled to find jobs after graduating from the Tianjin Opera School. The turning point came when she met Zhao Rongchen, a famous disciple of Cheng Yanqiu. Zhao was impressed by Zhang Huoding's performance, and took her as his final student.

This soundtrack is Suo Linnang, one of Zhang Huoding's masterpieces, in which she plays female lead Xue Xiangling. She is a rich and kind-hearted girl. On her wedding day, she gives her Suo Linnnang, an accessory pouch full of jewels, to Zhao Shouzhen, a poor bride. Six years later, Xue Xiangling loses her family and fortune in a flood and finds work as a maid in Zhao Shouzhen's house. Zhao Shouzhen remembers her and her kind gift of the Suo Linnang, and helps reunite her with her family.

This scene is from the beginning of the play. On the way to her wedding, Xue Xiangling has met Zhao Shouzhen. She hears Zhao crying, and sympathizes with her feelings.

"Dream in Boudoir" is another masterpiece by Zhang Huoding. During wartime in the Han Dynasty, Wang Hui and Zhang Shi marry. Three days after their wedding, Wang Hui is forced to join the army and dies in battle a short time later. Zhang Shi misses her husband, and has recurring dreams about him. In some of these dreams, Wang Hui is killed by an arrow; in others, he returns home.

This excerpt is from a sweet dream of Wang Hui coming back from the battlefield.

Zhang Huoding is skilled at performing new pieces, as well as classics. Die Lian Hua, reply to Li Shuyi is a good example of this. The Ci style lyrics were written by the late Chairman Mao Zedong in 1957, after both Mao and his friend Li Shuyi had lost their beloveds, to hearten them as they mourned. Have a listen.