Kunqu Opera, a symbol of Chinese traditional culture, has been performed free-of-charge at a university in Hangzhou since the beginning of this year as part of the nation's efforts to preserve the genre, which is on the verge of extinction.

At a recent seminar on Kunqu Opera to mark the 360th anniversary of the birth of Hong Sheng, a well-known Kunqu playwright, each of the seven Kunqu Opera troupes in China will hold at least 20 performances for students on campus every year since 2005. The performances will be funded by the central and local governments, said sources at the meeting held in Hangzhou, the capital of east China's Zhejiang Province.

Lu Yuzhong, an official from the Art Department of the Ministryof Culture, said that in May 2004, the ministry drafted a set of measures to rescue and support Kunqu Opera. Under the conservation scheme, in the next five years three to four protection zones of the Opera will be established in the nation, 10 profound, exquisite new Kunqu operas will be created and 15 traditional operas will be resurged.

In the coming spring, the Zhejiang Kunqu Troupe has decided to perform for students at major colleges and universities in the province, including Zhejiang University based in the provincial capital. Performers will then explain the performing forms and artistic characteristics of the Kunqu and exchange views with the students about Kunqu's literary plays.

Kunqu Opera, which emerged 600 years ago, combines songs, dances, poetry and theater, and is considered the best representation of Chinese aesthetic ideals and the ancestor of all local operas in the nation.

Known for its literacy grace and its elegant style, Kunqu Opera was a favorite form of entertainment for both the nobility and common people during the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1911).

In the heyday of Kunqu Opera, more than 100,000 performers, men of letters, officials, businessmen and prostitutes would gather at Huqiu Hill in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, every mid-Autumn festival to compete for an annual award.

In this age of television and short attention spans, however, Kunqu Opera, also praised as a treasure of China's classical art, is facing a destiny of decline.

"It's the inevitable result of the TV era. Compared to going to theater for traditional operas, TV programs are easier, much cheaper and provide more choices," said famous Chinese playwright Wei Minglun.

"The only way for the ancient opera to survive and develop further is to make it popular again with the young generation," said Lin Weilin, head of the Zhejiang Kunqu Troupe.

A revised version of the Kunqu Opera classic, The Peony Pavilion, caused a sensation on the campus of the Zhejiang University in September 2004. At the end of last year, tickets to another Kunqu classic, Changshendian, or Hall of Eternal Youth, were sold to college students in Hangzhou at a 20 percent discount.

(Xinhua News Agency February 5, 2005)