By Du Guodong

Performers singing on stage in Xi Shi.

From Turandot to Madame Butterfly, the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing is known for staging world-renown classic operas, now it is setting its sights on a homegrown work that opened last night to rave reviews.

Xi Shi is the first original opera produced by NCPA in conjunction with Shanghai Opera House. After more than a year's preparation and with strong cast, Xi Shi is also serving as the opening performance for the 7th Beijing International Theater and Dance Festival.

The opera is an ode to Xi Shi, one of the Four Beauties of ancient China who lived during the end of the Spring and Autumn Periods in Zhuji, the capital of the ancient State of Yue, according to historical records. Xi Shi's beauty was said to be so extreme that the fish would be so dazzled when they saw her that they would forget how to swim and would sink away from the surface.

Xi Shi is aimed at reviving a story of both love and war in ancient China with the heroine depicted as national hero and a dangerous beauty who caused the downfall of a kingdom.

The story tells how Gou Jian the king of Yue was once imprisoned after a defeat in a war by King Fu Chai from the State of Wu. Secretly planning his revenge, Gou Jian offered Xi Shi to Fu Chai as a tribute to show his loyalty.

Bewitched by the beauty of Xi Shi, Fu Chai forgot all about his State affairs and on her instigation, killed his best advisor, the great general Wu Zixu. In 473BC Gou Jian launched his strike and defeated the Wu army.

"In the opera, what I wanted to describe was the story of Xi Shi and her motherland, not a single love story," explained Zou Jingzhi, Xi Shi playwright. "As for the conclusion of Xi Shi, the play will provide an answer, which is both tragic and thought provoking."

"The first original opera for NCPA tells the story of the most beautiful woman in China through opera, the most popular art form in the world," added Deng Yijiang, vice president of NCPA. "When you watch the opera, you will be fascinated by its plot and scenery and you will understand why she was regarded as the most beautiful woman in China."

The use of Western opera to portray Chinese history in Chinese style saw the introduction of many traditional Chinese instruments rarely found in typical Western classical opera.

Traditional sounds are harmonized with the four tones of Chinese lyrics to take audiences through a fairyland of thousands of years ago. Many episodes of the opera are expressed with arias, best fitting for a memorable love story.

"Xi Shi is staged in the form of Western opera, but in essence, especially in terms of music, it is very familiar to Chinese audiences with a vast use of traditional Chinese tunes that resonate perfectly with the plot," explained Huang Xiaoman, Xi Shi's music director and vice director of China National Opera House.

Another highlight of the performance is dance, in which the producer tried to reprise what is allegedly the world's earliest tap dance that has so far only been described in historical documents. Historical records suggest that Xi Shi created the dance genre of Xiangji, literally meaning "sounding clogs." Each of the wooden "sounding clogs" has a string of small bells attached, which create echoing sounds as the dancers tap to the rhythm.

"No one really knows exactly how Xi Shi danced the Xiangji, because it is only recorded in historical documents," said Xiao Yanying, Xi Shi's choreographer. "In our show, we incorporated our own ideas with a modern perspective to showcase the serenity and beauty that is unique to traditional Chinese women."

Famous Chinese-Canadian soprano Zhang Liping is playing the lead. Zhang has performed with the Royal Opera in London, the Metropolitan Opera of New York and Opera de Paris. She is well known for her interpretation of bel canto roles.

"This is the first time I am singing an opera in Chinese with a strong Chinese flavor and I am under pressure a little in terms of music and the language, but it is a challenge to me," Zhang said. "I kept studying the character of Xi Shi incessantly in my mind since I was given the role and I'm confident that I can make it, for Xi Shi is the most admired character for me in recent years."

As one of China's most anticipated operas this year, Xi Shi has already attracted substantial audience numbers with strong box office sales and most premier tickets sold out, according to NCPA.

The response is encouraging for the genre that has been dominated by Western works in recent years. Chinese opera has undergone steady development since its debut 80 years ago, producing a series of classic works, however since the 1990s, locally written and produced operas have become scarce as demand for foreign operas has burgeoned.

"The main reason for the present dilemma for Chinese original operas is the lack of qualified playwrights, as a growing number have turned to writing for TV series, which is more financially rewarding, the same also goes for composers," said Jiang Li, a senior opera expert with China National Opera House.

"Classic foreign operas have become increasingly popular in China and have dominated the domestic market with their extravagant performances and outlandish taste, widening the visions of local audiences and overshadowing domestic productions," Jiang said. "To improve domestic opera production we have to train more brilliant playwrights who really love it."

7th Beijing International Theater and Dance Festival

Beginning Thursday and running until December 16, the 7th Beijing International Theater and Dance Festival is presenting 20 performances of different genres with performers hailing from across the globe.

Artists will present a comprehensive array of works to Beijing audiences ranging from opera, theater, Chinese traditional opera and dance.

An annual performance gala, the festival has been held for six years consecutively with the aim of providing a platform for international and local art troupes to showcase their work to audiences.

The 7th festival opened with Chinese original opera Xi Shi last night and will close with the traditional Chinese opera A Tale of Jade Clasp. Performances will take place at various venues across the city.