By Daniel Arimborgo
Relations between the governments of China and the United States may have been strained by the downing of the U.S. spy plane, but that hasn't affected the cultural exchange that is always fostered by performing arts.
In celebration of spring, Flushing Town Hall last weekend hosted an exhibition of the Chinese arts, part of the Spring Chinese Arts Festival.
Some of the best of arts and artists from the Sino-American Arts and Communications Company, based in Flushing were on hand.
In all, seven performances were presented, including operettas, chamber recital music, folk music, and a magic act.
Meilin Tan of the Asian division of the governor's newly formed Bureau of Refugee and Immigrant Affairs, a Brooklyn-based office which assists refugee-immigrants, said that the performers are mostly from mainland China and now live in Flushing.
“They start training very early, when they are children,” she said.
The costumes were stunning, made of bright-colored silks, complemented with powerful stage lighting.
The high-decible clanging and clashing of the orchestral percussion accompaniment demanded attention.
The first performance, “Lady Glory's Trek to the North,” an operetta, tells how Lady Glory, a court lady-in-waiting in the Han Dynasty, played by Hui-Xin Bai, falls prey to evil politics of the day. She is sent by her father to the north to marry the king of the Huns, barbarians to the Chinese. The act distantly resembled the famous “King and I” ballroom scene.
Lady Glory comes out festooned with a magnificent headdress: two long pheasant feathers emanating from her head, which weaved and bobbed as she moved, making her resemble a giant, graceful butterfly. The actors' shadows, cast on the rear stage curtains, emphasized their costumes.
Amid much fanfare and ritual , as is characteristic of many Chinese operettas, the bride and king begin their courtship. The Hun-King groom, played by Ya-hui Sun, performed some heart-stopping handsprings and back flips.
In the next performance, musician Yu-Jiang Yang played a piece called “Endless River” on the erhu, a single-stringed instrument which is played with a bow and sounds like the violin. .
A folk dance, “Nuptial Chamber,” evoked an unmistakably similar rhythm to American folk style. The comic performance portrayed a country bride and bride groom's joy and shyness after entering the bridal chamber, partially disrobing in preparation for their wedding night, all done in dance.
A Beijing operetta, “Fisherman's Revenge,” told the story of Ruan Xiaoqi, a Kung Fu master who led a solitary life in eastern China. Living with his daughter Xiao Guiying, he eked out a small living. A ruthless tyrant, Ding, bullies Xiaoqi, until the fisherman can take no more humiliation and harassment, and fights back.
The evil Ding, who is dressed like a common thug when compared to the resplendent Xiaoqi, first demands, then cajoles, and finally pleads for taxes from Xiaoqi, all while getting bested in the Kung-Fu department. In the end, he is just happy to be allowed to exit the confrontation, for him a losing proposition, especially after his henchmen abandoned him.
“Well Burial,” an episode from Changan Hill, was simply spectacular and colorful. It tells the story of Cao Cao, a sinister warlord, who learns that his rival Liu Bei, who later established the Han Dynasty, has led his troops, family and other civilians on a retreat from Xinye. Cao Cao commands his army in hot pursuit. He catches up with Liu at Changan Hill, and a battle ensues in the pitch darkness of night. Liu once again escapes, dispersing his family and troops.
Liu's faithful General Zhao Yun, played by Gui-chen Zhao dressed resplendently in bright, blue battle armor, battle flags splaying upwards from his shoulder blades, single-handedly leads a rear-guard action. After bouts of fierce fighting against an enemy force led by General Zhang He, General Zhao manages to save his master Liu Bei's family, including his baby son Ah Dou, who later becomes the Crown Prince.
Madame Mi, Liu's wife, however, is suffering from a fatal arrow wound. Madame Mi entrusts the loyal general with her son despite his protests, and throws herself into a well.
The two warrior generals performed dances symbolic of the battles fought, and there were some spectacular acrobatics as well, with General Yun at one point climbing on top of a desk, symbolic of Changban Hill, and doing a back flip off of it.
For information on upcoming performing arts at Flushing Town Hall, call 463-7700.
