NYJPW & New York Chinese Opera 1998

NYJPW Annual Chinese Opera Presentation -
The Proud Fisherman/Stealing Ling Zhi/The Broken Bridge
Taipei Theater, New York City, December 6, 1998

NYJPW has presented its annual Chinese Opera program "The Proud Fisherman and the Legend of the White Serpent" at Taipei Theater, Chinese Information and Culture Center T.E.C.O. in New York, 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York City, on December 6th, 1998. The production combines, within the comedy about a fisherman's life, the traditional Chinese Opera acrobatic fighting techniques and the most elegant Chi Yi singing with Zhang Jun Qiu. The Legend of the White Serpent, combines two stories with Stealing the Longevity Ling Zhi and The Broken Bridge, is one of the most romantic love stories in Chinese Opera. It presents the most beautiful and excellent techniques in demonstrating the acrobatic and singing arts of Chinese Opera. The performers who participate in this program are professional and amateur artists, ranging in age from 17 to 89. The show was enjoyed by an appreciative audience who are eagerly anticipating the next presentation. The facility of Taipei Theater is excellent and the program is competible with any Broadway show. The admission to the show is a tax exempt donation - $50 or $30 per ticket. Ticket reservations and questions regarding support for NYJPW as a contributor may be directed to John Wang (201) 262-4338 or Email: penny.wang@nyjpw.org

Special Acknowledgement to Master Zhang Xue Jin and Director Bai Ge

Cheng-Hua Wang spends all of her spare time involved with Chinese Opera. She has performed in New York many times and specialty on Yu Style, Old Man singing. In this performance, she has one of the major roles in The Proud Fisherman. In The Proud Fisherman, she is facing the challenge as an expert on martial arts. Many of her friends tried to dissuade her from performing this show due to lack of experience. She bravely and courageously insisted on performing. She first asked Master Zhang Xue Jin, who is one of the most treasured national Beijing opera performers of Ma Style, Old Man singer, to demonstrate Hiao An - The Proud Fisherman. From the beginning to the end, she has videoed the movement of Master Zhang’s Demonstrations. Based on the video, she became a follower of Bai Ge, who is a young and talented martial arts actor in New York. She started to learn the basic skills, such as run the round circle on the stage, body movement combining the Hand-Eye-Body-Principle-Foot five techniques and sword fighting. In the past five months, Mr. Bai and Cheng-Hua have been getting together to study the techniques diligently and have achieved the image of The Proud Fisherman. Mr. Bai thoroughly understood Master Zhang’s spirit and introduced the skills to Cheng-Hua. Mr. Bai’s diligent teaching - expressing the deep knowledge in a simple way, comforting Cheng-Hua and encouraging her to be able to confidently present The Proud Fisherman. The show has not been performed in New York in the last 20 years, as it is a difficult show to perform and produce even for professionals. It is in deed a good opportunity for New York Chinese Opera lovers to enjoy the presentation. This presentation also proved that ‘Mission Impossible’ could be accomplished with a strong will and diligence. NYJPW would like to express special thanks to Master Zhang Xue Jin and Director Bai Ge.

Program Brochure Photoed & Designed by John Wang