The Feeling of Appreciating Fuzhou Opera

This was the first time experience of my life. I write this mainly for potential interested viewers from foreign land trying to find something culturally rich and interesting to enjoy. I am a Chinese by birth but lived in the US for most of my life. I hope my referral would help you to add this program into your China Tour itinerary. Ya, you!

Not only this was my first, it also the first for my two brothers, aged 62 and 79. 

Minju, meaning Fuzhou Opera, took after Beijing Opera where actors not only have to sing but perform with their body languages such as the movement of hands, fingers, eyes, etc.  The make-ups are not as exotic as Beijing Opera and costumes are old fashion but appropriate.  Scripts are mostly created from old and historical stories, but colored with modern language and sometime even added commonly understood English words so audience could chime in laugh simultaneously.  What makes us the biggest impression was the music coming out of the front stage.  There was actually a whole team of orchestra, many string instruments were played along side with those chime and drums which are what the old fashion Opera's I used to see on TV.

Two actresses and one actor in this play, they are three of out of a total of 4 nationally certified Class One opera performers in this area.  The leading lady's voice was just wonderful. She sang effortlessly throughout the whole episol and that was her real voice (i.e. not forcing into high pitch like many western performers).  The other lad performer Ms Chen actually is the director of this Opera organization and theatre.  Boy, she was a performer, that her eyes, hands, body movement... showed that she is a real pro.

There was that funny and heart warming insert of plays by other supporting casts that the audiences liked. I have no doubt you will laugh even without understanding the local dialect, simply by watching their moves and shows.

Not far from the Opera House, there are a couple of hot spring hotels and massage places that you can enjoy after the evening culture event.  As a matter of fact, Fuzhou is the only place in China that is populated with high quality hot spring, something rare in China, if you are considering China to your nest visit.

It is long time ago, 1997 Oct 24, I remember we were received by President Jiang.

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