On June 30, the "Lanting Pavilion" yaji cultural salon on Chinese Yu Opera and calligraphy was held at the China Cultural Center in Paris. The event was co-hosted by the China Cultural Center in Paris, the China Arts and Entertainment Group Ltd., as well as the Culture, Radio, TV & Tourism Bureau of Kaifeng, and was co-organized by the Kaifeng Investment Group and China Performing Arts Agency.
Liu Hongge, director of the China Cultural Center in Paris; Ji Suchen, deputy general manager of the China Arts and Entertainment Group Ltd.; Wang Lu, general manager of the China Performing Arts Agency; and over 100 Chinese and French guests attended the cultural salon.
Wu Suzhen, now an inheritor of the Chen School of Yuju Opera, who in 2019 won the Plum Performance Award, China's top honor for traditional Chinese theatrical art, performed on stage in the traditional "qingyi" role of Yu Opera. Wu specializes in the role of qingyi — dignified female characters who often exude elegance and maturity. Wu performed an excerpt from the operaFanwang Gong (Palace of Brahma)to narrate a beautiful Chinese love story.
At the event, besides vividly explaining the professional aspects of Chinese opera through body movements and vocal demonstrations, Wu also invited the French audience to learn opera on the spot.
Originating from Henan province, Yu Opera is China's leading local opera with the largest number of performers and troupes. In 2006, it was listed by the State Council as part of the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage. In recent years, as Yu Opera has continuously reached the world stage, it has earned the title of "Eastern Aria" in the West.
This cultural salon served as an excellent warm-up for the upcoming 9th Traditional Chinese Opera Festival in Paris to be held in November.
After the opera performance, attendees moved to the calligraphy experience area, where they watched the renowned calligrapher Li Jian demonstrate his unique "slender gold" calligraphy style. "Slender gold" is a unique style of calligraphy attributed to Zhao Ji, Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), named for its resemblance to twisted and turned gold filament in Zhao's writing.