Peking Opera Past and Present: A Conversation with Shi Yihong (史依弘)

Shi Yihong (史依弘) will speak on her knowledge and expertise of Jingju, her personal story of Jingju training and acting career, and her negotiations between tradition and experimentation and between stage performance and film.

Directions: Entrance to the venue is located next to the Ostin Music Cafe.

This lecture features the prominent award-winning jingju actress Shi Yihong. Jingju or Beijing opera, the best-known genre of Chinese opera, is a form of classical Chinese theatre that integrates singing, speaking, dancing, and acrobatics–what the West calls “total theatre.” In her lecture, Shi will share her knowledge and expertise of Jingju, her personal story of Jingju training and acting career, and her negotiations between tradition and experimentation and between stage performance and film. Her lecture will also include demonstrations of arias and movements and interactions with the audience.

Shi Yihong is a renowned Peking Opera artist from the Shanghai Peking Opera Troupe and a leading performer of the Mei School（梅派）. She holds the title of National First-Class Actor in China and specializes in dan (female) roles（旦角）. Shi studied under Zhang Meijuan (a renowned martial dan actress and educator) as well as Lu Wenqin (an expert in opera vocal techniques). In 1999, she graduated from the first Master’s Program for Peking Opera Outstanding Young Performers in China. Shi Yihong began her training with martial dan roles （武旦） and later devoted herself to studying the Mei School, becoming a versatile artist skilled in both literary and martial roles. Her distinctive style combines traditional techniques with modern influences, making her a leading figure in contemporary Peking Opera. Her repertoire includes traditional classics such as The Female Generals of the Yang Family（《杨门女将》）, Legend of the White Snake（《白蛇传》）, Farewell My Concubine（《霸王别姬》）, The Drunken Beauty（《贵妃醉酒》）, Wang Zhaojun Goes Beyond the Great Wall（《昭君出塞》）, and The Unicorn Purse（《锁麟囊》）. She has also starred in innovative productions, such as The Bells of Notre Dame（《情殇钟楼》）, adapted from Victor Hugo’s novel, and New Dragon Inn《新龙门客栈, based on the film of the same name.

Shi Yihong has held three major national tours themed “Civil, Fight, Kunqu, and All,” “A Dazzling Elegance,” and “Four Great Schools: Mei, Shang, Cheng, and Xun,” which gained widespread acclaim among opera fans across China. Committed to promoting Peking Opera internationally, Shi Yihong has performed extensively abroad. She staged 12 performances of Farewell My Concubine at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Princeton University in the United States. She also held a special performance in Tokyo to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Mei Lanfang’s visit to Japan.

加州大学洛杉矶分校 (UCLA)主管国际研究及全球事务的副校长Cindy Fan(范芝芬)教授

 

UCLA Department of Ethnomusicology

加州大学洛杉矶分校国际学院The UCLA International Institute

UCLA Asia Pacific Center, UCLA Center for Chinese Studies