Excellent opera works should resonate with the times at the same frequency, so that the dazzling ancient art can radiate new charm and style, integrate into the current people's life, and enter the hearts of contemporary audiences.

Still photo of Fan Jin Zhongju. Courtesy of Xie Tao

After more than 40 years of working as an artist, what I have learned most is that literary and artistic creation can never be separated from life. It is not only necessary to stick to cultural traditions, but also to echo the times. We have created a series of modern plays around major time nodes and major themes such as the 70th anniversary of Taiyuan's liberation, the 40th anniversary of reform and opening up, the celebration of the centennial of the founding of the Party, and the decisive battle to overcome poverty. Taiyuan old street trilogy "Shangma Street", "Qifeng Street", and "Yingxin Street", which reflect the local humanistic spirit in different periods, and the modern play "Geliang Liang Shang", which represents the achievements of poverty alleviation, are all from the perspective of small figures to interpret the development of the big era, and traditional operas to interpret the new chapter of the era. However, Fan Jin Zhongju, Under Lanke Mountain, Fu Shan Goes to Beijing, Yu Chenglong, Zhuang Zhou Examines His Wife and other works are successful because they follow the historical context of traditional drama and pay attention to the expression of humanistic meaning of the times, which is a successful practice of artistic integrity and innovation of Jin Opera. In particular, the newly edited historical play "Zhuang Zhou Examining His Wife", from style to characterization, from script features to creative ideas, integrates a variety of drama performance systems. The aesthetic interpretation is flexible and poetic, and contains in-depth thinking on human nature.

For opera performers, integrity and innovation are not slogans, but to shape each role with sincerity, true feelings and sincerity. As an old female student, I strive to create an artistic image with both shape and spirit while transcending the challenges of gender and age. There are some things that are not enough or available in this industry or even in the art category in the characterization of new plays. Therefore, it is necessary to find and borrow the performance methods of other industries or plays, and "turn" the programs required for characterization into one through the expression of characters' emotions, the expression of subtle body charm, the transmission of psychological activities, and the creation of stage atmosphere. Fan Jin in Fan Jin Zhongju has its limitations if it is expressed only by the old man's routine. In the creation, it needs to integrate the steps and skills of clowns and poor people to reflect the character. Among them, broom skill, beard skill, chair skill and rich vocal use are to show the richness of the character's heart more fully. Fu Shan in "Fu Shan Goes to Beijing" is quite different. This stage image has never appeared on the stage of Jin Opera. Therefore, while learning from the Qi School and Ma School of Beijing Opera, the play grasped the image characteristics of "stubborn old man", and combined the observation in life with the opera performance program after breaking it, achieving good results. In the last scene of Down Lanke Mountain, Zhu Maichen had a long speech. I reflected his wavering inner feelings and showed the multi-level reflection of human nature through the speed of speech, the severity of voice, and the performance of eyes, sleeves, and robes.

No matter how many performances have been performed, in different times, on different occasions, facing different audiences, new insights may be generated in the performance. When creating characters, I pay special attention to the side of the characters that can most resonate with the audience. For example, Fan Jin in Fan Jin Zhongju, I tried to show his frustration that he tried his best but was not accepted or recognized. Because this emotion is common, everyone can see his own shadow from Fan Jin. When shaping the image of Zhu Maichen in Down Lanke Mountain, I tried to express the value orientation and cognition of contemporary people on marriage. The emotional problems and puzzles encountered by the protagonist are common in real life. The whole work is like a modern play in ancient costume. Many audiences reported that they felt deeply after watching the play and began to reflect on how couples should better understand and communicate with each other. When performing Yu Chenglong at Jackie Chan's first official place (today's Guangxi Luocheng Mulao Autonomous County), I hope to be able to reproduce his spiritual core of honesty, integrity and dedication to the people in the most emotional way. When I said the line "Luocheng people, good!", I choked up. I felt that Jackie Chan had returned to this land in the dark, and the audience in Luocheng seemed to feel this sentiment, and responded with warm applause.

Any form of opera art will not lose its audience as long as it meets the aesthetic needs and artistic fashion of the times. Whether in rural or urban areas, whether in schools or communities, whether on the stage or on the podium, I have never forgotten and always practiced the original intention of "inheriting and carrying forward the art of Jin Opera, so that Jin Opera can serve the times and the people". It is the mission of the people of Shanxi Opera to sing every play conscientiously, dedicate the best art to the audience, pass on the excellent traditional Chinese culture contained in Shanxi Opera, and reflect more brilliant brilliance in the light of the times.

(The author is the vice chairman of the Chinese Dramatists Association)