Xiqu

Wu Opera is a major regional genre in the province of Zhejiang. It is popular in the catchment of Jinhua district, which is why locals call it Jinhua Opera. Wu Opera is a hybrid of six singing styles from different traditional genres: gaoqiang, kunqiang, luantan, huixi, tanhuang and shidiao. Wu Opera performers are all highly skilled in martial arts. As they are versatile in both civil and martial elements, their performances can demonstrate boldness and tenderness at the same time, the line between civil and martial repertoires is often crossed – civil sequences may be played with martial acts, and martial segments could be sung instead. Artistically, Wu Opera is distinctly colourful, vivacious, intense and rustic. Performers are particularly good at playing dancing and martial scenes, highlighting the power of movements and strong emotions. Zhejiang Wu Opera Research Centre performed at the Chinese Opera Festival in 2013. Their brilliant performances were overwhelmingly received by the audience. Returning to Hong Kong with great fame, distinguished Wu Opera performing artists Yang Xiayun, Lou Sheng, Wu Wenling, etc. will be performing the classics of the Wu Opera repertoires. The full-length play Mu Guiying is an elaborate production that features superior martial skills. Other excerpts are performed with the traditional techniques and martial postures of Wu Opera. In Wang Ying Suffers Three Beatings, there is the water drinking stunt; in Burning Zidu Alive, there are face-changing tricks such as wiping and blowing, etc. The Broken Bridge from The Legend of the White Snake is a representative performance of adding martial touches to a civil style. The audience will unquestionably be thrilled by the “snake steps” of the White Snake and the Green Snake, added with Xu Xian’s “eighteen falls”.

Excerpts：
The Death of Zhou Yu
The Incident at White Water Beach
Wang Ying Suffers Three Beatings
Stopping the Horse
The Eighteen Arhats Fighting with Wukong