Li Bao-chun is certainly neither the first nor the last to come to Taiwan as a "mainland artist." Before him there came Ma Yu-chi, Hsia Hua-ta and others; in future there will be a succession of people such as the Shanghai Opera Troupe's Hsia Wen-chi and Liang Ku-yin coming to Taiwan to make their artistic contributions.

Peking opera on both sides of the Taiwan Straits has grown from the same roots. However, after forty years of separate development, each has given birth to its own style. If there can now be some kind of mutual exchange, it will certainly be a very good thing. But with a host of implications, Taiwan's own artists cannot avoid having mixed feelings of "both hope and fear of being wounded." What ultimately then are the differences between the mainland's Peking opera and that of Taiwan? In what areas can they be mutually beneficial to each other?

Ballet training for Peking opera performers? Looking at it in terms of methods of performance, the mainland performers are full of vitality and strength, and the character of their opera is very strong. Sometimes they are seen by Taiwan's performers as being "too fiery." By comparison, Taiwan takes the road of tradition with a lot of old operas and performances that are "rather tepid." "In fact, what is important is that you can get the drama, and satisfy the requirements of the plot, being neither 'fiery' nor 'tepid,'" says Shanghai's Tien Shih-lin.

With a closer analysis, when the mainland passed through the "reconstruction" of the model operas of the Cultural Revolution, it became intensely antitraditional and went in the direction of taking on a Western flavor. Setting aside any talk about themes or costumes, the model opera merged with elements of Western drama and opera. Its obvious dramatic structure and leaning towards exaggeration had a very big influence on the reborn Peking opera that came to follow. Such is the case with Li Bao-chun, who trained in drama, vocal music and ballet. Although he still performs traditional opera, his good understanding of Western theater enters into his expressions on stage.

In terms of system, directing in Taiwan is still not very widespread, with performers practicing individually and sorting things out when they get on stage. Dramatists also only write when the national opera competition comes around each year, and then usually within a didactic framework of filial piety and loyalty, which means they cannot use all their energy to develop.

On the mainland, however, every troupe has its own special writer and director. The fashion for writers is to revive vivid characters from history and novels. This can be seen in the detailed characters in Ts'ao Ts'ao and Yang Hsiu, a prize-winning work by Chen Ya-hsien of the Wuhan Peking Opera Academy. Then there is The Pao Lien Magic Netherworld Lamp, a serial drama made from the combination of two operas into one. Next year's performance by Li Bao-chun of T'ang T'ai-tsung and Wei Sheng at the National Theater, and Madame Yueh Fei which was performed recently by Hai Kuang, and Ta Peng's Painting the Dragon's Eyes are all new mainland productions.

Apart from this, the different social environments on the two sides of the Taiwan Straits have also had a great influence on the development of Peking opera. In the mainland, politics has permeated everywhere and cannot be expunged. Moreover, competition is strong, sometimes with many troupes performing the same drama at the same time and looking to see who sells tickets. If you do not have enough vigor then your position of renown cannot be maintained. This kind of system means that when performers work together there can be no backsliding. Taiwan in the past has always followed the traditional ways, and although some people tried to make "improvements" using Western methods, they always came up against barriers. Moreover, many of the performers changed careers and went into the film business, and holding on to personnel was a problem.

The nature of Peking opera is that it is an art requiring deep knowledge of conventions and hard training in the basic skills. Put in a different social context it will always lead to both losses and gains, but competition should bring Taiwan knowledge, open up aspirations and bring in new stage technology.

Nevertheless, Peking opera will always continue to change, and this is so for both sides of the Taiwan Straits. In fact, as can be seen from its having taken in such a wide variety of dramatic genres, change is of its spirit. From the late Ch'ing dynasty school of P'an Hsing-p'ei to the generation of the great masters Mei Lan-fang and Li Shao-chun, all have used bold innovation. Now it will certainly be worth paying attention to whether the particular characteristics of the two sides can complement and make up for each other's shortcomings.

[Picture Caption]

Ts'ao Ts'ao and Yang Hsiu is a new opera written in mainland China; thecostumes and set designs have been completely redesigned. (photo courtesy of Koo's Foundation)