The Beijing Opera "The Orphan of Zhao" stands as a ceremonial production created by the Beijing Opera Theatre for the 10th anniversary of the People's Republic of China. First performed in 1959, this work has undergone nearly seventy years of sedimentation and polishing, establishing itself as a classic on the opera stage. It is not only a retained repertoire of the Beijing Opera Theatre but also a definitive signature piece and one of the most representative works in the modernization of Chinese opera during the 20th century.
As a masterpiece integrating various performance schools of Beijing Opera, "The Orphan of Zhao" embodies the performance essence of a generation of opera artists, reflecting both their inheritance of performance traditions and their spirit of artistic creation. The 1959 version featured Ma Lianliang as Cheng Ying, Zhang Junqiu as Princess Zhuangji, Tan Yuanshou as Zhao Wu, Zhang Hongxiang as Tu'an Gu, and Qiu Shengrong as Wei Jiang.
The opera's narrative originates from Yuan Dynasty playwright Ji Junxiang's adaptation of historical records from the "Zuo Zhuan" and "Records of the Grand Historian," set during the reign of Duke Ling of Jin in the Spring and Autumn period. The story recounts how minister Zhao Dun is framed by the treacherous official Tu'an Gu, leading to the execution of his entire family. The tale of "The Orphan of Zhao" has been continually adapted across various opera genres throughout different eras, accumulating unique national aesthetics and value resonance, making it one of the most internationally influential works of classical Chinese opera.
The Beijing Opera adaptation, with its script revised by Wang Yan and directed by Zheng Yiqiu and Wang Yan, structurally draws from Ma Jianling's Qin Opera version of the same name. Wang Yan expanded the scenes to create a larger-scale production, consisting of twelve acts including "Playing with Pellet," "Touching the Locust Tree," "Releasing the Hounds," "Delivering the Message," "Stealing the Orphan," "Interrogation at the Gate," "Offering the Orphan," "Returning with the Army," "Beating the Infant," "Meeting the Mother," "Viewing the Portrait," and "Eliminating the Traitor." The addition of the "Meeting the Mother" scene, where the orphan Zhao Wu accidentally encounters his birth mother Princess Zhuangji, paves the way for the subsequent "Viewing the Portrait" scene, making Cheng Ying's revelation of the orphan's background more natural and emotionally powerful.
While absorbing the essence of the traditional Beijing Opera "Searching for the Orphan to Save the Orphan," the production streamlined the narrative by cutting excessive transitional scenes, resulting in a more complete, focused, and tightly-paced storytelling. These modifications were driven by theatrical effectiveness and narrative requirements rather than mere innovation for its own sake.
The 1950s and 1960s witnessed a flourishing period for newly composed historical Beijing Opera works. Productions like "The Orphan of Zhao," "The Wild Boar Forest," "General and Premier Make Peace," "Women Generals of the Yang Family," and "Jiujiangkou" were grounded in tradition, representing continuity through new adaptations rather than entirely new creations. Through these works, Beijing Opera completed its transformation from classical to modern form.
The cast of "The Orphan of Zhao" was unparalleled, featuring Ma Lianliang as Cheng Ying, Tan Fuying as Zhao Dun, Zhang Junqiu as Princess Zhuangji, Qiu Shengrong as Wei Jiang, with the youngest role of Zhao Wu played by Tan Yuanshou. These masters, all founding figures of the Beijing Opera Theatre, were at the peak of their artistic careers during this collaboration. They brought their respective school's performance essence to character portrayal, achieving artistic perfection through sincere cooperation and continuous refinement.
Ma Lianliang, founder of the Ma School and one of the most outstanding performers of the elderly male role (laosheng), was approaching sixty when he portrayed Cheng Ying. While the text was adapted from Qin Opera, Ma's performance inherited and developed the essence of the traditional Beijing Opera "Searching for the Orphan to Save the Orphan." He integrated singing, recitation, and acting comprehensively into the character, always prioritizing Cheng Ying's emotional journey.
In the "Viewing the Portrait" scene, Ma modified the traditional musical pattern from Erhuang daoban to huilong and then to fan erhuang yuanban, not for innovation's sake but to serve the character's emotional state. In the famous aria "Old Cheng Ying finds it hard to hold back tears while lifting the brush," he pushed the Ma School's lyrical singing style to its extreme, seamlessly matching musical pattern changes with character emotions.
Ma also perfected the art of Beijing Opera recitation in "The Orphan of Zhao," balancing weight and lightness, reality and abstraction. In the "Revealing the Truth" scene, rhythmic recitation progressively builds emotional intensity, maintaining poetic rhythm while adapting to dramatic context with lifelike delivery.
The Tan family contributed significantly to the production across two generations, with Tan Fuying portraying Zhao Dun and Tan Yuanshou as the orphan Zhao Wu under Tan Fuying's personal guidance.
Zhang Junqiu's portrayal of Princess Zhuangji fully demonstrated the Zhang School's combination of magnificence and deep emotion. As the crucial female character and narrative thread, Zhang's arrangement and handling of arias reflected his understanding of performance rhythm, ranging from leisurely Xipi manban to低沉singing resembling sobs.
Although Wei Jiang is a supporting role, Qiu Shengrong's innovative and brilliant interpretation not only created the classic aria "I, Wei Jiang, feel as if awakened from a dream upon hearing these words" but also elevated the Qiu School art to new heights. Qiu's principles of "appropriateness" and "integration" guided his character portrayal and musical innovation, breaking boundaries between vocal-focused and action-focused painted face roles (tongchui hualian and jiazi hualian) and forming the unique Qiu School performance style.
"The Orphan of Zhao" achieved its status as a masterpiece integrating performance arts through the sincere collaboration of Beijing Opera school founders at their artistic peak. For nearly seventy years since its premiere, it has remained one of the most frequently performed works by the Beijing Opera Theatre. Mastering this comprehensive work that integrates multiple school arts represents true inheritance of school essence, posing higher demands and greater challenges for successors. Each generation of Beijing Opera Theatre performers considers performing this opera proficiently both a responsibility and an honor.
Through generational transmission, "The Orphan of Zhao" has faithfully preserved the performance art essence embodied in the repertoire. In recent years, young actors like Mu Yu and Zhang Kai have taken leading roles in this production, receiving high praise from audiences. The opera's regular and frequent performances demonstrate classic works' ability to dialogue with contemporary times, showing how school performance essence is relayed, inherited, and developed through repertoire transmission.
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