CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- On the evening of April 17, by the riverbanks in Chongqing, a light breeze was blowing, and evening lights were lit. With the sky and ground as the backdrop and mountains and rivers as the stage, as the drum sounded, and a round of applause burst out, “Beauty of the quintessence of Chinese culture” – the Chongqing Night Jingyun Riverside Concert started at the square outside Chongqing Grand Theater.

As a treasure of traditional Chinese culture, Peking Opera is favored by countless audiences with its unique music for voices and profound cultural connotations. Under the unique night scenery of Chongqing, Chongqing Peking Opera Theater together with Chongqing Grand Theatre presented citizens a grand feast of Peking Opera with the sky and ground as the backdrop and mountains and rivers as the stage.

At 8 o'clock that evening, as drums and gongs and other traditional stringed and woodwind instruments were played, the Chongqing Night Jingyun Riverside Concert kicked off. The bustle from the Hongyadong and Qiansimen Bridge in the distance disappeared, and what can be heard was the melodious music of Peking Opera. Facing the dazzling scenery in the light and shadow, the square outside Chongqing Grand Theatre was like being in a unique space, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, where tradition and modernity met and integrated here.

Classic Peking Opera excerpts such as "The Drunken Concubine in Hundreds of Flowers Pavilion", "Farewell My Concubine", and "Monkey Makes Havoc in Heaven" were staged. The excerpts featured dignified Tsing Yi, lively female actresses, steady old actors, learned and refined young actors, and heroic painted roles. Sometimes two clowns appeared on the stage, who were full of witty remarks, making the “quintessence of Chinese culture” more vivid and lively.

The meeting between traditional Chinese Peking Opera and Riverside Concert, the popular original brand of Chongqing Grand Theatre, brought many highlights: tumbling, fighting, throwing, falling, and dancing, various in forms and wonderful in content; Drums, Beijing erhu, Yueqin, and many other characteristic instruments played... The audience were immersed in such wonder performances, with cheers and applause heard constantly.

“Some well-known classical excerpts of Peking Opera were selected for this concert, including four kinds of roles “Sheng, Dan, Jing and Chou", in order to show the charm of Peking Opera to the audience in an all-round way and popularize Peking Opera in a way the public like." Wang Xiaoping, secretary of the General Party Branch of Chongqing Peking Opera Theater, said, "With the rise of China-Chic culture, more and more young people get interested in Peking Opera, which calls on us to actively attract young audiences. In the past, we usually performed in our own theater, and the audience were Peking Opera fans. Now we go out of the theater, present Peking Opera to more audience, and let more people enjoy the beauty of the quintessence of Chinese culture." (Translated by Hu Chuanmin, Fathom Language Limited)