Farewell My Concubine Blazes a Trail for Chinese-made Opera in the West

JANUARY 2008 will see a new version of the age-old Chinese tale Farewell My Concubine (Bawang Bie Ji)performed as a Western-style opera in the United States. At the invitation of the American Foundation for U.S.-China International Cultural Exchange, the China National Opera House will tour the show, sung in Mandarin, to San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., New York, Huston and Dallas. It is the first time a Chinese company has staged a Western-style opera based on a Chinese story in the U.S.

Farewell My Concubine is based on a famous historical incident from ancient China, somewhat akin to the tale of the Spartan king Leonidas leading his hopelessly outnumbered army to meet the Persian forces at the Thermopylae Pass in the fifth century B.C. The Chinese story, however, has a crucial romantic complication.

The tale centers on Xiang Yu, a heroic leader believed capable of uprooting a mountain with his bare hands. In alliance with another rebel leader, Liu Bang, Xiang overthrew the tyrannical Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC). Liu Bang lacked Xiang’s military prowess, but had all the savvy, self-restraint and deviousness Xiang lacked. The two divided their conquered territory after the Qin Dynasty’s demise, but each was determined to eliminate the other and become the nation’s sole ruler. To this end, Liu cultivated his strength by recruiting wise strategists and valiant generals, including Han Xin, who appears as the opera’s second leading man. In contrast Xiang alienated others with his conceit and willful nature.

When war finally broke out, Xiang’s fate was sealed. The last of his forces was wiped out by Liu’s army beside the Wujiang River in today’s Anhui Province. Xiang’s concubine Yu Ji was determined to be with her love until her last moments. After performing a final sword dance for Xiang, she killed herself on the blade. Heartbroken and, guilt-ridden about his leadership failings, yet too proud to accept defeat, 31-year-old Xiang Yu slashed his throat after the final battle with Liu.

Despite his flaws, Xiang Yu has always been remembered for dying with dignity and pride. Also because the tale of his doomed love for Yu Ji seems to resonate with people of all cultures. Their story has been told many times, most famously in a Peking Opera also entitled Farewell My Concubine. In 1993 a film of the same title directed by Chinese director Chen Kaige won the Golden Palm at the 46th Cannes Film Festival. It was the first movie from the People’s Republic to take the prestigious award. Chen’s film focuses on the friendship between two Peking Opera singers whose signature work is Farewell My Concubine, and helped propel Chinese actress Gong Li to international stardom.

The cast of the current version represents the cream of China’s contemporary theatrical artists. Director Cao Qijing is a multiple-prize-winning professor at the Beijing-based Central Academy of Drama. The lead roles are performed by the best of China’s youthful singing talent, including soprano Ruan Yuqun, who won the gold prize at the 2007 Martini Vocal Contest. A fresh graduate of the Central Conservatory of Music, Ruan is the youngest of the show’s cast.

The opera’s arias are beautifully tinged with subtle grief and sublimely delivered. The choreography and lighting have also been lauded for their wonderful expressivity. “American people will love seeing a show telling a Chinese story in a theatrical format they are familiar with,” said the American manager in charge of the opera’s U.S. promotion. The new version of this ancient tale proves once again that the tragic story of love between Xiang Yu and Yu Ji transcends time and cultures.