Jingju Theater Company of Beijing

Established in the early spring of 1979, the Peking Opera Theater Company of Beijing is one of the largest and most prestigious Peking Opera performance groups in China. It is directly affiliated to the Beijing Municipal Government and enjoys an incomparable status in domestic opera performance. With a large repertoire of traditional and modern productions, the group has made remarkable achievements inheriting and developing the art of Peking Opera.

The Peking Opera Theater Company of Beijing has been the home to numerous talented performers over the past decades. These performers include the "Four Famous Dans" (male artists who represent or impersonate themselves as female characters) Mei Lanfang, Shang Xiaoyun, Cheng Yanqiu and Xun Huisheng, and the "Five Most Acclaimed Performers" Ma Lianliang, Tan Fuying, Zhang Junqiu, Qiu Shengrong and Zhao Yanxia.

The Peking Opera Theater Company of Beijing has staged over three hundreds of classical plays and created more than a dozen of new plays since its foundation. Many of these plays have won top national awards, including Three Fights with Tao Sanchun and Last Touch to Dragon Painting. Today, the most outstanding performers of the troupe have become icons to themany young followers of the troupe: performers like Zhang Jianfeng, Yang Shaopeng and Zhang Liyuan all strive to keeplearning from their masters Mei Baojiu, Tan Yuanshou and Zhang Xuejin – the patriarchs of the Mei-, Tan- and Ma-schools, respectively.

PRODUCTIONS

Female Generals of the Yang Family

The story of Female Generals of the Yang Family is well-known to every household. It is from ancient Chinese historical fiction and tells the story of female generals of the Yang family safeguarding their homeland after most of the male members of the family were killed in a battle. During the reign of Emperor Renzong (1022-1063) in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the king of Xixia and his army invaded the border, and killed Marshal Yang Zongbao, who was in charge of guarding the frontier.
During that time the Yang House is filled with joy as the one hundred year-old widow She Taijun prepares for the celebration of the 50th birthday of her grandson, general Yang Zongbao, when the grievous news about his death reaches the family.
Yang’s grandmother, She Taijun, restrains her sadness and she persuades the emperor to allow her to lead the troops with her widowed granddaughter-in-laws and grandson, Yang Wenguang. Mu Guiying, Yang Wenguang’s mother and Yang Zongbao’s wife, has long held a grudge against the emperor. Persuaded by She Taijun and others, the patriotic Mu Guiying agrees to lead the army in battling invaders to defeat their enemy. After many trials and tribulations, they defeat the enemy and claim the final victory and return home gloriously.

One Good Turn Deserves Another

One Good Turn Deserves Another tells a story of how a kind-hearted lady of a wealthy family is repaid at a time of adversity for the generous assistance she has earlier provided unintentionally.
Xue Xiangling, a girl from a rich family, takes with her a pouch full of treasures when getting married. On the day of her marriage, she is caught in a heavy rain, and meets in the Chunqiu Pavilion Zhao Shouzhen, a poor lady who is also getting married. Xue gives Zhao her pouch out of great sympathy. Six years later, Xue lost contact with her family in a flood. Having no place to live, Xue becomes a servant in the House of Lu. One day, when she is babysitting Lu`s son, she sees her pouch on a table. Having learnt about what has happened to Xue, Zhao Shouzhen, now Lu`s wife and the recipient of the pouch, expresses great gratitude to Xue and with her help, Xue gets united with her family. Xue and Zhao become sworn friends.

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