Tales from the Orient

IN the world of Kunqu opera in China, it is often said that male actors hate performing this piece. But Ke Jun, Kunqu performing artiste, is...

IN the world of Kunqu opera in China, it is often said that male actors hate performing this piece. But Ke Jun, Kunqu performing artiste, is doing just the opposite. Touring 15 cities across the country, the 38-year-old is presenting the piece8212;over and over.

The piece in question is Ling Chong Flees at Night. And why male actors in China avoid the piece becomes obvious when we see Jun perform.

The piece, or rather the art form, is a perfect blend of singing, reciting poetry, acting, dancing and the martial arts. 8216;8216;Doing all these things can be quite telling on an actor, but Jun loves it,8217;8217; says Jun8217;s interpreter Cecilia Siu Wai Wong.

Born in Kunshan, the birthplace of the nearly 700-year-old Kunqu opera, Jun learnt the intricacies of the art form at the Jiangsu theatrical school for seven years. Kunqu roles can be divided into various categories8212;sheng male role, dan female role, no middle-aged male role and chou clown. Sheng is sub-divided into laosheng aged male role and wusheng male warrior. Jun8217;s speciality is wusheng and wenwu laosheng civil and military old role.

In the amphitheatre of Delhi8217;s India Habitat Centre, unfolds the saga of Ling Chong, a key officer in command of 8,00,000 soldiers. Wong explains the play in English. A man of integrity, the officer begins to lose favour with the government which is increasingly becoming corrupt. 8216;8216;Chong is framed in one charge after another, forcing him to flee the country. The episode portrays the dichotomy of an officer torn between love for his country and the existing situation,8217;8217; says Wong. Facial expressions, especially the eyes, the use of martial arts, hand gestures8230; it all reminds one of Kutiyattam, the ancient form of Sanskrit theatre.

nbsp;	Kunqu Cues

		nbsp;	8226; In May 2001, UNESCO declared Kunqu opera as 8216;8216;the masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of human beings.8217;8217; 8226; Two of the main playwrights of Kunqu opera were Guan Hanquing and Wang Shifu. The latter8217;s play The West Chamber revolves around two lovers fighting for their rights to marriage.	nbsp;

On to the second episode which is much lighter. Jun slips easily into the role of a young civilian. He has taken the entrance exam for his new posting and is awaiting results. It shows the character of Ling getting drunk, losing balance. The use of martial arts is comparatively less, though he carries a sword in this part too. 8216;8216;As per the norms, everybody in the Tung dynasty used to carry a sword,8217;8217; offers Wong.

Flashback to the history of an art form considered to be the mother of traditional Chinese opera. Born in Kunshan in the Jiangsu Province of China, the form was marked by soft singing and minimal orchestral accompaniment. Wei Liangfu8212;a singer of melodies in the northern style8212;brought about the first major change when he migrated to Kunshan from Jianxi Province and combined the flavours of southern melodies with the northern.

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The musical form was then transformed into a stage drama, thanks to the efforts of Liang Chenyu. In the beginning, it hit a chord with the masses. In Jiangsu, even the most illiterate rural inhabitants could sing a line or two from major works. But with time, the opera became an elitist art form, 8216;largely due to the highly refined poetry8217;. The long duration of the plays also added to its decline. For instance, a play, The Peony Pavillion, was performed in Berlin in June 2001 and lasted 19 hours.

Though Jun is trying to change things. 8216;8216;I am trying to discard its elitist image by taking it to the masses,8217;8217; he says.

Ke Jun is performing in India as part of the SPIC MACAY World Virasat 2003 series and his last performance will be on December 15 in Kolkata.