Kunqu Opera Master

In 2001 at UNESCO, an operatic art was made the first list of World Intangible Cultural Heritages. But fifty years earlier, Kunqu Opera had been at its lowest ebb. For 600 years, it was China's prevalent form of entertainment and inspired many off-shoots. But diversity eventually diluted its power. It seemed that Kunqu Opera was only lingering on. But one man said it was never meant to die. He's Cai Zhengren. From a budding player to a master of the art, Cai Zhengren has played a central role in the revival and rejuvenation of Kunqu.

On Shaoxing Road in downtown Shanghai sits the home of the Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe.A workday here usually begins with a full rehearsal.Cai Zhengren is its most loyal audience member.

The retired director of the Troupe and an actor himself, Cai is often joined by a circle of students after a strenuous round of preparation.

Cai Zhengren said, "A rigorous inheritance and a vigorous development makes the future of Kunqu Opera."

Throughout his career as a Kunqu performer, Cai was regarded as a rigorous inheritor and an inspiring performer.

In a Shanghai studio, Cai recorded the vocals for Ban Zhao, an upcoming opera film based on the life of the Han Dynasty historian.

The period opera is being remade for the big screen.

Cai Zhengren plays Ma Xu, who worked with Ban Zhao to complete the writing of classical Chinese history --- the Book of Han.

Kunqu performers could have only dreamed of a film role like that fifty years ago.

Cai Zhengren said, "Kunqu opera was at a low ebb when I was enrolled. Those who mastered the art from were down to around twenty. I was honored to be among the first batch of actors of Kunqu opera after the founding of New China. We learned the opera and inherited the art. It seems that Kunqu wasn't meant to die."

In 1954, Cai was picked from several thousand applicants to study at the East China Opera Research Institute.

He started to learn the Young Male role under the masters Shen Chuanzhi, Zhou Chuanying and Yu Zhenfei.

This is Yu Zhenfei's voice and Cai Zhengren's performance in the famous aria "Grieving Over the Statue."

For 38 years, until Yu died in 1993, Cai observed and imitated his teacher, trying to master the essence of Yu's art.

Even today, Cai is often seen carrying a book, which records the Yu style of singing.

The Notation and Breath Markings by Yu Sulu, father of Yu Zhenfei, is a guide in Cai's practice and a reminder of how his teacher brought the characters to life.

Cai Zhengren said, "I learned from Yu every time he on the stage. I could both play a eunuch and observe him on stage. If I were to perform in a previous show and couldn't play a eunuch, I would quickly remove the makeup and stand by the curtain at backstage and watch intently from distance. It was so memorable that now every time I close my eyes, the image of Yu performing 'Grieving over the Statue' appears."

The famous aria comes from Kunqu masterpiece "The Palace of Eternal Youth."

The fifty-act opera tells the love story of a Ming Emperor of the Tang Dynasty and his favorite consort Lady Yang.

The type of character is called Guansheng, or Male Official.

Emperors are played by the Big Male Official. The actors usually wear artificial beard and sing with verve in a commanding voice.

The role of the Ming Emperor was Cai's first on stage, and the one he's played the most often.

He made the role his own through his understanding of the character.

Cai Zhengren said, "Emperors don't have true love, this is what was instilled in us in the 1950s. This is at great contrast to my performance of the Palace of Eternal Youth. In the experts of 'Disrupting the Party and Burying the Beauty,' I see strong emotion between the Ming Emperor and Lady Yang. So when I performed on stage, even in a time of the Leftists, I truly believe that the Emperor loves Lady Yang.

The Ming Emperor sings a melody 'The Pomegranate Blossom'... What a beautiful song! "

Cai has headlined many of the classic Kunqu opera pieces.

He's known for his sonorous voice and distinguished bearing.

They've brought him a Plum Blossom Award, the highest honor in Chinese opera, and a Shanghai Magnolia Award for operas.

Both in China and abroad, Cai has drawn fans, seeking autographs and eager to talk with him.

A burgeoning number of young and educated audiences have put an end to the decline of Kunqu opera.

The overwhelming success of the Youth Edition of the Peony Pavilion, supervised and promoted by Taiwan writer Pai Hsien Yung, is being replicated in more and more pieces.

Kunqu is regaining lost ground.

Beyond the pavilions and by water towns where Kunqu originated, the music is now received with an enthusiasm not seen for two centuries.

It's in these audiences that Cai finds reassurance in the course he began fifty years ago.

Cai Zhengren said, "From time to time, I talk to the photo of my teachers, Yu Zhenfei and Shen Chuanzhi. I have their photos with me at home. I tell them that my performance of the Palace Eternal Youth had a sold out audience. Two-thirds were young people. I said to them: 'You could never expect such an enthusiastic audience in such a short time!' My teachers didn't live to see it, but I did. I could not possibly live to see another peak in Kunqu, but I've noticed the trend."

In September 2008, Cai Zhengren staged a solo performance in Shanghai to celebrate his fifty years as a Kunqu artist.

It consisted of six Kunqu acts and ends with Tieguantu, in which Cai plays the miserable Chongzhen Emperor facing a collapsing Ming Dynasty.

Cai Zhengren said, "As a Kunqu opera actor of fifty years, I would like to summarize with two sentences: Kunqu is developing and it depends on all of us."

Every Thursday and Friday, Cai comes to the Shanghai Conservatory of Drama.

Students from across the country come to learn Kunqu here. It's one of the best schools for the art. Students get an early start, playing extras on stage from a young age.

In these young and aspiring faces, Cai seems to find a younger self, one full of energy and enthusiasm, eagerly absorbing the nuances of performing...and getting ready for the next show.