Lu Xun’s Short Story Retold in Opera

In commemoration of the 130th anniversary of the birthday of Lu Xun (1881-1936)， a great writer of the 20th century of China and native of Shaoxing， a city in eastern Zhejiang， Jin Yongling Opera Troupe staged “The New Year Sacrifice” at the Great Hall of the People of Zhejiang. Adapted from Lu Xun’s namesake short story in 1924， the opera play was the first original opera creation in Zhejiang.

Jin Yongling is a preeminent soprano (Cultural Dialogue ran a story on her and her troupe in the issue of July 2007). She worked as a pro soprano for years before she retired from the province’s top song and dance troupe. She now works as a teacher at Zhejiang University of Science and Technology and operates a private opera troupe named after her. The private troupe had staged many performances across Zhejiang before the latest artwork.

In 2010， she wondered if she could create an opera play herself. Her friends in and outside the entertainment industry tried to persuade her not to try the wild idea. No opera play could make a cent of profit and some state-owned troupes could not do it even though they had been around for decades. How could she manage to create an opera and make money with her private troupe?

With the concern and support of Mr. Shen Zulun， the former governor of Zhejiang Province， Jin Yongling formed a partnership with the CPC Shaoxing County Committee to create an opera show about Qiu Jin (1875-1907) in 2011， the year that marks the 100 anniversary of the 1911 revolution. Jin and her creative team worked together for half a year， doing field studies in Shaoxing and preparing the creation when the ownership of the copyrights of Qiu Jin changed hands suddenly， meaning that all her preliminary work was a waste of time.

For a while， she felt she was totally lost. Mr. Shen Zulun suggested a brand new idea: why not try to adapt Lu Xun’s 1924 short story “The New Year Sacrifice” into an opera play? The idea appealed to Jin instantly and tremendously. She wondered why she had not thought of the great idea.

She needed to answer two questions before she would go all out to create an opera adaptation of the story. Did she look like the tragic mid-aged woman who lost her hope of life by losing two marriages and her boy through a series of misfortunes? Jin’s previous roles were revolutionary heroines. She was not completely sure that she would look like a woman afflicted with tragedy. What would be the significance of the story to the audience of today? The question has been answered repeatedly， for Lu Xun’s masterpiece has been adapted many times in other regional operas. Jin and her team answered the question again: Sister Xianglin’s misfortune in rural Zhejiang symbolizes the man-eat-man nature of the feudal society. The story expresses deep sympathy with the people.

The creative team includes many a big name: Wang Xiaolin， the deputy chairman of China Musical Literature Association， wrote the script and all the lyrics. Wang Zujie and Zhang Zhuoya， a husband and wife partnership， composed the music. They followed their guideline faithfully: a Chinese opera should feature a comprehensive beauty. They put the national style and elements into the structure of western opera. “Questions to Heaven，” an aria at the climax of the opera， was composed with the idea of displaying Jin Yongling’s artistic qualities. The aria is considered the most difficult singing challenge in the history of Chinese operas.