Macao is small with a population of 560000 people, but “Spring of Macao—Macao and Mainland Artists Gala” sponsored by CFLAC and China Theatre Association Plum Blossom Award Art Troupe’s tour in Macao has aroused great enthusiasm. In this second session, the scale is unprecedented with so many stars and popular programs. Shang Changrong, Pei Yanling, Jiang Kun, Li Weikang, Geng Qichang and Lin Weilin…all those top artists from mainland filled Macao with excitement.
As Ji Guoping, head of the art troupe and vice president of China Theatre Association (CTA), introduced, entrusted by and on behalf of CFLAC, the art troupe were delighted to visit Macao to present the performance. Different from their previous performance in celebration of the 7th anniversary of Macao’s returning in 2006, it was more a gala with Macao counterpart than a mere showcase of the art troupe’s artistry, which bears a more profound significance in strengthening art exchange and cooperation between mainland and Macao.
In the gala, the first program on stage is the aboriginal dance full of Macao’s expression “Feeling for Macao”, which was featured by Suma Anna and her team from Portuguese Aboriginal Dance Association. Pairs of youngsters dressed in traditional Portuguese costumes danced trippingly to the melody. When they moved to the main guest table, they conveyed their friendship, harmony and solidarity in a passionate way. As soon as this dance came to an end, Liang Dijia, local young instrumentalist of Chinese traditional music presented his Zither performance Flowing Stream. With a profound cultural significance, his performance was highly echoed by mainland artists. Those two programs dedicated by Macao artists, active or serene, had brought the mainland peers to appreciate the cultural power of Macao.
This is just a good beginning of this gala, and the re-decorated main curtain gave off a colorful reflection, on which plum blossom, the art troupe’s symbol, and lotus, Macao’s emblem, enhanced each other’s beauty. The representative artists of Peking opera, Kunqu, Cantonese opera, Yue opera, Caicha opera, Huai opera and Huangmei opera performed their classic repertoire in succession. In particular, famous Cantonese artists in Macao audience’s favor such as Ding Fan, Mai Yuqing, Jiang Wenrui, Yao Zhiqiang, Ou Kaiming and Chen Yunhong performed popular acts like Palace of Longevity on July 7th, Rendez-vous in Flower Field, and Wu Han Killed Wife. In the Yue opera version of classic Chinese love story Butterfly Lover famous at every household, Wu Fenghua deliberately designed some new motions to reflect the hero’s adorable nature and his eagerness to see his love. Huangmei opera is a popular art both in the mainland and in Macao thanks to its representative theatre Fairy Couple. This time, Yang Jun dedicated the part of monologue in Female Royal Son-in-Law, and even the audience and guests couldn’t help singing together with the artist. Though Huai opera is a comparatively strange art to Macao, Chen Cheng’s 10-minute performance of Auntie Xianglin’s Question on the Sky totally overwhelmed the local audience and won their thunderous applauses. Her image of distracted and pitiful widow was acted to such an extreme that audiences were deeply touched by the heroine’s miserable experience and the actress’ beauty of sound and gesture. In Kunqu Lv Bu’s Trial on Horse, Lin Weilin, double award winner and “Martial Master in South China”, reached the acme of perfection in both singing and acting. Li Weikang, the first award winner, vice president of CFLAC and CTA, cooperated with her husband, Peking opera artist Geng Qichang, in presenting Wujiapo, which won acclamation of Macao audience. Moreover, Pei Yanling, vice president of CFLAC and CTA, brought out her legendary Fleeing by Night with extraordinary heroism. Though she presented the same program in Macao in 2006, this handsome artist at the age of 65 gave the audience a big surprise. At last, Shang Changrong, president of CTA, performed an act of the modern Peking opera Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy with his excellent artistry and melodious singing, which pushed the gala to the climax.
Mu Fanzhong, theatre critic in Macao and advisor of CTA, felt it an honor and happiness to appreciate those classic plays of various local operas by so many artists on one occasion in Macao. He hoped that those artists like Shang Changrong will bring the entire play of some opera onto the stage of Macao and enable the local audience to enjoy the excellent performing arts in a complete way.
This gala has become the most brilliant cultural banquet for Macao citizen in this early summer and a hot issue in casual talks of every household in Macoa. Teledifus?o de Macau (TDM) has given a full record of this gala and will soon broadcast it on TV and Internet so as to expand the influence. In the meantime of rehearsal on stage, TDM also conducted interviews with some artists on the characteristics of each opera and artists’ achievement. They will make a documentary gradually as a brief introduction of Chinese local operas to Macao audience.
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In the wake of “Spring of Macao—Macao and Mainland Artists Gala”, Yang Chengzhi, vice president of CFLAC came to the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao Special Administrative Region on May 31, to confer certificates of Honorary Member of CFLAC and Director of China Literature and Art Foundation (CLAF) to Lee Shing Chun, Lei Pang Chu and Sun Jiangtao. As Yang introduced, it was decided on the 9th National Congress of CFLAC that Lee Shing Chun and Lei Pang Chu were selected as honorary member of CFLAC. They fully deserve this honor because for years they have not only made outstanding achievement in literature and arts, but also made positive contribution to promoting Chinese culture and exchange between Macao and mainland. On the third Board Meeting of CLAF this May, Sun Jiangtao was appointed as director, which was recognition and encouragement for his constant enthusiasm for cultural charity and cultural exchange.
