Participants dressed in
traditional Kunqu costumes perform at a party promoting the Kunqu
Opera in Shanghai, on Saturday, May 12, 2007.
Pop singers, fashion gurus, hip-hop performers. You may
associate them all with the modern world. However, they can also be
linked with old traditions, for example, when some of the modern
day stars attended a party promoting Kunqu Opera, the oldest
existing form of Chinese opera.
Pop singer Wan Qian, fashion model Hu Dong and hip-hop supernova
Tim Wu were among the popular names who shed their modernism,
donned Kunqu costumes and immersed themselves in the rich Kunqu
culture on Saturday in Shanghai.
The party's organizer claims it was part of the promotion for
the upcoming premiere of the Kunqu classic The Palace of Long
Life, or Chang Sheng Dian, at the city's Lanxin
Theater on May 29. They hope the participation of popular stars
will bring the Kunqu culture closer to a modern audience.
The Palace of Long Life reportedly debuted in Chinese
theaters 300 years ago. The new version will rally top Kunqu
performers.
Kunqu Opera boasts a 600-year history, and has greatly
influenced other forms of Chinese opera, including the well-known
Peking Opera.
(CRI.cn May 14, 2007)
