China

With a history spanning more than four centuries, Wu Opera originated in Wuzhou, now Jinhua, in eastern China’s Zhejiang Province. While artists from Anhui Province traveled north to perform in Beijing in the late eighteenth century and laid the foundation for Peking Opera, Wu Opera represented another branch of the same root, which had traveled eastward two centuries earlier. Founded in 1956, the Zhejiang Wu Opera Troupe has both revived traditional works and created new works. The troupe’s performances represent a synthesis of music, dance, and acrobatics. The troupe has performed in Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Cuba, France, Germany, Japan, Romania, Singapore, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, and Vietnam.

Chen Meilan 陈美兰, vocalist and operatic performer
Chen Xiaojian 陈晓建, operatic martial arts performer
Chen Xingshun 陈兴顺, operatic martial arts performer
Dong Guojian 董国建, operatic martial arts performer
Du Xiangjun 杜湘君, musician, huihu/er’hu (string instruments)
Hu Dongxiao 胡东晓, operatic martial arts performer and face changing, a tradition adopted from Sichuan opera
Jiang Quanqing 姜泉清
Liu Fuming 刘福明, operatic martial arts performer
Lou Sheng 楼胜, vocalist, operatic performer and operatic martial arts performer
Song Baoduan 宋保端, operatic martial arts performer
Tao Yongjing 陶永晶, operatic martial arts performer
Wang Xiaoping 王晓平, director
Wu Yanxing 武延兴, operatic martial arts performer
Xie Linghui 谢玲慧
Yang Xiayun 杨霞云, vocalist, operatic performer, operatic martial arts performer
Yan Jianglei 严江雷, musician, hulusi (bottle gourd flute)/suona (wind instrument)/flute
Zhao Kongjie 赵孔杰, operatic martial arts performer
Zhou Cong 周聪, operatic martial arts performer
Zhu Xinheng 朱新恒
Zou Yiqiang 邹毅强, operatic martial arts performer

The Zhejiang Wu Opera Troupe performs in the Moonrise Pavilion.

Photo by Francisco Guerra, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution

The Zhejiang Wu Opera Troupe performs “Madame White Snake,” a famous Chinese tale about a snake who transforms into a woman and falls in love with a human.

Photo by Brian Barger, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution

An actor performs an excerpt from the “Madame White Snake” opera.

Photo by Josh Weilepp, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution

Photo by Francisco Guerra, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution

The Zhejiang Wu Opera Troupe performs a lion dance.

Photo by Francisco Guerra, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution

Photo by Walter Larrimore, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution

In Chinese Wu opera, the chou (clown) character has a comedic role and is recognizable by a small white patch of stage makeup in the center of the face.

Photo by Maggie Pelta-Pauls, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution

Bianlian, or face-changing, is a type of performance where the actor changes his mask design at an unbelievable speed.

Photo by Maggie Pelta-Pauls, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution

Close-up of drummer during a performance of the Dragon Lion Cart.

Photo by Walter Larrimore, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution

Du Xiangjun plays the erhu.

Photo by Kate Mankowski, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution

Performers apply makeup backstage.

Photo by Rachel Winslow, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution

The Zhejiang Wu Opera Troupe performs using the Dragon Lion Cart.

Photo by Walter Larrimore, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution

Close-up of performers controlling the Dragon Lion Cart.

Photo by Pruitt Allen, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution

Close-up of the Dragon Lion Cart in action.

Photo by Francisco Guerra, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution