Meet Yong Opera Veteran Performer Wang Jinwen, Experience the Charm of Yong Opera

"Since I was young I liked performing. My years of training and study of Yong Opera have only deepened my appreciation for the art. Each local opera embodies the regional culture, and from these, one can gain insight into the local people and their customs."

A traditional form of Chinese folk art, Yong Opera is unique in that its sung in the local Ningbo dialect. Popular among residents, its performances cover a range of Qing dynasty dramas, 19300s qipao and even modern dramas. Wang Jinwen is a reknown Yong opera performer and Ningbo Focus had the chance to have a chat with her.

A first-level national performer and winner of the 20th Chinese Drama Plum Blossom Prize, Wang Jinwen enjoys special recognition of the state council. She entered into opera training in 1980 and in 1984, started to work in the Ningbo Yong Opera Troupe. Since July 1998, she has worked in the Ningbo Art Theatre. Currently she is the Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of Art of Ningbo Yan Yi Group Co. Ltd.

Ningbo Yong Opera Troupe, founded in 1953, is currently the only professional Yong Opera performance group. The troupe has performed in Beijing, Shanghai, Xi an, Hangzhou, Shaoxing and other major cities and Ningbos every district (and county), and successfully performed in Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Europe.

In Ms Wangs own words, Since I was young I liked performing. My years of training and study of Yong Opera have only deepened my appreciation for the art. Each local opera embodies the regional culture, and from these, one can gain insight into the local people and their customs. For more than 30 years, Wang Jinwen has played many successful roles, with a special talent for tragic female roles, many of which have become classic art characters.

During my career, masters Jin Yulan, Xu Qiuxia and Cao Dingying have inspired me the most, Wang Jinwen said. Their passion for the career, perseverance and dedication are awe inspiring.

Wang Jinwen also has her own insights about the inheritance of Yong Opera. Every era has different values and norms. Opera should always conform to its contemporary audiences aesthetic ideas. We should also absorb pieces of other arts performance modes. Besides carefully choosing good dramas and actors, we should also keep pace with the times in terms of social publicity and marketing. By developing teaching programmes to include the introduction of the Yong Opera culture into the local teaching materials, we can cultivate our young audience and pass on this form of art for years to come.

LINK:	http://en.nbwh.gov.cn/art/2013/5/6/art_1325_39586.html...
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