On the evening of August 17, as the lights dimmed in Wuhan's Hongshan Auditorium, the curtain rose on the opening performance of the Hubei Local Opera Art Exhibition—the Chu opera Tian Gengniu's Chronicle. Across the stage, the fields of Jianghan stretched into the distance, a water buffalo ambling slowly along, while the protagonist, farmer Tian Gengniu, clutching his whip, journeys from youth to old age, unfolding forty years of farming life through the melody of Chu opera. The hall was packed, and with a minimum ticket price of just 30 yuan, both veteran opera enthusiasts and younger audiences alike were able to touch the pulse of the Hubei countryside's evolving times.
Since its creation in 2023, Tian Gengniu's Chronicle has undergone ten revisions, been staged dozens of times, and drawn ever closer to the soil and its audiences through continuous refinement. As a nominee for the 18th Wenhua Award, the play is inspired by Yang Xiaoyun, a major grain grower from Yingcheng, Hubei. It innovatively employs a biographical narrative to link the eras of the household contract responsibility system, the wave of migrant labor, land transfers, and rural revitalization. Through the farming story of four generations in one family, it charts the transformation trajectory of China's agricultural modernization. Tian Gengniu's Chronicle sings of a farmer's lifelong bond with the land, and stands as a testament to the renewal of farming civilization.
"Chu opera evolved from grassroots art, so rural themes fit it naturally," said Zhan Chunyao, a Plum Blossom Award winner who plays the title role. To authentically portray the character's forty-year age span, he observed the physicality of elderly villagers, meticulously honed the character's signature "splayed-foot" gait, and repeatedly calibrated his posture and expressions in front of a mirror. When the troupe toured with the show to rural areas, the response from grassroots audiences was the most enthusiastic: "They felt the story happened right in their own neighborhood, that it was about their own parents' experiences."
"We innovate on the basis of preserving tradition—we want old fans to hear the authentic Chu opera style, but we also want to invite younger audiences into the theater," said Li Daoguo, the music director. The opera's core musical theme is drawn from the melodic foundation of One Flower Brings Ten Thousand Blossoms, while also weaving in Jianghan Plain flower-drum tunes and local folk songs. Zhang Ying, who plays the female lead Zhang Lala, admitted that from the outset, the director made it clear to "play the character, not the role type," breaking away from the stylized frameworks of huadan and qingyi, ultimately creating a sharp-tongued yet warm-hearted rural woman.
"If art lacks an audience, it's merely admiring oneself in the mirror." The production insists on live orchestral accompaniment and live singing, with performers maintaining their composure even when sweat streams into their eyes. Many fans have followed the show since its premiere, watching its growth and transformation on second and third viewings. This Hubei Local Opera Art Exhibition, hosted by the Hubei Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, spans 15 days, showcasing 11 full-length operas and 18 short plays across 14 local Hubei opera genres, with performances at six major theaters citywide. On this land with its deep opera heritage, traditional art is telling vivid, heartfelt Chinese stories through a distinctly contemporary lens.
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