Source: Institute of Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage
Written by: Institute of Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage
Translated by: Chen Xi
Edited by: Wang Dongmei

Invited by Vanderbilt University, the Confucius Institute in Indianapolis, the Confucius Institute at Universidad Autonoma de Yucatan and the Confucius Institute at Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, the Institute of Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage and Lingnan Opera League of Sun Yat-sen University made a touring performance in the United States and Mexico from March 7th to March 22nd, which was highly welcomed by the audiences and achieved a great success.

On March 7th, the first performance of Lingnan Opera League was shown at the Confucius Institute in Indianapolis. It started with an opening address by Professor KANG Baocheng, Director of Institute of Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage of SYSU, in which he told the story of Peking Opera Master Mr. Mei Lanfang’s visit to the United States in the 1930s and showed SYSU students’ passion of transmitting traditional Chinese culture. Dr. XU Zaocheng and Dr. WU Menji, presidents of the Confucius Institute in Indianapolis, watched the performance together with IUPUI students and local audience. The local newspaper Indy Asian American Times reported this event with the title of “The Quintessence of Chinese Culture Bursts into Bloom”. 

On March 13th, the Turner Recital Hall of Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University was packed out. Professor Tim McNamara, the Vice Provost, Professor Mark Wait, the Dean of Blair School of Music from Vanderbilt University; and Professor KANG Baocheng, the Director of the Institute of Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage, respectively addressed at the opening, looking back at the collaboration history between Vanderbilt and SYSU, introducing Lingnan Opera League and expressing a wish of further and deeper collaboration between the two universities.


The performance began with the Chinese drama music General’s Mandate. Then, Goddess of Heaven Scattering Flowers, Chungui Dream, Yaohuan Xie… All the performances by the actors and actresses won a lot of applause from the audience. With the explanation of the Master of Ceremonies, the American audience got to know that different from the Western theatre, it’s an opposite way to watch and appreciate Peking Opera – yelling out while finding your favorite is highly welcomed. Thus, besides applause, the American audience started to give chuckle of delight, yelled out when they found good singing, acts and so on. The demonstration of Pick Up the Jade Bracelet, played by Mr. WU Di, showed how Peking Opera presents scenes of feeding chickens, threading a needle and embroidering in both actual and virtual ways; the demonstration of Strolling around the West Lake • Legend of the White Snake by Mr. QI Teng and other two students virtually showed a scene of standing on a touring boat; the demonstration of A Pouch Embroidered with Unicorn presented by Ms. QIN Yu using various stunts to express the emotions of being shocked, excited, etc., all of which earned a lot of applause. Among the audience, there was a couple in their seventies who made a special trip from Bloomington, Indiana to Vanderbilt University, Nashville to watch the performance. They said: “It’s a long time we haven’t seen Pingju (that is Peking Opera). We are very excited seeing your performance.” When they knew that most performers are SYSU students who are amateurs and have learned and practiced Peking Opera for less than two years, they thumbed up and said: “Amazing, amazing!”

After the performance, Professor Joy Calico from Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University sent an email to express her love for the performance and her appreciation of the beauty and delicacy of Peking Opera.

The two shows in Mexico also created a sensation among the audience. At the Confucius Institute at Universidad Autonoma de Yucatan, the hall which could accommodate three hundred seats was packed out, and some audience had to stand at the two sides of the hall to see the performance. According to Mr. ZHANG Zhe, the Chinese President of Confucius Institute at Universidad Autonoma de Yucatan, it was the first time that Peking Opera was performed in Yucatan. Although the local language is Spanish, the performance by SYSU teachers and students earned the audience’s applause and knowing smiles.

At Mexico’s National Museum of Art in Mexico City, twenty minutes before the show started, there had been a long queue in front of the museum. After it ended, Curator Carlos awarded Lingnan Opera League a memorial tablet and every member of the group a commemorative certificate of participation. Mexican mainstream media, including Milenio, 20minutos, Protocolo, Eluniversal and Hoytamaulipas, reported this event. Meanwhile, the website of China Radio International interviewed Lingnan Opera League and published a special report on it.

Professor SUN Xintang, the Chinese President of Confucius Institute at Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, emailed Professor KANG Baocheng and said: “Thank you for your excellent performance which has produced a strong effect in Mexico.”