Interview: Passion for Peking Opera never fades: artists

Talking about his 50-year career as a Peking Opera performer, Tan Xiaozeng is full of passion. So is his son, Tan Zhengyan.

"The Peking Opera is never short of actors or audience," the famous Peking Opera actor and winner of international prizes said in an interview with Xinhua.

Commenting on the rumor that "Peking Opera is dying", Tan said, "I do not think it will die," adding that everything has its ups and downs, so does the Peking Opera, also known as "China's national treasure".

Tan Xiaozeng is the sixth generation of Peking Opera master Tan Xinpei, who had created the renowned branch of the art "Tan Pai".

"It is the cultural heritage of our ancestors, which is of historical significance," he said on the sidelines of a touring performance in Atlanta, Georgia.

"Seven generations of our family have been engaged in this career, even during the low periods of its development," said the 66-year-old.

On the young generation's inheritance of the art, he pointed at Tan Zhengyan, who is also an influential Peking Opera actor and a member of the delegation.

"Young actors such as Zhengyan face so many choices and temptations and Peking Opera is not a lucrative business, but they stick to this stage with passion. This is respectable," the father noted.

"If you have time, you should pay a visit to our theater. Everyone is busy practicing and exercising," he said, "They can quit at any time, but they choose to stay."

Tan noted that apart from actors, the audience also play an important role in revitalizing the cultural heritage.

"We have witnessed an increasing number of audience, with young actors attracting more fans," Tan said.

"The first impression is most important. If they watch Peking Opera in a bad theater, or a bad chapter for the first time, they will not come again and they may also stop their family and friends watching the performance."

"So the actors have to do their best to perform. It is a professional attitude. That is to be responsible for yourself and your audience," he said.

His son echoed him, saying he has never regretted having chosen the Peking Opera as a career. "It is an obligation, an obligation of my family," he added.

"I think the Peking Opera can provide a good education to young people, because the art is full of virtues, such as loyalty, filial piety and integrity," the 36-year-old told reporters at the same occasion.

In recent years, Tan Zhengyan has drawn 400 to 500 fans.

"As I am a football fan, I'm trying to turn my football friends into fans of the Peking Opera, and it works." The tally of his fans keeps growing.

"Our country is paying great attention to the preservation of traditional culture. Together with the efforts of our young generation, I hope and believe that the Peking Opera has a bright future. It will thrive," he concluded. Endi