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Guangxi Caidiao faces severe shortage of actors
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WATCHING a Caidiao Opera in southwest China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region can be a surreal experience.
Men and women in their 70s or 80s don costumes and make-up to appear as young couples in their 20s, all the while singing at the top of their lungs, sometimes heaving as they run out of breath.
Caidiao Opera troupes aren’t trying to amuse audiences by having the elderly play the young. The once popular tradition now fails to draw young performers and is subsequently facing a shortage of actors.
Originating from Guangxi’s northern rural areas, Caidiao Opera boasts a history of roughly 250 years. Reflecting the life stories of ordinary people, the opera was once popular among the public in Guangxi and even had fans in Southeast Asian countries.
As older generations of Caidiao artists retire or pass away, this traditional art is facing a spate of problems threatening its existence.
“Younger generations show no interest in this art. Some Caidiao troupes offer stable jobs and decent salaries, yet it’s difficult to recruit young people,” says Qin Mingde, a 60-year-old Caidiao performer given the title of “inheritor of intangible cultural heritage” by government authorities.
Qin says in the northern part of Guangxi where Caidiao is best preserved, it is difficult to spot young faces at a Caidiao show.
In Guangxi only one college offers a Caidiao Opera education program and it does not regularly recruit students. Most Caidiao actors are trained via short-term training courses arranged by cultural authorities.
According to Chang Jianjun, president of the Guangxi Dramatists Association, there are 2,000 amateur Caidiao groups in Guangxi’s rural areas, and only three professional Caidiao troupes in regional cities.
“With today’s diversity of culture programs in the market, Caidiao is losing appeal,” Chang says.
As urgency for change mounts, cultural authorities have taken measures to revive the opera, enlisting it as a state-level intangible cultural heritage in 2006.
Chang says they need to update scripts, produce shows that reflect modern life and improve stage presentations to survive cutthroat competition.
To keep the culture robust, Caidiao artists are trying to give the traditional art some modern flavors.
In November, Qin Mingde directed a short film featuring Caidiao shows, attempting to attract young people. Qin says short films are popular among youngsters these days and he hopes this new form of Caidiao show can give the opera a boost.
“Caidiao Opera is a precious cultural heritage,” he says, “and we shoulder the responsibility to pass it on.”
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