The popular youth edition of the Kunqu opera "Peony Pavilion" was presented again at the National Center for the Performing Arts this weekend. The three-night performance celebrated the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China.
This is the tenth time the full version of the youth edition of "Peony Pavilion" was staged in Beijing. A successful adaptation of the Kunqu opera classic, "Peony Pavilion" has been presented to enthusiastic audiences at home and abroad more than 170 times. More than two-thirds of the viewers are young people.
Cai Shaohua, head of Suzhou Kunqu Opera Theatre, said, "The tickets are sold out again. But there are still many fans who didn't get tickets. For instance, some college students from Tianjin didn't get tickets and could only buy DVDs. On Friday night, Premier Wen Jiabao watched our performance. He highly praised it and encouraged us to produce more pieces like this. "
Peony Pavilion is the story of a young lady, Du Liniang. She falls in love with a scholar she'd only met once in a dream and dies out of longing for him. Her ghost finds the scholar and carries her love to him. The scholar brings her back to life and after many twists and turns the two finally marry.
