Chongqing- Chinese opera culture is the condensation of people's wisdom, thought, and spirit over the past thousands of years. It exists in the long river of history with a strong vitality and never grows old. In the continuous evolution of history, it constitutes the outstanding culture of the Chinese nation. Sichuan Opera, as an important part of Chinese traditional operas, condenses the aesthetic habits of Western China and integrates the exquisite aesthetic qualities and preferences of people here.
The origin of Sichuan Opera can be traced back to the pre-Qin (before 221 B.C.) and even earlier periods, which constantly accumulates experiences and keeps updating in the history. With the development of modern society, it gradually faded out of the sight of people. In 2006, when people turned their attention to it again, they found that it had been included in the list of endangered intangible cultural heritage and was about to disappear. However, to protect the traditional culture, passed by our ancestors, the local government and related workers keep innovation and promotion.
Zhou Xingyu, a Sichuan Opera actress, exerted every effort to learn and promote Sichuan Opera. In her opinion, Sichuan Opera is not only a kind of drama performance but also a traditional culture from our ancestors. She said, “I don’t think it (Sichuan Opera) should gradually decline over time and it requires us to strive to learn and promote.” In this episode of Faces of Chongqing, iChongqing invited Zhou Xingyu to share her story and her dream of Sichuan Opera.