A brilliant performance by Chinese artists provided an opportunity
for foreigners living and working in Beijing, to sample an
authentic touch of Chinese theater on Saturday night.
About 1,000 experts, diplomats and business people from 50 nations
were invited to a performance of The Teahouse, a drama
performed by a new generation of actors of the Beijing People's Art
Theater.
Aptly dressed for the occasion in traditional Chinese-style
garments, Tom Test, a geologist from the United States, and his
wife Sandra, were among those thrilled by the play which vividly
captures the atmosphere of Beijing in the first half of the 20th
century.
"This very good play has helped me understand Chinese people at
that time. The characters in the play are very believable as we can
find these kind of people in any society," said Test.
He
attributed the success of the play to the combination of its
serious theme and humorous language, which mirrors the daily lives
of ordinary people from the 1890s to 1940s, a time of profound
change in China.
"I
could understand the story line with the help of English subtitles,
although I didn't catch every Chinese word," added his wife.
Written by famous Chinese writer Lao She, the drama is a microcosm
of the changing times as witnessed from the angle of a teahouse
called "Yutai." With its earthy and witty repartee it also proved a
hit with many young people in the audience.
"It's great! I can feel the changes happening in China compared
with the stage play," said Essie Russell, a young British girl who
works for a foreign-funded company in the capital.
This is the 494th performance of the drama since its debut by a
previous generation of actors in March 1958.
In
September 1980, The Teahouse was invited to tour 15 cities
in West Germany, France and Switzerland, where it was a phenomenal
success. Local critics hailed the drama as "a miracle from the
theatrical Art of the Orient."
The play was also performed in Japan's Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and
Hiroshima in 1983.
(China Daily February 10, 2003)