A beginners guide to The Peony Pavilion and Kunqu Opera

The Peony Pavilion was written by Tang Xianzu during the Ming Dynasty and first performed in 1598, around the time of Shakespeare.

The story is of a pair of young lovers who first meet in their dreams. The heroine is a young girl who falls in love with a young scholar whom she meets in a beautiful garden, under a plum tree in her dreams. When she awakes, she is lovesick and dies of a broken heart. The young man, who has had the same dream, risks capital punishment for grave robbing by exhuming her and bringing her back to life.

Tang Xianzu took the tale from a fable-like short story and extended it to 55 scenes and 400 poetic arias. The Peony Pavilion (Mudan Ting) is part of four acclaimed works by Tang Xianzu, known as The Four Dreams. These include The Purple Flute (Zixiao Ji), The Purple Hairpin (Zichai Ji) and Record of Southern Bough (Nanke Ji).

The traditional Kunqu musical ensemble includes the vertical flute (xiao), the mouth organ (sheng) various plucked and bowed lutes such as the pipa, erhu, zheng, and an assortment of percussion instruments. The drummer is also usually the conductor.

The substantial spoken parts are executed in a highly stylised stage speech that is more like song. Different role types - young man, young woman, old man, old woman can be identified by voice timbre rather than just pitch.

In the early days of Kunqu Opera, women were banned from the stage. All parts were played by men and therefore the most highly prized male soprano parts have a wider range than the young female roles.

There are three main role types in Kunqu Opera. The young woman (dan) the young man (zheng - usually a scholar or civil officer) and the clown (qao). Other important role types include the old man role (lao zheng), old woman role (lao dan) and the painted face (jing).

Singers must execute choreographed dance moves while dressed in long white flowing silk sleeves, called water sleeves, which sometimes extend two or more feet beyond the hands. The length of the sleeve also denotes the importance of the character. Main characters will have long flowing sleeves, whereas servants, maids and butlers will have much shorter sleeves. Similarly, important male characters will wear boots with four inch thick soles in which they have to leap and turn somersaults. Less important male characters will wear flat shoes.

What the women wear is also a symbol of their social status. If a woman wears robes embroidered with flowers and branches, it shows she is unwed and ready for marriage. Married women wear robes with medallions embroidered on them, as an instantly recognisable sign that they are off limits!

The costumes and props can be used to convey other characteristics. For example, a young man who has peonies on his robe may indicate a playboy, and carrying a magnifying glass symbolises social blindness. A Buddhist nun always carries a duster to ward off evil spirits.

In 2001, Kunqu was listed as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNSECO.