“Pear blossom hugs the spring in the rain; and it falls and buries itself in the mud…”

A rehearsal venue in Shenyang Peking Opera House has ushered in a special learner who is singing a Beijing Opera clip “Ode to the Pear Blossom” under the instruction of a professional, both voice and movement being well presented, all depicting the charm of the protagonist.

She is Bai Shuqing, an international student from Madagascar studying at Shenyang Normal University. In Africa, she happened to watch a Beijing Opera show in the Confucius Institute of Antananarivo University, and she was amazed by the graceful vocal style and gorgeous costumes. She had the thought of learning it.

As a student, Bai Shuqing once learned some Beijing Opera skills at the Institute of Dramatic Arts, Shenyang Normal University and won positive comments for her performance on the campus stage. She also took part in the “Chinese Bridge” Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students and presented Beijing Opera performance in the talent show part.

Bai Shuqing came to Shenyang Peking Opera House to be an apprentice, immersing herself in the singing, reciting, acting and dancing of Beijing Opera. Mei School Beijing Opera is her preference, so she is lately learning “Ode to the Pear Blossom”, an excerpt of “Royal Concubine Yang of Tang Dynasty”, from Liu Chang, a young Mei School Performer of Shenyang Peking Opera House.

Bai Shuqing was deeply moved by those opera actors and actresses for their dedication to the inheritance of the traditional Chinese arts. She said, “I hope to excel in my studies and introduce Beijing Opera art to my home country after graduation.”

From then on, not only did she study opera acting, but she also  learned make-up and costumes. She visited a dramatic intangible cultural heritage exhibition in Shenyang and felt the charm of the Beijing Opera by appreciating embroidery patterns on the costumes for female roles. 

To further her learning of traditional Chinese cultural arts, Bai Shuqing came to the Shenyang Palace Museum, a world cultural heritage, wherein she was dressed up as royal Concubine Yang of the Tang Dynasty, indulged in the nice music, “water-sleeve” dance and singing of the graceful melodies. She finally fulfilled her Beijing Opera dream.