North Shannxi Yangko: Mizhi's Women and Suide's Men

In north Shaanxi Province and even across the China, women in Mizhi have long been celebrated for their beauty while men in Suide are well known for their masculinity. A popular Shaanxi saying, "Mizhi's Women and Suide's Men, Qing Jian's Flagstones and Wayaobao's Charcoal", justly praises their charming appearance and personality. Exactly how sweet and charming are the women and how attractive are the men? You will find the answer on a grand Yangko show (a folk art in north Shaanxi) to be put on at the NCPA on July 16.

The Yangko show, Mizhi's Women and Suide's Men, is sponsored jointly by the Publicity Department of CPC Shaanxi Committee and the Municipal Party Committee and Government of Yulin. It explores an ever-recurrent theme of immortal love and is full of humanistic ideals.

Mizhi's Women and Suide's Men is based on a book on which author Huo Linnan painstakingly worked for three years. It tells a moving love story, set to excellent North-Shaanxi folk music and full of local features and contemporary consciousness. What happens between a Mizhi girl called Qingqing and three Suide young men Huzi, Shiwa and Niuwa is related in an optimistic, healthy and humorous style, artistically presenting the profoundness and generosity symbolized by the Yellow River and the Loess Plateau. The show presents a vivid picture of the selfless love for the nation and the people.

The stage settings change with the plot development, but a tree, symbol of history and love, remains rooted on the loess earth. The audience will be glued to the north Shaanxi folk songs (in solo, duet or chorus) and dances, complicated plot and a touching love story that ends happily. The rich local flavor, the firm and pure love and the humanistic care are developed to the utmost by the music and dance.

This Yangge show has four acts, and its plot is breathtaking. Its strong lineup includes: the famous director Chen Xinyi as the general director; the vice chairman of Shaanxi Writers Association Bai Aying as the playwright; Zhao Jiping, Vice Chairman of Chinese Musicians Association, Chairman of Shaanxi Federation of Literary and Art Circles and Chairman of Shaanxi Musicians Association, as the music director and composer working with three other composers, Cui Bingyuan, Han Lankui and Li Xingchi. Moreover, the famous singers Wang Hongwei and Lei Jia are invited to take the leading roles.

To facilitate their creation, Bai Aying, Chen Xinyi, Zhao Jiping and others often visited Yulin to collect folk songs and rhymes. These result in the many excellent songs in the show. For instance, "There is a moon in Heaven and a person on Earth, the moon shines for the person and the person yearns for his love". These brilliant lyrics and melodious tunes have been popular with the public.

The famous writer Chen Zhongshi wrote in Read Aying for a Second Time, "The lyrics in the show are nearly perfect!"

In 2008, Mizhi's Women and Suide's Men received nine awards in the Fifth Art Festival of Shaanxi Province, such as the Best Show, Best Playwright, Best Composer, and Best Honorary Director.

Synopsis
Huzi made an engagement with his childhood sweetheart Qingqing that he would marry her when growing up. After they grew up, Huzi turned a bandit after committing manslaughter for rescuing Qingqing. Qingqing later fell in love with the stonemason Shiwa who once rescued her. Another young man, Niuwa, also loved the girl. Shiwa swore to Huzi he would go out to make enough money to marry Qingqing and if he did not come back on July 7 of the lunar year, Qingqing would marry Huzi, instead. At the very moment when Qingqing was to drown herself in the Yellow River, Shiwa went back. Niuwa blamed Huzi for his stubborn love. Huzi admitted his defeat and arranged the wedding ceremony for Qingqing and Shiwa. In great agony, he was drunk. Sobering up, Huzi decided to go out to make money rather than continuing to be a bandit, and Shiwa got touched and decided to go with him.

Yulin Folk Art Troupe
Established on July 1, 1984, the Yulin Folk Art Troupe is among the national key professional performing troupes announced by Ministry of Culture of China. Ever since its birth, the Troupe has shouldered the responsibility and mission to discover, compile, research, inherit and develop north Shaanxi folk art, and it has created and produced over 200 folk song-and-dance shows. The Troupe performed in many important national and international events, and was received and highly praised by the Party and state leaders. In particular, it has made great contributions to performing events for international exchanges. In July 1988 the Troupe began their first performance tour abroad and visited France, Switzerland and Soviet Union for a month or so. From 1992 to 1996 the troupe went to Japan, Hong Kong, France, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium and Brazil to give commercial performances, the first Shaanxi art troupe to do so. In January 2000 the Troupe went to Singapore to give performances. In January 2008 the Troupe went to Sydney and participated in the 2008 Spring Festival Cultural Event that was organized by Shaanxi Provincial Government. In April of the same year it participated in the Chinese Culture and Music Art Festival held in the U.S. city of Midland. The Troupe has traveled all over Asia, Europe and America, bringing the distinct north Shaanxi folk art to the world, therefore it has been cited as the provincial-level model for overseas cultural communication. "Rooted in the folk art" is the troupe's motto in creation. "Going global" is its endless artistic pursuit.

We make every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information, however the hours, prices, and program details may vary due to last minute changes.

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