‘Sweat and tears’: a Peking opera actress’s dedication to the Chinese art form
Peking opera actress Zhang Wanting performs poses that can take months to perfect, and leave more than a few bruises
Dressed in a red-and-white warrior costume, Peking opera actress Zhang Wanting balances on one foot on the narrow arm of a rosewood chair. She bends forward, lifts her other leg high and grasps the two long pheasant feathers on her helmet to strike a pose like a flying swallow.
Cheers and applause can be heard from the 100 or so spectators in a modern Beijing theatre.
It is a Sunday afternoon in early September and Zhang is leading The Masked Heroine, a play from the “Song School” of Peking opera that was founded in the early 20th century as part of the centuries-old art form. It is the 30-year-old actress’ first time starring in the role in a full production, but also the fruit of over a decade of hard work that started when she was a child.
“Ever since I first started learning this play, I’ve dreamed of performing it in full,” she says.
Growing up in Hebei province in northern China, Zhang first encountered Peking opera when she was seven and saw children practising at a cultural centre. Fascinated, she joined them – and realised she had the talent and determination to pursue the art professionally. After primary school, Zhang left home for a theatre school in east China’s Jiangsu province.
Most performers in Peking opera start training at a very young age to build physical strength and flexibility. The repetitive practice leaves participants soaked with “sweat and tears”.