The Shin-shin craze
As the curtain rises at dawn, Wang Shin-shin appears on stage as the Han imperial concubine Wang Zhaojun. She is wearing a broad, red gown edged in black especially designed by Ayako Maeda, the Japanese Noh fashion designer. It is the tragic scene when, soon to be married to the Xiongnu khan on orders of the emperor, she faces the sacrifice of her own happiness in return for peace between China and the barbarians.
She rises from her bed, combs her hair and layer by layer puts on her bridal clothes that symbolize the enormous pressure bearing down on her and the shackles that bind. Then with the imperial escort she gradually approaches the time of final departure. She begins playing and singing Bai Juyi's Ode of the Pipa. In a high, pure and melancholy voice Wang Shin-shin expresses Wang Zhaojun's broken and lonely spirit as she prepares to cross the frontier. On the desolate road she recalls the beautiful and sumptuous life of the Han court she is bidding farewell to. The sorrowful resentment deep within her has no escape and all she can do is quietly express her pain in the mournful music she plays as each step brings her closer to her marriage into a foreign, far-off land.
This bridge piece, a rewrite of the music for "Wang Zhaojun Crosses the Frontier," focuses on the emotional turning point just before Wang Zhaojun crosses the frontier and particularly showcases the character of Nanguan music, so well suited to expressing inner emotions. And to envelop the audience even more in the atmosphere of Han times, there was the rich scenery aided by dazzling lighting and gorgeous costumes, all evoking the grandeur and the melancholy beauty of a dynasty at its apogee but about to fall.
A few evenings later at the Jen Tan Ju Chun teahouse on Yungkang St. in Taipei, a group of writers and artists gathered. Their expansive conversation turned to this production of Wang Shin-shin on Stage and the atmosphere at once became animated. They all were full of praise that the opera had opened up a new door for this cultured, traditional music from the south. Seated in the group, the poet Yu Kuang-chung looked forward to the next performance. But Wang Shin-shin says this opera was specifically designed for the Guang Fu Auditorium, whose design has preserved traditional theater seating. It would probably be quite difficult to find a venue that would reproduce the same environment. But many people have been urging her on and it is possible that a performance will take place in 2006 at Lincoln Center in New York.
After a few rounds--just of tea, not alcohol--these men could not help themselves and broke out in competitive poem recitations. Wang Shin-shin, who was there as well, picked up her pipa and together with her guqin teacher played music that moved her listeners. Even her father, who had made the long trip to see her, could not help himself and joyfully burst into song. Not until the middle of the night did the group finally take their leave.
Except for two public performances a year, Wang Shin-shin concentrates all her effort on training new talent. She focuses especially on young people and actively participates in teaching courses at schools.